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THE    ROYAL    NAVY 


A    HISTORY 


FROM  THE  EARLIEST  TIMES   TO    THE   PRESENT 


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A     History 
From  the  Earliest  Times  to  the  Present 


By 

Wm.    Laird  Clowes 

Fellmu  of  King's  Collegr,  Loitdi»l ;  Gold  Afedallisl   U.S.  Naval  Ixstiiute; 
Hon.  Member  of  the  Royal  United  Service  Institution 

Assisted  by 

Sir  Clements  Markham.  K.C.B.,  P.R.G.S. 

Captain  A.  T.  Mahan,  U.S.N. 

Mr.   H.  W.  Wilson 

Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Governor  of  New  York 


Mr.  L.  Carr  Laughton 


Thirty   Photogravures 

and 
Hundreds    of    Pull    Page    and    other 

Illustrations 

Maps,    Charts 

elc. 


In  Six  Volumes 
Vol..    I\'. 


LONDON 

Sampson    Low,    Marston    and    Com  pax  v 

I  l.ttlTED 

St.  i3uii3taii'£i  feousc,  jTctttr  iL.iiir,  lE.C. 
1899 


LONDON: 
PEIXTED  BY   WILLIAM   CLOWES   AND  SONS,    LlMllEi>, 

STAMFORD  STREET   AND  CHARING   CROSS. 


^4 


INTRODUCTIO:^    TO   VOLUME   IV. 


The  present  volume  contains  the  record  of  the  Minor  Operations  of 
the  Koyal  Navy  between  1763  and  1792,  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Wilson ;  the 
story  of  Naval  Voyages  and  Discoveries  during  the  same  period,  by 
Sir  Clements  Markham  ;  the  Civil  History  of  the  Navy  from  1793 
to  1802,  and  an  account  of  the  Major  Maritime  Operations  during 
the  war  of  the  French  Kevolutiou,  by  mj'seK ;  a  summary  of  the 
Minor  Operations  of  that  war,  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Wilson  ;  and  a  notice 
of  Naval  Voyages  and  Discoveries,  1793-1802,  by  Sir  Clements 
Markham. 

Mr.  Wilson,  while  illustrating  his  subject  with  much  fresh  matter 
derived  from  hitherto  imexplored  sources,  has,  as  will  be  seen,  utilised 
Beatson  as  the  canvas  on  which  to  do  the  main  part  of  the  work 
deaUug  with  the  operations  of  1703  to  1792.  Similarly,  both  he  and 
I  have,  almost  perforce,  taken  James's  invaluable  volumes  as  the 
canvas  for  the  period  from  1793  to  1802.  James,  in  common  with 
the  most  painstaking  and  conscientious  of  chroniclers,  occasionally 
falls  into  error ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  be  as  familiar  as  I  now  am 
with  his  monumental  work,  and  with  the  authorities  on  which  it  is 
based,  without  man-elling  at  his  extraordinary  accuracy  and  careful- 
ness. It  is  not  often,  assisted  though  one  is  to-day  by  many  aids 
which  were  not  at  his  disposal,  that  one  is  able  successfully  to 
challenge  either  his  statements  or  his  conclusions.  For  example, 
his  judgment  on  the  conduct  of  Nelson  at  Naples  in  1799  is,  I  think, 
the  judgment  which  nmst  still  be  come  to  by  eveiy  fair-minded  man 
who  has  before  him  the  large  voliuue  of  additional  evidence  which 
has  become  available  since  James  wrote.  James  had  no  bhnd 
dislike  to  the  French,  and  no  unreasonable  prejudices  against  the 
other  nationalities  with  which  Great  Britain  found  herself  at  issue 
during   the  period   under  renew ;    and,  almost  invariably,  he  does 


363776 


VI  INTHUDUVTIOK   TO    VOLUME  11'. 

even-handed  justice  to  all.  It  is  not  until  he  has  to  describe  the 
events  of  the  American  War  of  1812  that  he  suffers  himself  to  be 
misled  bj-  indefensible,  and  indeed  nnavowable,  bias,  and  becomes 
to  any  senous  extent  untrustworthy.  I  make  no  apology,  therefore, 
for  having  used  James  as  the  substructure  for  the  whole  of  Chapter 
XXXV.,  and  for  ha%'ing,  in  numerous  passages,  adopted  almost  his 
own  words  in  telling  the  story.  But  I  should  add  that  I  have  never 
done  this  without,  so  far  as  possible,  first  satisfying  myself,  by 
independent  research,  that  his  version  is  in  accordance  with  the 
facts.  Minutes  of  courts-martial,  admirals'  dispatches,  captains' 
letters,  private  logs  and  letters,  ships'  logs — used,  however,  with 
discretion — and  my  own  large  collections  of  original  documents  ^ 
relating  to  the  affairs  of  the  time,  have  enabled  me  to  make,  of 
course,  some  emendations,  and  many  additions,  to  James's  naiTa- 
tive ;  yet,  as  a  rule,  I  have  found  that  it  calls  for  singularly 
little  correction.  It  is  onh'  in  the  matter  of  criticism,  and  of 
application  of  the  story  of  the  past  to  the  circumstances  of  the 
present  and  the  future,  that  his  work  seems  to  leave  much  to  be 
desired. 

Owing  to  a  misconception,  for  which  I  was,  I  fear,  partly  to 
blame,  Mr.  "Wilson's  contribution  to  the  history  of  the  events  of 
1793-1802  is  somewhat  briefer  and  less  detailed  than  it  might  have 
been.  Mr.  Wilson  unwittingly  devoted  some  of  the  space  allotted 
to  him  to  the  consideration  of  events  which  had  been  already  dealt 
with  in  other  chapters ;  and,  with  regret,  I  found  myself  obliged  to 
delete  all  such  passages  as  involved  any  repetition. 

For  help  in  the  preparation  of  the  present  volume,  or  for  the  loan 
of  documents  and  illustrative  material,  I  have  to  express  mj'  thanks 
to,  among  many  others,  the  late  Lord  A^ernon,  the  Eev.  A.  G. 
Kealy,  E.N.,  Mr.  C.  Constable,  Mrs.  Nelson  Ward,  Mr.  E.  W.  H. 
Fyers,  Mr.  Hemy  Carey  Baird,  of  Philadelphia,  and,  for  further  use 
of  his  unrivalled  collection  of  naval  medals,  H.S.H.  Captain  Prince 
Louis  of  Battenberg,  E.K.,  G.C.B.,  who  has  throughout  taken  a 
most  kindly  interest  in  the  progress  of  the  work.  I  have  also 
received  invaluable  aid  from  the  Right  Hon.  G.  J.  Goschen,  M.P., 
First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  by  whose  special  direction  information 
which  I  could  scarcely  have  obtained  elsewhere  has  been  carefully 
compiled  for  me  by  an  Admiralty  official,  to  whom,  though  his  name 

'  Inclusive  of  the  volumiuoiis  colleotion  maile  by  Rear-Ailmiral  Sir  IToiiio  Tiiggs 
Pdliham. 


INTRODUCTION   TO    VOLUME  IV.  Vll 

remains  unknown  to  nie,  I  would  tender  my  heartfelt  thanks.  As 
usual,  Mr.  R.  B.  Marston  has  combined  the  ofi&ces  of  a  friend  with 
those  of  a  publisher,  and  has  been  indefatigable  in  keeping  me 
informed  of  all  such  fresh  publications,  newly-published  corre- 
spondence, and  out-of-the-way  entries  in  booksellers'  catalogues  as 
he  has  thought  would  interest  me  and  benefit  the  work.  He  has 
also  charged  himself  with  the  forwarding  to  me  in  Switzerland  from 
time  to  time  of  consignments  of  books  from  my  own  library  in 
London.  I  would,  moreover,  take  this  opportunity  of  expressing 
my  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Alfred  Hannsworth,  to  whom  the  steady 
progress  of  my  lal)Ours,  in  spite  of  my  continued  ill  health,  has  of 
late  owed  much. 

I  would  call  attention  to  the  unpubhshed  portrait  of  Lord  Nelson, 
which  forms  the  frontispiece  of  this  volume.  I  possess  some  scores 
of  portraits  of  the  great  seaman,  and  I  have  seen  hundreds  of  others  ; 
but  I  know  of  no  picture  of  him  v.-hich  is  at  the  same  time  so 
characteristic  and  so  beautiful.  I  am  greatly  obliged  to  the  gentle- 
man who  has  allowed  me  the  use  of  the  original  painting. 

Although  in  the  present  volume,  and  in  the  one  which  is  to 
follow  it,  Nelson  occupies  the  leading  place,  I  have  not  thought  it 
either  necessary  or  wise  to  say  much  about  that  great  hero's  private 
life.  I  have  thus  made  but  few  references  to  the  very  interesting 
batch  of  Nelson  letters  printed,  with  a  running  comment,  in  '  Litera- 
ture,' during  the  months  of  February,  March,  and  April,  1898. 
Those  letters,  written  by  Nelson  to  his  wife  between  1794  and  1801, 
throw  much  new  Ught  upon  the  domestic  relations  of  the  pair,  and, 
incidentally,  enable  one  to  correct  certain  errors  of  Clarke  and 
M'Arthur,  Morrison,  Southcy,  Pettigrew,  Laughton,  and  Mahan ; 
but  the  papers  thus  tardily  made  public  in  '  Literature  '  upset  httle 
that  is  important  in  the  generally  accepted  view  of  Nelson's  sers'ice 
career.  Those  who  are  now  responsible  for  bringing  them  to  light 
have  added  to  our  knowledge  of  Nelson's  treatment  of  his  wife,  and, 
it  may  be,  afford  grounds  for  the  conclusion  that  the  hero  behaved 
to  her  with  even  greater  duplicity  than  has  been  hitherto  sup- 
posed ;  but  their  papers  scarcely  touch  the  military  aspect  of 
Nelson's  genius  ;  and  it  is  with  that  that  I  have  almost  exclusively 
busied  myself.  That  documents  of  such  a  character  should  have 
been  kept  in  darkness  for  nearly  a  century  is  surprising. 

At   my  urgent   instance,  the   Publishers  have  most   generously 
agreed  to  allow  me  to  extend  the  size  of  this  History  from  five  to 


\iii  INTRODUCTION   TO    VOLUME  IV. 

six  volumes.  I  am  fully  aware  of  the  disadvantages  of  bulky  books ; 
and,  imtil  quite  recently  I  was  as  desirous  as  anyone  else  could  have 
been  to  see  the  work  completed  in  the  five  volumes  which  were  origin- 
ally contemplated.  But  so  much  fresh  matter  bearing  upon  the  naval 
events  and  developments  of  the  present  century,  and  especially  of 
the  last  half  of  it,  has  come  into  my  possession,  that  I  now  un- 
viilHngly  come  to  the  conclusion  that  if  the  work  is  to  be  a  well- 
proportioned  whole,  and  is  to  do  justice  as  much  to  the  services  of 
the  Hving  as  to  those  of  the  dead,  a  sixth  vohmie  is  absolutely 
necessary.  I  trust,  however,  that  the  completion  of  the  History 
will,  not,  in  consequence,  suffer  more  than  a  slight  delay,  much  of 
the  material  for  the  fifth  volume  being  already  in  type. 


W.  L.  C. 


Davos- am-Platz,  ^witzkklasd. 
June,  lyit'J. 


EEKATA. 

Tilt  reader  is  requested  to  make  the  foUowing  corrections  of  errors  which  escaped  notice 
while  the  voluine  was  passiiKj  through  the  press: — 

P.  108,  line  11.     For  Cost}',  read  Cosby. 

P.  189.     Thomas  Totty  was  made  a  Post-Captain  not  on  31-1-1781,  but  ou 

31-1-1782. 
P.  280,  line  14.      For  Charles,  read  James. 
P.  529,  first  line  of  note.     For  Goelan,  read  Goelan. 


CONTENTS. 

VOLUME   IV. 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 

Military  History  of  the  Royal  Navy,  1763-1792: 
Minor  Operations        .  .  .  .  ,  . 

Appendix  to  Chapters  XXXI.  and  XXXII. : 

Naval  Losses  of  the  Belligerent  Powers,  1775-1783 
(a)  Losses  of  H.M.  Ships,  1775-1783     . 
(fc)  Losses  of  the  LT.8.  Navy,   1777-1782 

(c)  Losses  of  the  French  Navy,  1778-1783 

(d)  Losses  of  the  Spanish  Navy,  1779-1782 

(e)  Losses  of  the  Ddtch  Navy,  1780-1782 


109 
113 
114 
115 
116 


CHAPTER    XXXIIL 
Voyages  and  Discoveries,  1763-1792  .         .         .         .         .117 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
Civil  History  of  the  Royal  Navy,  1793-1802    ....     150 

Appendix  to  Chapter  XXXV. : 

Flag-Officers  on  the  Active  List,  1793-1802       .  .  .191 

CHAFTER  XXXV. 

Military  History  of  the  Royal  Navy,  1793-1802: 

Major  Operations       .         .  .196 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Military  Histoky  of  the  Royal  Navy,  1793-1802  : 
Minor  Operations        ...... 

Appendix  to  Chapters  XXXV.  and  XXXVI. ; 

Naval  Losses  op  the  Belligerent  Powers,  1793-1802 
(a)  Losses  of  H.M.  Ships,  1793-1802     . 
(6)  Losses  of  the  French  Navy,  1793-1802 

(c)  Losses  of  the  Dutch  Navy,  1795-1800 

(d)  Losses  of  the  Spanish  Navy,  1796-1801 

(e)  Losses  of  the  Danish  N.wy,  1801    . 


I'AliE 


.  474 


548 
552 
558 
560 
561 


CHAPTER   XXXVIT. 

Voyages  and  Discoveries,   1793-1802 


.      .-,62 


INDEX    . 


573 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

VOLUME  IV. 
PHOTOGRAVURE  PLATES. 

I'AOE 

Vic'k-Admiral  Sir  Horatio  Nelson,  Viscount  Nelson,  K.B. 
(From  the  oil-painling  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  W.  Pugin 
TTinrnton,  Canterbury.)  ......      Frontispiece 

Admiral  Sir  Samuel  Hood  (1),  Viscount  Hood,  Bart.,  K.B., 
Governor  of  Greenwich  Hospital.  (From  the  mezzo- 
tint by  J.  Jones,  after  the  portrait  by  Jieynolds.)         .  .     To  face  "206 

Sir  John  Jervis,  Eabl  St.  Vincent,  K.B.,  Admiral  of 
the  Fleet.  (From  the  mezzotint  by  C.  Turner,  after  the 
painting  by  Sir  W.  Beechey.)  .....,,         306 

Admiral  Adam,  Viscount  Duncan.     (From  the  mezzotint  by 

C.  Turner,  after  the  painting  by  D.  Orme.)        .  .  .  „         330 

Admiral  Sir  James  Saumabez,  Lord  dk  Saumarez,  B.\rt., 
K.B.,  D.C.L.,  Vice-Admiral  of  Great  Britain.  (From 
the  mezzotint  by  C.  Turner,  after  the  painting  by  Carbonier.)         ,,         466 

FULL-PAaE  ILLl'STRATIONS. 

The  "Brunswick"  and  the  "  Vengeur,"  June  1st,  1794  .  To  face  234 
Commodore   Nelson's    Squadron  chased   by  the  French, 

July  8th,  1795 ,,274 

The  Battle  of  the  Nile,  August  1st,  1798:  Sunset  .  ,,  362 
The   Battle  of   the    Nile,    August    1st   and    2nd,    1798 : 

Height  of  the  Action     .......         368 


xii  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

The  So0N(),  and  the  Approaches  to  Copenhaqex     .  .     To  fnce  428 

The  Attack  on  Copenha<;en  .......         430 

Capture     of    the     "Clkopatre'     by     the     "Ny.mphe," 

Jdne  18th,  1793 ,,476 

ILLUSTRATIONS   IN   THE   TEXT. 

Pitch  Pot,  1750         ..........         1 

Dutch  Medal   Commemorative   of   the   Siei;e   op   Gibraltar   a\d 

the  Wreck  oP'  the  "  Royal  George  "  .  .  .  .  .2 

Admiral  John  Bazely  (1)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .9 

Captain  John  Paul  Jones,  U.S.N.      .  .  .  .  .  .11 

Signature  of  Captain  George  Anson  Byron  (1).  .  .  .24 

Vice-Admiral  Sir  George  Collier,  Kt.       .....       28 

Captain  "William  Locker,  R.N. .  ......       34 

Medal  Commemoe.\.tive  of  Captain  Paul  Jones,  U.S.N.         .  37 

Captain  Sir  Richard  Pearson,  Kt.,  R.N.  .....       40 

Sir  Charles  Morice  Pole,  Bart.,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet   .  .       78 

COMMEMOR.WIVE    MeDAL    OF   THE    DEFENCE    OF    GIBRALTAR,    1779-83     .  80 

Captain  Edward  Thompson,  R.N.        ......     101 

A  Three-decker  of  the  Eighteenth  Century     .  .  .  .108 

Captain  Nicholas  Biddle,  U.S.N.       .  .  .  .  .  .116 

Medal  Commemor-\.tive  of  Cook's  Second  Yoyage         .  .  .117 

Captain   the   Hon.  Constantine  John   Phipps,  R.N.,  later   Lord 

Mulgbave  ..........      135 

Signature  of   Admiral   Skeffington  Lutwidge,  as  Captain,   1789     136 
Medal  Commemorative  of  Cook's  Voyages  ....     139 

H.M.S.    "  Discovery,"    which    accompanied    Cook    on     his     last 

Voyage       ..........     141 

Signature    of    the    Earl    of     Cn.\THAM,     First     Lord     of    the 

Admiralty,  1788-97     ........      150 

Ale.xander   Dalrymple,  First   Hydrographer   to  the  Admiralty     187 
The  Union  Flag  of  January  1st,  1801       .....     189 

Signature  of  the  Hon.  Samuel  Bareington,  as  Admiral     .  .     197 

Admiral  John  Macbride    .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .199 

Admiral  John  Holloway  ........     204 

Signature  of  Lord  Hood,  as  Vice-Admiral         ....     205 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


xm 


TOUI.ON  :     FROM    A    PLAN    IN    THE    '  LONDON    MaGAZIXI;  ' 

Signature    of    Captain    the    Hon.    G.    K.     Elpiiinstone,    later 
Viscount  Keith  ........ 

Admiral  Sir  Samuel  Hood  (1),  Viscount  Hood  . 

Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Pasley,  Bart.    ..... 

Signature  of  Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Pasley,  Bart. 
Admiral  Thomas  Graves  (2),  Lord  Graves 
Captain  John  Harvey  (1),  of  the  "Brunswick'' 
Signature  of  Captain  William   Edward  Cracrapt,  R.N. 
Admiral  Sir  Boger  Curtis,  Bart.  .... 

Admiral  Al.vn,  Lord  Gardner  ...... 

COM.MEMORATIVE     MeDAL     OF     LORI)     HoWE's     VICTORY     OF     JuNE     IST 

1704 

Admiral  Sir  Richard  Rodney  Bligh,  G.C.B. 

Sir  Charles  Edmund  Nugent,  G.C.B. ,   Admiral  of  the  Fleet 

Admiral  Sir  John   Borlase  Warren,  Bart.,  K.B. 

Admiral  Sir  Charles  Cotton,  Bart.  ..... 

Admiral  Sir  Erasmus  Gower,  Kt.      ..... 

Commemorative  Medal   of   Lord    Bridpoht's   Action,    June   23rd. 

1795 

Admiral  Sir  William  Domett,  G.C.B.         .... 
Signature  of  Sir  William  Hotham  (1),  afterwards  Lord  Hotiiaji 
Scene  of  Hotham's  Action,  July  13th,  1795 
A^'icE- Admiral  Sir  Hugh  Cloderry  Christian,  K.B.     . 
Signature  of  Captain  Ed>vard  Pakenham,  R.N. 
Admiral  Sir  John  Colpots,  K.B.        . 
Admiral  William,  Lord  Radstock,  G.C.B. 
Battle  of  Cape  St.  Vincent,  I.,  11.3.")  a.m. 

II.,  12.30  p.m. 

,,  „  „  III.,  1.5   p.m. 

Sir  James   Hawkins  Whitshed,  Bart.,  G.C.B.,    Admiral   of   th 

Fleet  ......... 

Rear-Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Troubridge,  Bart.      . 
Commemorative  Medal  of  the  Battle  of  Cape  St.   ^'INCENT 
Vice-Admiral  Sir  William  George  Fairfa.x 
Battle  off  Camperdown    ....... 

CoMMEMOR.vnvE  Medal  of  the  Battle  of  Camperdown 


PAGE 

207 


209 
211 
219 

228 
229 
232 
234 
235 
238 

239 
242 
249 
253 
258 
261 

263 
265 
268 
275 
292 
294 
299 
306 
310 
311 
312 

313 
315 
318 
325 
328 
330 


\1V 


ILLUSTBATIONS. 


PAGE 

Admiral  Sir  Richard  Onslow,  Bart.           .....  332 

CoM.MEMORATivE  Medal  OP  Warren'.s  Actiox,  OCTOBER  12th,  1798  347 

R ear-Admiral  Sir  Edward  Berry,  Bart.    .....  358 

Position  of  Frencu  Fleet,  Aboukir  Bay,  August  Lst,   1798        .  359 

Signature  of  Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Foley  (3)      .          .          .          .  361 

Signature  of  Rear-Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Troubridge,  Bart.  363 

Vice-Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Boulden  Thompson,  Kt.  and  Bart.      .  365 

Comme.morative  Medal  op  the  Battle  op  the  Nile,  1798   .          .  371 
George     Keith     Elphinstone,     Viscount     Keith,    K.B.,    F.R.S., 

Admiral  op  the  Red  ........  383 

Chart  of  the  Bay  of  Naples    .......  392 

Map  of  the  Campaign  in  Egypt  and  Syria         ....  401 

ADMIR.A.L  Sir  William  Sidney  Smith,  G.C.B.        ....  403 

Commemorative  Medal  op  the  Defence  of  Acre,  1799        .          .  405 

Admiral  Sir  Andrew  Mitchell  (1),  K.B.   .....  407 

Commemorative  Medal  op  Nelson's  Return  to  England,  1800     .  420 

Vice-Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Bertie  (formerly  Hoar),  Kt.      .          .  434 

Medal  Commemorative  op  the  B.attle  op  Copenhagen,  1801          .  441 

Vice-Admikal  Viscount  Nelson,  Duke  of  Bronte,  K.B.      .          .  443 
Action  off  Algeciras,  July  6th,  1801        .          .          .          .          .461 

Signature  of  Admiral  Sir  Francis  Laforey,  Bart.     .          .          .  473 

Mess  Kettle,  Eighteenth  Century    ......  475 

Capt.mn  Robert  Faulknor  (3),  R.N.  ......  489 

Admiral  Sir  Henry  Trollope  (1),  Kt.        .....  500 

Admiral  Sir  Edward  Hamilton,  Bart.        .....  527 

Lantern  Crank,  Eighteenth  Century         .....  562 

Captain  Matthew  Flinders,  R.N.       ......  565 

Punt,  Eighteenth  Century        .  .  .  .  .  .  .571 


NAVAL     HISTOEY. 


CHAPTEE   XXXII. 

MINOR   OPEKATIONS    OF   THE    ROYAL   NAVY,  1763-1792. 

H.  W.  Wilson. 

DiepuUi  with  Spain — Spanish  armament — Actions  on  Xorth  American  coast — Capture 
o(  Fox — Her  recapture  —  Jlahifjh  attacks  a  convoy  —  Lexinijton  and  Alert  — 
Tarmouth  and  Itundolph — Paul  Jones  takes  Drake — Licorne  captured — Arethusa 
and  lielle  Poule — Languedoc  and  Renown — Preston  and  MarseiUais — his  and 
Cesar — Minerva  and  Concorde — Fox  taken  by  Junon — Capture  of  Raleigh — 
Apollo  takes  Oiseau — Attempt  on  Jersey — DiligenCs  fierce  action  with  Providence 
— Sir  Geo.  Collier  at  Penobscot— Franco-Spanish  fleet  captures  Ardent — Causes 
of  her  loss  —  D'Estaing  at  Savannah  —  Pearl  takes  Sta.  Monica  —  Paul  Jones 
meets  Serapis — Furious  battle — Serapis  taken  —  Quebec  H^hU-Surveillante  — 
Heroism  of  Capt.  Farmer — Force  of  the  shijis — Capture  of  Omoa — Jackal  carried 
oft" — British  squadron  fires  on  the  Dutch — Arbuthnot  at  Charleston — Capture  of 
the  Protee  —  Mutiny  in  Invincible  —  Cowardice  of  two  Captains  —  Capture  of 
Capricieuse — Of  Belle  Poule — Respect  for  neutrals — Moutray's  convoy  taken — 
Flora  and  Nymphe  —  Hurricanes  and  disasters  —  Capture  of  Rotterdam  —  Of 
Minerve  —  Capture  of  Dutch  ships  —  Cerberus  and  Orana  —  Canada  takes  Sta. 
Leocadia — Actif  and  Nonsuch — Loss  of  Atalanta  and  Trepassey — Flora  and 
Crescent  against  Castor  and  Uriel  —  West  Indian  actions  —  Iris  takes  Trumbull 
—  Helena  at  Gibraltar — Chatham  AnA  Magicienne — Loss  of  Uannilxil  —  Hughes 
takes  Trincomale— Success  captures  Sta.  Catalina — Foudroyant  and  Pegase  — 
Sta.  Margarita  reads  Amazone  a  lesson — La  Perouse  in  Hudson's  Bay — Rainbow 
captures  Hebe — Hectares  glorious  defence — She  sinks — Heavy  losses  caused  by  a 
high  gale — Capt.  Inglefield  deserts  Centaur — Torhay  and  London  chase  Scipion 
— Leander  and  an  imknown  ship  of  the  line — Hussar  and  Sibylle — Argo  taken 
by  French  frigates — General  remarks — Untrustworthiness  of  logs — Armaments 
— Weight  of  metal  tells — lieview  of  ship  actions — Nautical  qualities — Privateers 
— Riou  and  the  Guardian — His  heroism — Spanish  armament — Russian  arnianient 
— Bhgh  and  the  Bounty — Pandora's  voyage. 


1' 


N  1766,  Captain  the  Hon.  John  Byron  returned 
from  a  voyage  of  discovery  round   the  world, 
and  reported  so  favourably  of  the  Falkland  Isles, 
that  the   Government  determined  to  take  effective 
iriLiiiui,  1700.     possession   of  Port   Egmont,   in   West   Falkland.' 

'  Beatson,  iv.  H,  20  ff. 
VOL.   IV.  B 


2  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    17G3-1792.  [1770. 

Accordingly  Captain  John  Macbride,  with  the  Jason,  32,  and  three 
smaller  vessels,  was  despatched  to  carry  out  this  purpose.  Not 
long  after '  his  arrival  the  French  established  a  settlement  on  East 
Falkland,  at  Port  Louis,  but  soon  abandoned  it  and  handed  it 
over  to  Spain.  Port  Louis  was  renamed  La  Solidad  by  its  new- 
owners. 

Captain  Macbride  having  returned  to  England,  the  duty  of 
maintaining  the  rights  of  Great  Britain  devolved  upon  Commander 
Anthony  Hunt  (1),  of  the  Tamar,  14,  Commander  George  Farmer,  of 
the  Swift,  14,  and  Commander  William  Maltby,  of  the  Favourite,  16. 
The  commander  of  a  Spanish  vessel,  discovered  by  Commander  Hunt 
surveying  the  islands  during  1769,  was  warned  to  leave,  and  did 
so ;  but  two  days  later  he  reappeared  with  a  protest  from  the 
governor  of  La  Solidad,  reqiuring  the  British  to  depart  within  six 


DUTCH    MEDAL    COMMEMORATIVE    OF    THE    SIEGE    OF   GIBHALTAH 
AND   THE    WRECK    OF   THE    "  ROYAL    GEORGE." 

{From  an  original  lent  hy  H.S.H.  Capt.  Prince  Louis  of  Baltenherg,  B.N.) 

months.  On  this  Hunt  sailed  home  for  instructions.  The  Swift 
was  wrecked,  without  serious  loss  of  Ufe,  and  thus  the  Favourite 
alone  was  left  to  guard  the  settlement.  In  June,  1770,  five 
Spanish  frigates  or  corvettes  appeared  in  Port  Egmont,  fired  at 
the  Favourite,  compelled  the  small  garrison  to  surrender  and 
embark  in  the  sloop,  and  detained  her  for  twenty  days  by  taking 
possession  of  her  rudder  and  several  sails.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  period  Commander  Maltby  sailed  for  England,  where  he  arrived 
on  September  22nd. 

The  high-handed  proceedings  of  the  Spanish  authorities  caused 
great  indignation  in  England,  and  strong  representations  were  at 
once   made   to   the   court   of    Madrid.      More    eilectual   than   any 

'  According  to  Beatson.  Other  authorities  place  the  date  of  the  French  settlement 
in  1764. 


1775.]  THE    WAR    WITH    THE    COLONIES.  3 

representations,  however,  was  the  display  of  force  by  commissioning 
a  "  Spanish  armament."  First  sixteen,  and  then  an  additional  force 
of  twenty-five  ships  of  the  line,  ten  frigates,  and  numerous  smaller 
vessels  were  prepared  for  sea.  France,  after  secretly  instigating 
Spain  to  war,  changed  her  policy,  and  advised  Spain  to  keep  peace 
with  Great  Britain,  or,  if  she  went  to  war,  to  expect  no  aid.  On 
January  22nd,  1771,  the  Spanish  ambassador  was  authorised  to 
promise  the  restitution  of  Port  Egmont,  and  the  dispute  terminated. 
The  Juno,  32,  Captain  John  Stott,  Hound,  14,  and  Florida,  store- 
ship,  were  sent  out  to  receive  the  surrender  of  Port  Egmont. 

On  July  4th,  1774,  a  terrible  explosion  occiirred  on  board  the 
Kent,  74,  Captain  Charles  Feilding  (1),  whilst  lying  at  Plymouth. 
A  quantity  of  powder  had  been  carelessly  left  on  the  poop  whilst 
the  guns  were  being  scaled.  This  took  fire  from  some  wads,  and 
forty-five  men  were  killed  or  injured. 

Throughout  the  years  1765-1775,  the  Navy  on  the  North 
American  station  was  constantly  employed  in  police  work  and 
petty  expeditions  against  the  disaffected  colonists.  That  it  did 
not  effect  more  than  it  did  must  be  ascribed  largely  to  the  in- 
different state  of  too  many  of  the  ships  and  the  extreme  weakness 
of  the  crews.  The  Somerset,  68,  Captain  Edward  Le  Cras,  during 
1775  co-operated  with  General  Gage  at  Boston.  On  May  28th, 
the  armed  schooner  Diana,  6,  Lieut.  Thomas  Graves  (3),  had  to  be 
abandoned  and  burnt  by  her  crew,  in  face  of  the  colonists  near 
Boston.'  In  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill  on  June  17th,  the  Glaagotv, 
20,  Captain  William  Maltby,  cannonaded  the  American  position. 
The  senior  naval  officer  who  was  present  on  land  in  the  action 
ordered  the  ships  to  fire  red-hot  shot  to  burn  the  village  of 
Charlestown. 

On  July  15th,  1777,  the  schooner  Diligent,  Lieutenant  John 
Knight  (2),  was  surprised  and  captured  by  the  people  of  Machias, 
whither  she  had  gone  on  a  visit. 

The  first  naval  action  of  the  American  War  was  the  capture  of 
the  Hunter  and  a  brig  by  two  American  privateers  off  Boston  on 
November  23rd,  1775.-  The  British  vessels  were,  however,  almost 
immediately  retaken  by  Lieut.  John  Bourmaster  in  an  aiined 
transport. 

Early  in  1776,  on  April  6th,  the  British  20-gim  ship  Glasgow, 

'  Beatson,  iv.  Ti;. 

'  Beatson,  '  Naval  and  Military  Memoirs,'  iv.  113. 

B  2 


4  MINOn    OPERATIONS,    17G3-1792.  [1776-77. 

Captain  Tyringbam  Howe,  sailed  into  the  midst  of  an  American 
squadron  under  the  command  of  Commodore  Esek  Hopkins,  and 
composed  of  the  Alfred,  24,  Columbus,  20,  Andrea  Doria,  14, 
Cabot,  14,^  and  Providence,  12.-  The  British  vessel  engaged  for 
over  two  hours  with  this  very  superior  force,  hut  succeeded  in 
escaping,  as  the  Americans  were  afraid  that  the  noise  of  the  firing 
would  bring  to  the  rescue  a  British  squadron,  which  was  lying  at 
Newport.  The  Glasgow  lost  one  killed  and  three  wounded  ;  the 
x\mei-icans,  twenty-three  or  twenty-four  killed  and  wounded. 

On  October  18th,  Lieut.  Henry  Mouatt,  with  a  small  squadron 
of  four  ships,  mounting  thirty-six  guns,^  burnt  the  town  of 
Falmouth,'  owing  to  the  refusal  of  the  inhabitants  to  deliver  up 
four  gmis  and  disarm.  On  December  5th,  the  American  brig 
Washington,  10,  was  captured  by  the  Foweij,  24,  Captain  George 
Montagu.  Late  in  December,  the  American  Andrea  Doria,  14, 
captured  the  British  Bacehorse,  12,  Lieut.  James  Jones,  after  a 
desperate  action  of  two  hours. ^  On  March  26th,  1777,  the  American 
brig  Cabot,  14,  after  a  forty-eight  hours'  chase,  was  driven  ashore 
and  captured  by  the  Milford,  28,  Captain  John  Burr.*  On  April  16th, 
the  British  tender  Edward  was  captured  by  the  Lexington,  16,  off 
the  coast  of  Virginia.  On  May  2nd,  the  Hai'wich  packet  Prince 
of  Orange  was  taken  in  the  Channel  by  the  American  Surprise,  10, 
Captain  Gustavus  Conyngham,.  The  latter  vessel  had  been  bought 
at  Folkestone,  and,  with  glaring  disregard  of  French  neutrahty, 
had  been  equipped  at  Dunkirk.  On  the  Surprise's  return  to 
Dunkirk,  the  prize  was  seized  and  restored  to  Britain,  though  it 
was  believed  at  the  time,  not  without  some  reason,  that  the  British 
Government,  anxious  to  avoid  a  dispute  with  France,  had  purchased 
from  Conyngham  his  captm-e.  As  showing  the  ubiquity  of  American 
privateers,  it  may  be  noticed  that  in  June  the  British  Levant,  28,  fell 
in  with  and  captured,  after  a  short  action,  the  American  Vigilant,  14, 
in  the  Mediterranean.  In  the  year  1777  there  were  attacks  by 
American  privateers  on  the  shipping  at  DubUn  and  Penzance.' 

'  Rated  "  12  "  in  the  List  Books  and  borne  as  a  "  12  "  in  tlio  Kavy. 

*  Beatson,  134.  This  action  caused  great  dissatisfaction  in  America.  One  of  the 
American  captains  was  at  once  casliieied  ;  and  Commodore  Hopkins  was  shortly  after- 
wards dismissed  the  service. 

'  Beatson,  227,  228. 

*  United  States. 

"  I  can  tind  no  reference  to  this  action  in  the  courts-mart iah 

'  Beatson,  248.     Log  of  Milford  gives  the  (Jabot  16  guns  and  182  men. 

'  Ann.  Heg.  1777,  192],  195]. 


1777.J  LOSS   OF   THE  FOX.  5 

On  May  21st,  1777,'  the  Americau  ships  Hancock,  32,  Captain 
John  Manly,  Boston,  30,  Captain  Hector  McNeil,  Mifflin  and 
Tartar,  22,  Hawke,  18,  and  five  schooners,  each  of  14  guns,  put 
to  sea  for  a  cruise.  They  were  scattered  by  a  gale,  and  only  the 
Hancock  and  Boston  were  left  in  company.  These  two,  on  June  7th, 
off  Boston,  sighted  a  sail  and  gave  chase.  As  both  of  them  were  ex- 
ceptionally fast,  they  speedily  overhauled  the  stranger,  which  proved 
to  be  the  British  frigate  Fox,  28,  Captain  Patrick  Fotheringham. 
The  latter  was  a  httle  slow  in  clearing  for  action,  and,  according  to 
American  accoimts,  she  was  not  ready  to  open  when  the  Hancock 
got  in  her  first  broadside.  Captain  Fotheringham  managed  to 
i-etum  the  fire,  and  fought  a  sharp  action  for  half  an  hour,  until, 
noting  that  the  Boston  was  coming  down  fast,  and  that  she  was  a 
ship  of  formidable  force,  he  made  sail  to  draw  the  Americans  apart, 
firing  on  the  Hancock,  meanwhile,  with  his  stern-chasers.  His  ship, 
however,  was  an  indifferent  sailer,  and  the  Hancock  was  not  to  be 
shaken  off.  The  Hancock  came  up  with  the  Fox  a  second  time 
about  noon,  and  engaged  her  closely  till  1.1-5.  At  that  point  the 
Boston  arrived  on  the  Fox's  starboard  quarter,  and  opened  a  most 
galling  fire.  The  Fox's  main  yard  was  shot  away ;  the  maintop- 
mast  was  on  the  point  of  falling ;  the  mainmast  was  badly  wounded  ; 
the  wheel  had  been  shattered,  and  the  ship  would  no  longer  answer 
her  helm.  The  Hancock  lay  on  the  port  bow,  the  Boston  on  the 
starboard  quarter,  so  that  they  could  scarcely  be  touched  by  a 
single  one  of  the  Fox's  guns.  At  1.45  Captain  Fotheringham 
hauled  dowTi  his  colours.  The  injuiy  to  the  hull  and  loss  of  life 
on  board  his  ship  had  been  small,  because  the  Americans  fired 
chiefly  at  the  rigging.  As  an  interesting  episode,  it  is  recorded  that 
one  of  the  Boston's  burning  gun-wads  had  lodged  in  the  Fox's 
mizen  chains,  and  was  starting  a  fire  there,  when  the  captain  of 
the  Boston  hailed  the  Fox's  men  with  a  speaking-trumpet  and 
desired  them  to  put  out  the  fire.  According  to  the  evidence  given 
at  the  court-martial,  the  Fox  was  weakly  manned,  having  only 
140  men  fit  to  go  to  quarters,  or  33  men  short  of  her  complement. 
From  the  same  sovurce  we  gather  that  the  Hancock  carried  twenty 
12's  and  twelve  6's  - ;  the  Boston  five  12's,  nineteen  9's,  two  6's,  and 

>  Coojier  [J.  F.],  i.  79 ;  Beatson,  iv.  278 ;  Courts  Martial  (Record  Office  MS.), 
vol.  50,  Mar.  3rd ;  Maclaj',  i.  88  ff. ;  Clark,  T.,  '  Naval  History,'  i.  53. 

*  Cf.  Log  of  Jiainhow.  'A  Detail  of  some  Particular  Services'  (B.M.  1447,  c.  15, 
a  journal  kept  in  the  Bainhow)  gives  the  Hancock  34  guns. 


6 


MINOB    OPEBATIONS,   1763-1792. 


[1777. 


four  4's.  The  usual  tencleiicy  for  the  defeated  to  exaggerate  the 
victor's  strength  must,  however,  be  allowed  for.  Still,  the  above 
figures  have  been  iised  in  the  estimate  of  comparative  force. 


— 

Tons. 

GUJIS. 

Brtiadside. 

lieu. 

KUleJ. 

Wuuudeii. 

Total. 

[Eancock  . 

730 

32 

Lbs. 
156 

270 

? 

? 

8' 

{Boston 

514 

30? 

131? 

246 

? 

? 

? 

Fox    .      .      . 

585 

28 

114 

150 

2 

10 

12 

Time,  120  minutes. 

1  Maclay.     Bum,  master  of  Fox  stated  at  C.  II.  that  Hancock  threw  teu  deaii  men  overboard.     Boston  seems 
to  have  snffered  no  loss. 

The  Hancock  and  Boston  took  a  number  of  prisoners  on  board 
from  their  prize,  and  sent  others  in  a  captured  fishing  vessel  to 
Newfoundland.  The  three  then  stood  away  for  Boston,  but  on 
July  6th  were  sighted  by  the  British  44-gun  ship  liainbow,  Captain 
Sir  George  Colher,  and  the  18-gun  brig  Victor.  The  Americans, 
mistaking  the  Bainhoio  for  a  vessel  of  the  line,  at  once  destroyed  a 
prize  that  was  in  their  company,  and  took  to  flight,  forming  in 
line  of  battle.  The  Hancock  delayed  the  squadron.  She  was  foul, 
and  had  been  lightened  too  much  forward,  so  that  she  did  not  sail 
well.  During  the  6th  and  7th  the  pursuit  continued,  and  early  in 
the  morning  of  the  8th  a  strange  sail  was  seen  from  the  Bainhoic. 
She  failed  to  answer  the  private  signal,  and  was  at  first  taken  for 
another  American ;  but  as  she  joined  in  the  pursuit  and  presently 
fired  at  the  Americans,  it  was  obvious  that  she  was  a  friend.  She 
was,  in  fact,  the  British  frigate  Flora,  32,  Captain  John  Brisbane. 
At  noon  the  Rainbow  fired  several  shots,  whereupon  the  Americans 
parted  company  and  scattered.  The  Boston  made  off  unmolested ; 
the  Hancock  was  followed  by  the  Bainhoic,  and  the  Fox  by  the 
Flora.  The  brig  Victor  had  now  dropped  behind.  At  4  p.m.  the 
Bainhoto  was  close  enough  to  her  enemy  to  open  fire  with  her 
broadside ;  a  little  later  the  report  of  distant  guns  told  her  that 
the  Flora  was  also  engaged.  The  Hancock  was  left  by  a  sudden 
calm  at  the  mercy  of  the  Bainhotv's  powerful  broadside,  and  struck 
at  8.30  P.M.i 

The  Flora  sighted  the  enemy  on  the  7th,  and  at  once  gave 
chase. ^     On  the  8th  she  ran  the  Fox  to  earth,  and  raked  her  as  the 

'  Log  of  Bainhow.  ^  Log  of  Flora. 


1777.] 


CRUISE    OF   THE  RALEIQE  AND   ALFRED. 


enemy  attempted  to  tack.  A  hot  action  followed  before,  about 
4.30  in  the  afternoon,  the  Fox  struck.  The  Flora  had  her  foretop- 
mast  wounded  and  much  of  her  running  rigging  shot  away.  For 
their  conduct  on  this  occasion  the  American  captains,  Manly  and 
McNiel,  were  court-martialled,  and  the  latter,  who  in  the  Boston 
had  deserted  his  commodore,  was  dismissed  the  American  service. 
The  comparative  force  of  the  ships  was  as  follows  : — 


— 

|..U^. 

Guns, 

Bruadsiilc. 

Men. 

KiUwI. 

AVoun(ie<l. 

Total. 

Rainbow  . 

831 

44 

Lbs. 

285 

211 

? 

? 

? 

Hancock  . 

730 

32 

158 

229 

J 

y 

? 

(Flora .      .      . 

698 

32 

174 

220 

9 

? 

? 

[Fox    .     .     . 

58.5 

28 

114 

? 

? 

? 

0 

The  Hancock^  was  purchased  into  the  British  sen'ice  under  the 
name  of  Iris.  On  board  her  were  Captain  Fotheringham  of  the 
Fox  and  forty  of  his  men.  On  his  arrival  in  England  Captain 
Fotheringham  was  tried  by  com-t-martial  for  the  loss  of  his  ship, 
and  honourably  acquitted,  as  he  had  not  struck  till  she  was  un- 
manageable and  defenceless,  when  further  resistance  would  have 
meant  mere  aimless  waste  of  life. 

In  the  com-se  of  the  year  the  Beaver,  14,  Commander  James 
Jones,  captured  a  large  American  privateer  of  14  guns,  with  a  loss 
of  only  2  wounded.  The  American  loss  was  20  killed  and  as  many 
wounded. 

On  September  4th,  1777,  the  Camel,  22,  Captain  the  Hon. 
William  Clement  Finch,  the  Weazel,  16,  Commander  Samuel  "Warren 
(1),  and  the  Druid,  14,  Commander  Peter  Carteret,  were  convoying 
the  homeward  bound  trade  from  the  Leeward  Islands,  when  a  sudden 
attack  was  made  upon  the  Druid  by  an  enemy  who  had  stolen  into 
the  fleet.^  This  was  the  32-gun  American  frigate  Raleigh,  Captain 
Thomas  Thompson.  On  September  2nd,  cruising  in  the  company 
of  the  Alfred,  24,  she  had  captm-ed  a  vessel  of  the  convo}',  and 
ascertained  from  her  master  the  order  of  sailing  and  the  signals 
used.     On   September   3rd,   the   Americans  were  in   sight   of  the 

'  Dimensions :   Chamock,    '  Mar.   Architecture,'  iii.   257 :   length,   137  ft.   1  in. ; 
beam,  34  ft.  3J  in. :  draught,  10  ft.  11  iu. 

'  Allen,  i.  245 ;  Coojxjr,  i.  153  ;  Beateon,  iv.  284 ;  Log  of  Druid  missing. 


8  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792.  [1777. 

convoy,  and  managed  to  get  near  without  exciting  any  suspicion ; 
they  were  unable,  however,  to  cut  off  any  of  the  merchantmen,  as 
the  Alfred  was  a  very  bad  sailer.  Finally  Captain  Thompson 
decided  to  leave  his  consort  behind ;  ran  into  the  midst  of  the 
British  fleet ;  exchanged  signals  with  the  British  ships ;  and  bore 
down  upon  the  unsuspecting  Druid,  till,  having  selected  his  position, 
he  ran  out  his  guns  and  gave  her  for  twenty  minutes  broadside  after 
broadside.  Taken  completely  by  surprise  she  could  make  but  feeble 
reply.  Her  Commander,  Carteret,  was  mortally  wounded  at  the  first 
fire ;  her  Master  was  killed ;  the  command  passed  to  Lieut.  John 
Bourchier.  The  convoy  had  meantime  fallen  into  gi-eat  confusion, 
each  ship  suspecting  her  neighbour  to  be  a  disguised  enemy.  But, 
as  it  was  seen  that  the  surprise  had  proceeded  from  one  solitary  ship 
and  that  other  enemies  did  not  appear,  the  British  warships, 
supported  by  several  anned  merchantmen,  made  all  sail  to  come 
up  with  the  Baleigh!  She  had  therefore  to  draw  off  when  the 
Bi-itish  vessels  neared  her.  She  left  the  Druid  in  a  terribly  damaged 
state ;  with  masts,  yards,  and  rigging  much  shattered ;  several  shot- 
holes  betwixt  wind  and  water ;  five  feet  of  water  in  the  hold,  and  six 
men  killed  and  sixteen  wounded.  On  her  part  the  Baleigh  is  said 
to  have  only  lost  three  men.  She  was  chased  after  the  action  by 
the  Camel  and  Weazel,  but,  being  clean,  could  not  be  overtaken.  The 
engagement  is  instructive  as  showing  the  difliculty  of  concentrating 
against  a  bold  assailant  the  ships  engaged  in  protecting  a  convoy. 
The  Baleigh  and  the  Alfred  did  not,  however,  succeed  in  captm-ing 
a  single  ship.     The  Alfred  appears  throughout  to  have  held  back. 

As  this  was  a  siirprise  action,  and  therefore  no  fair  test  of  either 
ship,  the  relative  force  of  the  two  combatants  is  unimportant.  The 
Baleigh  was,  of  com-se,  a  far  more  powerful  ship  than  the  Druid,  and, 
singly,  should  have  been  more  than  a  match  for  the  Druid,  Weazel, 
and  Camel  combined. 

On  September  19th,  a  sharp  action  took  place  in  the  Channel 
between  the  American  brig,  Lexington,  16,  Captain  H.  Johnston, 
and  the  British  cutter,  Alert,  10,  Lieut.  John  Bazely  (1).^  The 
American  was  caught  unprepared  and  brought  to  action  early  in 
the  morning.  She  had  a  short  supply  of  ammunition,  and  no  match 
ready.  After  more  than  two  hours'  fighting  the  Lexington  crippled 
the  Alert's  rigging,  and  managed  to  draw  off",  with  scarcely  a  shot 
left  in  her  magazines.  The  Alert,  however,  was  very  smartly 
'  Log  of  Alert.     Emmons,  '  U.S.  Xavy,'  42  ;  '  Gent.'s  Magazine,'  xlvii.  458. 


1777.] 


THE  ALERT  TAKES   THE  LEXINGTON. 


repaired,  and  renewed  the  chase.  She  came  up  again  with  the  enemy 
about  1.30,  and,  an  hour  later,  was  in  a  position  to  reopen  fire.  The 
Americans  could  now  make  no  reply,  and,  after  passively  enduring 
the  broadsides  of  the  Alert  for  an  hour,  were  compelled  to  strike. 
Cruising  in  the  Channel  in  company  with  the  Reprisal  and  Dolphin, 


ADMIUAL    JOHN    B.\ZELy    (1). 
(From  an  enoraving  by  Ridley,  after  the  miniature  by  T.  Langdon.) 

the  Lexington  had  in  five  days  captured  fourteen  prizes.     The  force 
of  each  ship  was  as  follows  : — 


— 

I'.iUS. 

iJuns. 

Bruu.li-i.lc. 

Men. 

KiUed. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Alert  .      .      . 

1     205 

10 

Lbs. 
20 

GO 

2 

3 

5 

Lexinr/lon 

IG 

31 

84 

7 

U 

18 

Time,  3  hours  30  minutes. 

Amongst  the  Lexinqton's  killed  and  wounded  were  the  master, 
first  lieutenant,  lieutenant  of  marines,  and  gunner.     It  should  be 


lU  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792.  [1778. 

noted  that  the  victory  of  so  inferior  a  vessel  as  the  Alert  was 
probably  due  to  sui-prise. 

In  October  the  American  ship  Lexington,  16,  was  captured  by 
the  Pearl,  32,  in  West  Indian  waters,  but  the  Americans  rose  on  the 
prize  crew  and  retook  the  ship.' 

On  March  7th,  1778,  the  British  64,  Yarmouth,  Captain  Nicholas 
Vincent,  fell  in  with  a  squadron  of  American  ships  cruising  off 
Barbados.  She  gave  chase,  and  overtaking  the  32-gun  frigate 
Bandolpli,  Captain  Nicholas  Biddle,  engaged  with  her  in  a  running 
fight.  This  had  and  could  have  had  but  one  issue — defeat  to  the 
smaller  and  weaker  vessel.  The  Randolph  blew  up  and  all  her  crew 
of  315  perished  with  her,  except  four  who  were  rescued  five  days 
later  by  the  British  ship  from  some  wreckage  to  which  they  had 
clung.  At  the  explosion,  burning  spars  and  timbers  six  feet  long  fell 
upon  the  Yarmouth's  deck,  and  with  these  an  undamaged  American 
ensign.  The  British  loss  was  5  killed  and  12  wounded ;  the 
damage  to  the  Yarmouth  was  trivial."  She  was  of  com-se  vastly 
superior  in  weight  of  metal  and  strength  of  hull. 

On  March  9th,  1778,  the  British  ships  Ariadne,  24,  Captain 
Thomas  Pringle,  and  Ceres,  18,  Commander  James  Richard  Dacres 
(1),  cruising  in  West  Indian  waters,  saw  two  sail.^  Giving  chase, 
they  speedily  came  up  with  the  sternmost,  which  struck  after 
receiving  a  few  broadsides.  She  proved  to  be  the  American  cruiser 
Alfred,  Captain  Ehsha  Hinman,  armed  with  twenty  long  9's  and 
carrying  180  men.  The  other  vessel,  the  Baleigh,  of  32  guns, 
ignominiously  escaped. 

Early  in  1777,  the  American  Marine  Committee  decided  to 
despatch  ships  to  attack  British  trade  in  British  waters.*  The 
unprotected  state  of  our  commercial  ports  and  coastline  had  been 
represented  to  Congress  by  the  United  States'  Commissioners  in 
Paris,  and,  as  far  back  as  1776,  plans  had  been  matured  for  the 
destruction  of  Bristol  and  other  important  places.  Captain  John 
Paul  Jones  was  selected  for  the  important  enterprise,  and  putting 
to  sea  in  the  Ranger,  18,  on  November  1st,  arrived  at  Nantes  in 

'  Probably  the  date  should  be  1776,  but  I  can  find  no  trace  of  the  capture  in  the 
PearVs  log  for  October  1776  or  1777. 

^  London  Gazette,  May  23rd ;  Log  of  Yarmouth. 

*  London  Gazette,  May  23rd;  Navy  List  Book. 

*  Laughton,  '  Studies  in  Naval  History,'  376-387  ;  '  Life  of  Paul  Jones  from  .  .  . 
manuscript  of  Miss  J.  Taylor,'  69-88  ;  Hutchinson,  W., '  History  of  Cumberland,'  1794, 
ii.  86  ;  Beatson,  iv.  439 ;  Cts.  Martial  (MSS.  Record  Office),  vol.  53. 


1778.]  CRUISE   OF   CAPT.   PAUL  JONES.  11 

December,  with  two  prizes.  Thence  he  convoyed  some  American 
ships  to  La  Motte-Piquet's  fleet,  and  from  the  French  admiral 
obtained  a  sahite  for  the  new  American  flafj.  Having  refitted  at 
Brest,  he  sailed  on  April  10th,  1778,  for  the  Irish  Sea.  On  the 
14th,  north  of  the  Scillies,  he  captured  a  brigantine ;  on  the  17th,  off 
Dublin,  a  vessel  laden  with  porter.  On  the  18th,  off  the  Scotch 
coast,  he  chased  a  revenue  wherry  unsuccessfully  ;  on  the  19th,  he 


CAPTAIN   JOHN    PAUL   JONES,    U.S.N. 
(.From  J.  B.  Longacrc's  engraving,  after  the  portrait  by  C.  W.  Peak.') 

destroyed  two  more  ships.  On  the  21st,  learning  that  the  British 
sloop  Drake,  20,  Commander  George  Burdon,  was  at  anchor  in 
Carrickfergus  Bay,  he  determined  to  run  in  at  night  with  his 
ship  and  board  her.  His  plan,  though  bold  and  well-conceived, 
miscarried ;  he  entered  the  bay,  but  did  not  anchor  quickly  enough, 
and,  a  gale  springing  up,  he  was  obliged  to  run  out  again.  On  the 
22nd,  he  decided  to  burn  the  shippmg  at  Whitehaven,  which  place 
he  knew  well.     At  midnight  two  boats  with  thirty-two  men  left  the 


12  MINOS    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792.  [1778. 

Banger,  and  reached  the  land  as  the  day  was  dawning.  One  party 
set  the  ships  in  the  harbour  on  fire  ;  the  other  entered  a  dilapidated 
fort,  which  was  supposed  to  protect  the  town,  and  spiked  the  guns. 
One  of  his  men,  however,  had  slipped  away,  misliking  the  work,  and 
given  the  alarm  ;  and,  though  the  harboiu:  was  dry,  Jones  foimd 
on  returning  from  a  second  battery,^  a  little  waj'  further  off,  whither 
he  had  gone  with  the  men  to  spike  the  guns,  that  the  shipping  was 
not  burning.  With  some  trouble  he  kindled  a  blaze  in  the  steerage 
of  a  large  vessel,  which  lay  in  the  midst  of  150  other  ships, 
poui-ed  some  tar  on  the  flames,  and  re-embarked.  The  cannon 
in  the  fort  were  easily  unspiked  and  fired  at  him  by  the  fast- 
gathering  inhabitants,  as  he  made  off;  and  the  fire  which  he  had 
so  laboriously  kindled  was  put  out.  He  rowed  across  to  the  Scotch 
coast,  hoping  to  seize  Lord  Selkirk  as  a  hostage,  for  the  better 
treatment  of  the  American  prisoners,  but  the  nobleman  was  away. 
The  American  sailors  carried  off  some  of  the  family  plate,  which 
Captain  Jones  afterwards  returned. 

On  April  24th,  the  Ranger  was  again  off  Carrickfergus,  hoping 
for  an  action  with  the  Drake.  A  boat,  in  charge  of  a  Midshipman 
and  six  sailors,  was  sent  out  by  the  latter  ship  to  reconnoitre  the 
privateer  and  was  captm-ed.  There  must  have  been  some  careless- 
ness on  the  part  of  the  British  commander,  Burdon,  as  news  of  the 
doings  at  Whitehaven  had  already  arrived.  A  little  later  the  sloop 
was  seen  by  the  Americans  to  be  working  her  way  out  against  the 
wind  and  tide,  whilst  numbers  of  the  inhabitants  could  be  perceived 
on  the  high  land  ashore.  The  Banger  retired  before  the  Drake  to 
mid-channel,  and  when  hailed  replied  :  "  The  American  Continental 
ship  Banger  ...  it  is  time  to  begin."  Accordingly  her  helm  was 
sharply  put  up,  she  passed  across  the  Drake's  bows  and  raked  her. 
Captain  Jones  quickly  obtained  the  upper  hand.  The  Drake  was 
very  short  of  officers  :  she  had  neither  Lieutenant,  Gunner,  Boat- 
swain, nor  Master's  Mate ;  her  crew,  though  large  in  number,  was 
composed  mainly  of  volunteers  or  freshly  pressed  men,  who  were  not 
at  all  to  be  trusted  in  action  ;  her  scantling  was  weak  ;  her  battery 
feeble  and  exposed ;  her  twenty  4-pounders  were  no  match  for  the 
Ranger's  eighteen  6-pounders,''  let  alone  the  eight  swivels  which  that 

'  Probably  the  "  Half  l^Foun  "  battery. 

^  Jones  complains  of  the  ciankness  and  weakness  of  the  Banger.  Originally  she 
carried  26  guns,  but  8  had  been  removed.  Of  the  18  carried  he  complained  that  they 
were  all  three  calibres  too  short.  The  Drake's  Master  (Cts.  Martial,  53)  states  that  the 
Ranr/e7-'s  6-prs.  were  "double  fortified,"  i.e.,  extra  heavy. 


1778.]  SAIDS    ON   THE  AMERICAN    COAST.  13 

ship  carried  ;  the  powder  was  bad,  the  match  was  bad,  and,  as  there 
was  no  paper  on  board,  cartridges  were  not  prepared  either  for  the 
great  guns  or  for  the  small  arms.  For  the  heavy  guns  only  twenty 
rounds  were  ready.  In  short,  the  ship  had  been  taken  by  sui-prise 
and  was  at  the  gi-eatest  disadvantage.  Seventy-four  minutes  after 
the  first  shot,  the  Drake  struck  to  her  skilfuDy-handled  and  well- 
fought  enemy. 


.._ 

Guufi. 

I!riia<lslde. 

Men. 

Killel. 

\\'oniiiJe(i. 

ToUil, 

I.bs. 

1 

Ranger 

18 

54 

135 

2 

1          « 

8 

Drake 

20 

40 

154 

-J 

20 

25 

Ti 

me,  74  iii 

inutes. 

After  this  action  Jones  sailed  round  the  north  of  Ireland  with  his 
prize,  and  on  May  8th  arrived  safely  at  Brest.  The  quahty  of 
the  Drake's  crew  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  twenty  of  them  enlisted 
in  the  American  service.  They  were  probably  Irishmen  who  had 
been  pressed  for  the  Navy. 

On  May  6th,  the  Hussar  galley,  under  the  orders  of  Captain 
John  Henry,  with  a  small  flotilla  and  a  battalion  of  infantry, 
ascended  the  Delaware  from  Philadelphia,  the  object  being  to  destroy 
various  works  and  vessels  which  the  Americans  possessed  high  up 
the  river  on  the  New  Jersey  shore.'  A  landing  was  effected  at 
Bordentown  ;  a  battery  was  destroyed,  and  44  American  sail  were 
bm-nt  or  sunk.  The  expedition  then  retiurned  to  Philadelphia  with- 
out the  loss  of  a  man.  Towards  the  end  of  May  a  combined 
expedition,  covered  by  the  Flora,  32,  destroyed  a  number  of 
American  boats  and  ships  high  up  in  Narragansett  Bay,  and  carried 
off  several  gims  without  any  loss.  A  similar  expedition,  but  with 
less  success,  was  made  up  the  Taunton  Kiver.  On  June  1st,  the 
town  of  Banff,  in  Scotland,  was  alarmed  by  the  landing,  from  an 
American  privateer,  of  a  party  of  raiders,  who  plundered  some  of  the 
inhabitants  of  their  plate  and  portable  effects. - 

On  June  1.5th,  when  the  French  Government  was  on  the  verge 
of  hostilities  with  Great  Britain,  but  before  any  declaration  of  war 
had  been  issued  by  either  side,  the  frigates,  Belle  Poule,  30, 
Licorne,  32,  the  corvette,  Hirondelle,  16,  and  the  lugger  Coureur,  10, 

'  Land.  Gazette,  June  13 ;  Beatson,  iv.  314. 
"  'Gent's  Magazine,'  xlviii.  282. 


14  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792.  [1778. 

left  Brest,  under  the  orders  of  Lieut,  de  La  Clocheterie  '  of  the 
Belle  Poitle,  to  cruise  in  the  Channel."  On  the  17th,  they  fell  in 
with  Admiral  Keppel's  fleet  of  twenty  sail  of  the  line,  four  frigates 
and  three  smaller  craft,  which  had  put  to  sea  on  the  l'2th  and  which 
was  cruising  to  the  west  of  the  Lizard.  A  general  chase  was 
signalled  by  the  British  Admiral,  and  by  the  evening  the  Milford,  28, 
Captain  Sir  William  Burnaby,  had  closely  approached  one  of  the 
French  vessels,  the  Liconte,  commanded  by  Lieut,  de  Belizal.  It 
was  Admiral  Keppel's  wish  that  the  chase  should  be  brought  to  him, 
but  M.  de  Behzal  was  not  to  be  so  easily  caught.  He  attempted  to 
escape  and  was  only  brought  to  by  the  Hector,  74,  firing  a  shotted  gun 
at  him.  Meanwhile,  the  Arethusa,  32,  Captain  Samuel  Marshall  (2), 
and  two  ships  of  the  line  were  seen  to  be  in  pui-suit  of  another  French 
ship,  and  as  evening  came  on  the  Arethusa  was  engaged.  The 
Licorne  was  led  through  the  fleet  to  the  Commander-in-Chief's  flag- 
ship, Victory.  On  the  morning  of  the  18th  she  made  one  more  bid  for 
freedom,  but  was  at  once  fired  upon  by  one  of  the  British  sail  of  the 
line.  On  this  she  discharged  her  broadside  into  the  64,  A?nerica  ; 
though  M.  de  Belizal  was,  at  the  moment  when  the  broadside  was 
fired,  talking  in  a  friendly  way  to  the  A  merica  's  captain.  Having  done 
this  and  woiinded  fom-  men  on  board  the  America,  she  struck.  The 
Licorne  was  probably  armed  with  twenty-six  12's  and  six  6's  ;  though 
some  French  accounts  give  her  only  26  guns.  She  carried  230  men. 
The  Arethusa  came  up  with  Belle  Poule  soon  after  6  p.m.  on 
the  17th.  Captain  Marshall  requested  M.  de  La  Clocheterie  to  bring 
to  and  follow  the  Arethusa  to  the  British  Admiral,  and,  on  the 
French  captain's  absolute  refusal  to  do  any  such  thing,  opened  fire 
at  a  pistol  shot's  distance.  The  wind  was  very  slight  and  would 
scarcely  allow  the  two  ships  to  steer.  The  frigates  fought  broadside 
to  broadside,  from  6.30  to  11.30  p.m.,^  when  they  parted.  The  other 
ships  of  the  British  squadron  were  several  miles  behind  the  A  rethusa 
and  could  give  her  no  aid.  According  to  the  French  account  she 
retired  towards  them  with  her  masts  and  rigging  much  damaged. 
According  to  the  British  account,  which  is,  on  the  whole,  the  more 

'  Louis  Chadeau  de  La  Clocheterie,  the  son  of  a  French  naval  ofiScer  who  fell  in 
the  action  of  May  14th,  1747,  was  born  about  1736.  For  his  action  with  the  Arethusa 
he  was  made  a  captain.  He  fought  in  the  battles  off  Cape  Henry  and  St.  Kitts, 
in  1781,  and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Apr.  12th,  1782.— W.  L.  0. 

"  Land.  Gazette,  June  26th ;  Oazetfe  de  France,  Jime  23rd ;  Troude,  ii.  23 ; 
Chevalier,  72  ;  Allen,  i.  263. 

'  Two  hours,  according  to  Capt.  Marshall  of  the  Arethusa. 


1778.] 


THE   ARETE  USA    AND   BELLE  POULE. 


15 


probable,  it  was  the  Belle  Poule  that  made  off  in  the  direction  of 
the  French  coast.  The  French  official  version  admits  that,  if  the 
Arethusa  retreated,  it  was  impossible  to  pursue  her,  and  that  the 
Belle  Poule  anchored  amidst  the  rocks  of  Plouascat.  There,  it  says, 
next  day  she  was  blockaded  by  two  British  vessels,  which,  finding 
that  they  could  not  get  at  her,  presently  withdrew.  The  action  was 
a  very  fiercely  fought  one.  In  the  French  ship  the  second  in  com- 
mand was  killed ;  whilst  M.  de  La  Clocheterie  and  several  other 
officers  were  wounded.  M.  Bouvet,  who  was  severely  wounded, 
refused  to  leave  the  deck  to  have  his  injuries  attended  to.  The 
Arethusa  was  a  good  deal  cut  up.  The  comparative  force  of  the 
two  ships  was  as  follows  : — 


Tons.             GOBS. 

Broadside. 

Men.            KUled.     [  Wounded. 

Total. 

Arethusa  . 
Belle  I'uule    . 

700 
902 

28' 
30' 

Lbs. 
114 

168 

198 
230 

8       1       36 
45             57 

44 
102 

1  ime,  2  liouis  .•* 

»  The  armament  of  these  two  ships  is  a  little  doubtful.  The  French  account  gives  tiie  Arethusa  twenty- 
eight  12*8,  but  there  do  not  appear  to  have  been  any  British  frig.ite3  of  twenty-eighl  so  armed.  'I'he  HelU  Poule 
was  taken  iu  17»0  and  appears  as  a  3'i  when  captured.  Chevalier,  p.  76,  gives  her  twenty -six  12's  and  two  9*8 ; 
Beatson,  t.  137,  gives  her  thirty-two  12's ;  Troude,  whom  I  have  followed,  twenty-six  12*8  and  four  o's  (ii.  23); 
Cbamock,  '  Hist.  Mar.  Arch.'  iii.  235,  makes  her  a  3lj  in  the  British  Navy.  As  such  she  appears  in  all 
Steel's  Lists. 

Whilst  the  Belle  Poule  and  Arethusa  were  busy,  the  British  cutter 
Alert,  Lieut.  William  George  Fairfax,  attacked  the  French  lugger 
Coureur}  The  Alert  carried  eighty  men,  twelve  6's,  and  as  many 
swivels :  the  Coureur  had  fifty  men,  two  3's,  eight  '2's,  and  six 
swivels  ;  she  was  commanded  by  Enseigne  de  Eosily.  She  was 
ordered,  like  the  Belle  Poule,  to  go  to  the  British  Admiral ;  refused  ; 
and  was  at  once  fired  upon.  The  two  fought  at  pistol-shot  range 
for  nearly  an  hour  and  a  half,  imtil  the  Coureur  struck.  She  hit  the 
Alert  several  times  on  the  water-hne  and  cut  up  her  rigging.  The 
following  are  the  particulars  of  the  ships  : — 


Tons. 

Gnns. 

Broadside. 

.Men.             Killed 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Akrt  ...        205 
Coureur  . 

12 
10 

Lbe. 
36 

11? 

80 
50 

0 
0 

4 
7 

4 
12 

Time,  90  minutes. 
'  Log  of  Alert. 


16  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792.  [1778. 

On  the  19th,  the  French  32-gun  frigate  Pallas  was  sighted  and 
chased  by  Keppel's  fleet.  She  was  overtaken  aiul  her  captain  was 
invited  to  repair  to  the  flagship,  where  it  was  decided  to  detain  her. 
Her  crew  of  two  hundi-ed  and  twenty  were  taken  out  of  her  and 
distributed  throughout  the  British  fleet,  and  she  was  carried  into 
port  as  a  prize. 

Charges  of  treachery  have  been  brought  by  French  writers 
against  Admiral  Keppel,  for  the  way  in  which  he  captured  these 
ships.  France,  however,  having  in  February  signed  a  treaty  of 
aUiance  with  the  revolted  Colonists,  was  virtually  at  war  with  Great 
Britain,  and  though  Keppel  was  not,  probably,  over  particular,  the 
behaviour  of  the  Licorne  and  Belle  Foule  was  so  unfriendly  as  to 
justify  his  proceedings.  It  should  be  remembered  that  a  formal 
declaration  of  war  seldom  precedes  the  commencement  of  hostilities. 
If  it  did  not  suit  France  to  declare  war  at  that  moment.  Great 
Britain,  as  the  power  plotted  against,  was  perfectly  justified  in 
striking  at  her  secret  enemy,  as  she  did. 

On  June  24th,  the  British  cutter  Folkestone,  Lieut.  William 
Smith  (1),  fell  in  with  five  French  frigates,  and  was  captured. 

On  July  8th,  the  Mermaid,  28,  Captain  James  Hawker,  was 
chased  ashore  in  Delaware  Bay  by  d'Estaing's  squadron.  Her  crew 
threw  overboard  her  guns  and  their  arms  ere  she  struck  to  a  small 
American  ship  which  hailed  her. 

On  July  9th,  the  British  20-gun  ship.  Lively,  Captain  Robert 
Biggs,  whilst  cruising  off  Brest,  was  unlucky  enough  to  be  overtaken 
by  the  Count  d'Orvilliers's  fleet.'  She  was  chased  first  of  all  by  the 
cutter  Curieiise  of  10  guns,  and  ordered  to  lie  to.  The  British 
Captain  refused  to  obey,  on  which  the  large  frigate  Iphigenie,  32, 
stood  close  up  to  him  and  opened  on  the  Lively.  After  one 
broadside  the  British  ship  struck  her  flag,  and  was  conducted  into 
Brest.  On  July  17th,  the  12-giui  cutter  Alert,  Lieut.  AV.  G.  Fairfax, 
was  overtaken  by  the  French  frigate  Junon  and  captured  in  the 
channel.^ 

The  operations  in  Narragansett  Bay,  in  July  and  August,  1778, 
have  been  described  in  Chapter  XXI. 

On  the  evening  and  night  of  August  13th,  two  separate  actions 

'  C.  M.  (MS.),  53. 

^  An  action  between  the  Rose  and  Eiiii<i;ieante  is  given  in  Troude  (ii.  24),  as 
occurring  in  July,  but  is  nut  referred  to  in  Beatson,  Schomberg,  or  the  London  Oazvtie. 
From  Chevalier  (123),  it  appears  that  this  Rose  was  a  privateer  of  22  guns,  and  was 
only  taken  after  a  most  desperate  resistance.     She  had  to  be  sunk  by  her  captors. 


1778.]  ACTIONS  BETWEEN  SHIPS    OF   THE  LINE.  17 

took  place  between  isolated  line-of-battle  ships  of  Lord  Howe's  and 
d'Estaing's  squadrons.'  The  ships  of  both  fleets  had  been  much 
scattered  and  damaged  by  the  great  storm  of  the  ll-12th :  which 
explains  a  somewhat  singular  occurrence.  The  first  action  was 
fought  between  the  Laiujuedoc,  80,  Captain  de  Boulainvilliers,  and 
the  licnown,  50,  Captain  George  Dawson  (actg.).  On  board  the 
Langtiedoc  was  d'Estaing  himself.  His  ship  was  totally  dismasted 
and  the  tiller  had  been  broken,  so  that  in  spite  of  her  immense  ad- 
vantage in  weight  of  metal  the  odds  were  against  her.  The  Renown 
made  her  attack  about  sunset.  She  opened  on  the  Languedoc  with 
her  12-prs.,  and  then  wore  under  the  enemy's  stem  to  rake  with  her 
lower  deck  24-prs.  At  half  a  cable's  length,  she  battered  the 
Languedoc,  which  could  make  no  reply,  except  from  two  guns  which 
were  run  out  through  her  stern  gallery.  The  French,  despairing 
of  their  safety,  were  throwing  their  dispatches  overboard,  when 
darkness  came  on  and  the  Iie)ioicn  hauled  off.  Captain  Dawson 
intended  to  renew  the  action  next  day,  but  when  at  dawn  he 
reopened,  he  found  six  ships  of  the  line  coming  down  upon  him 
and  had  to  retreat.  As  the  Languedoc  could  not  sail  or  steer,  it 
was  only  by  this  accident  that  she  escaped  capture. 

The  action  betw'een  ihe  Preston,  50,  Commodore  William  Hotham, 
Captain  Samuel  Uppleby  and  the  Marseillais,^  74,  Captain  de  La 
Poype-Vertrieux,  was  very  similar.  The  Marseillais  had  lost  her 
foremast  and  bowsprit,  and  had  barely  rigged  a  jury-mast  when  the 
Preston  attacked  her.  After  some  hours  of  steady  fighting  the 
approach  of  other  members  of  the  French  squadron  compelled 
Commodore  Hotham  to  retire.  On  August  16th,  yet  another  of 
these  combats  occurred ;  this  time  between  the  Lsis,  50,  Captain 
John  Kayner,  and  the  Cesar,  74,  Captain  de  Eaymondis,  or,  as  it 
was  supposed  at  the  time,  the  Zele,  Captain  de  Barras.*  In  this 
case  the  French  ship  was  intact,  and  chased  and  brought  to  action 
the  British  vessel.  The  French,  however,  made  the  great  mistake 
of  clearing  for  action  only  on  one  side,  and  had  stowed  between  the 
guns  on  the  other  side  the  lumber  which  should  have  been  thrown 
overboard.  It  must  have  been  a  habit  of  theirs,  for  the  Isis's 
Captain  guessed  what  they  were  doing,  let  his  ship  drop  to  leeward, 

'  Land.  Gazette ;  Howe's  dispatch ;  Beatson,  iv.  348.  Tlic  date  is  also  given  as 
the  18th,  wrongly. 

^  Troude,  ii.  15,  makes  the  French  ship  the  Marseillais ;  Chevalier,  118,  the  Cesar, 
and  Beatson,  iv.  349,  the  Toiinant. 

'  Lond.  Oazetle,  Oct.  27th. 

VOL.   IV.  C 


18 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792. 


[1778. 


and  then  engaged  them  on  the  encumbered  side,  at  very  close 
quarters.  The  French  were  confused  by  this  manceuvre,  and,  being 
to  windward,  had  some  difficulty  in  opening  their  lower  deck  ports. 
After  a  short  but  furious  fight  the  Cesar  retired,  because — ac- 
cording to  French  accounts — the  rudder  had  been  injured  and  two 
other  British  ships  wei-e  in  sight.  The  Isis  was  unable  to  pursue, 
since,  as  usual,  the  French  had  aimed  at  the  masts  and  rigging. 
In  any  case  she  was  fortunate  to  escape  from  a  ship  of  twice  her 
weight  of  metal.  Her  crew,  amongst  whom  was  the  Duke  of 
Ancaster  serving  as  a  volunteer,  behaved  with  great  bravery.  The 
Cesar's  captain  had  his  arm  shattered  ;  the  first  lieutenant  lost  a 
leg;  and  from  fifty  to  seventy  men  were  killed  or  wounded.' 


— 

Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Meu. 

Killeii. 

AVouuded. 

Total. 

Isis     . 

976 

50 

Lbs. 
414 

35011. 

1 

15 

16 

Cesar  . 

•■ 

74 

828' 

/  500n.'l 

\  700  ; 

'> 

? 

50?  2 

11  =;  uouiiiial  complement. 

1  French  74's  were  of  two  types :  both  canied  tweuty-eight  Sli's  and  sixteen  B's,  but  the  first  had  thirty  24's 
and  the  second  thirty  18's  as  well.    1  suppose  Cesar  to  have  been  of  the  second-class. 

"  The  repoited  loss  in  the  Gazette  is  given  as  fifty,  but  this  estimate  is  obviously  untmstworthy. 

On  August  14th,  the  French  squadron  captm-ed  the  British 
18-gun  ship  Senegal,  the  Tlmnder,  bomb,  and  another  small  vessel. 
About  the  same  time  the  Cesar  captm-ed  the  British  10-gun  brig 
Stanley. 

On  August  22nd,  the-  British  32-gun  frigate  Minerva,  Captain 
John  Stott,  whilst  on  a  cruise  in  the  West  Indies,  and  unaware  that 
war  had  broken  out,  met  the  Concorde,  32,  Captain  de  Tilly."  Captain 
Stott,  taking  her  for  a  harmless  merchantman,  was  approaching  to 
speak  her,  when  the  Concorde  fired  a  broadside,  and  followed  this 
up  with  a  second  before  the  Minerva  could  reply.  The  ships  were 
of  equal  force,  and  the  British  crew,  though  caught  ofi'  their  guard, 
made  a  brave  resistance.  But  luck  was  against  them  :  an  explosion 
of  powder  under  the  half-deck  dismounted  three  guns,  killed  or 
wounded  eighteen  men,  and  caused  great  confusion.  Another  gun 
was  put  out  of  action  by  an  accident.  The  seamen,  intimidated  by 
the  explosion,  began  to  bolt  from  the  guns.     Captain  Stott,  twice 

'  Tlie  above  three  encounters  are  briefly  referred  to  in  vol.  iii.,  p.  409. 
^  Troude,   ii.   25 ;     Gazette   de   France.    726 ;    C.    M.,   53.     According  to  French 
accounts,  the  Concorde  carried  twenty-six  12's  and  six  6's. 


1778.]  CAPTURE   OF   THE   SARTISK.  19 

severely  wounded  in  the  head,  had  been  carried  below.  The  mizen- 
mast  went  overboard ;  the  other  masts  were  tottering ;  the  wheel 
was  shot  awa}'  ;  and  the  officers  had  lost  control  of  the  men.  The 
battle  lasted  two  and  a  half  hours  and  then  at  last  the  Minerva 
struck.  Her  loss  was  very  heavy,  though  exact  figures  cannot  be 
given.  Both  Captain  Stott  and  the  first  Lieutenant  died  of  their 
wounds,  aggi"avated  by  grief  at  the  loss  of  their  ship.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Concorde  lost  few  men  and  suffered  but  little  damage. 
Her  captain's  brother,  who  was  serving  on  board,  died  of  his 
wounds. 

The  defeat  of  the  Minerva  cannot  be  ascribed  to  any  want  of 
valour  or  skill  on  the  part  of  her  crew.  It  was  due  simply  to  the  fact 
that  she  was  undermanned  and  unprepared.  She  was  retaken  later, 
and  named  liecoverij. 


Broadside.  { 


Concorde  . 
Minerva  . 


Killed. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

4 

11 

15 

•i 

V 

9 

Time,  2  liours  oO  iniiiuu-. 

On  August  '23rd,  the  British  sloop  Zephyr,  14,  Commander 
Thomas  West,  was  taken  in  the  Mediterranean  by  a  French  frigate. 

In  East  Indian  waters  the  Sartine,  32,  which  had  been  detached 
from  the  squadron  of  M.  Tronjoly,  was  sighted  on  August  25th,  and 
chased  and  captured  by  the  Seahorse  and  Coventry.  According  to 
Barras,  her  captain  displayed  great  cowardice,  surrendering  without 
firing  a  shot.  Troubridge,  then  a  lieutenant  in  the  Seahorse,  is  said 
to  have  distinguished  himself  in  boarding  her.  She  was  purchased 
into  the  British  service.' 

On  September  1st,  the  Active,  28,  Captain  William  Williams, 

was  captured  off  the  San  Domingo  coast  by  the  Channante,  38,  and 

the  Dedaigneuse,  26.^     In  a  previous  stonn,  the  Active  had  thrown 

eleven  of  her  guns  overboard,  lost  her  topmasts,  and  sprung  her 

mainmast,  and  so,  when  her  enemies  came  up  to  her,  she  had  no 

resource   but   to   strike,   which   she   did  at   the    second   broadside. 

Captain  Williams  is  said  by  Nelson  to  have  died  of  mortification  at 

his  captm-e.^ 

'  She  mounted  twentj'-six  '.)'s.     Barras,  '  MOmoires,'  i.  313. 

»  C.  M.,  53. 

'  Nicolas,  '  NelsoD  Dispatches,'  i.  25. 

C  2 


20 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,    17G3-1792. 


[1778. 


On  September  10th,  whilst  the  British  frigate  Fox,  28,  Captain 
the  Hon.  Thomas  Windsor,  was  cruising  off  Brest,  she  saw  and 
chased  a  ship  and  a  sloop.'  The  weather  was  so  dark  and  squally 
that  she  did  not  for  some  time  observe  a  frigate  chasing  her,  but 
when  she  did,  she  shortened  sail  and  waited  for  the  enemy.  It  was 
the  French  frigate  Junon,  32,  Captain  Vicomte  de  Beaumont,  of 
far  greater  weight  of  metal.  After  some  preliminary  manoeuvres  to 
gain  an  advantageous  position,  the  two  frigates  passed  on  opposite 
tacks,  exchanging  broadsides,  and  then  the  French  captain  attempted 
to  rake  his  enemy,  but  with  indifferent  success.  He  next  tacked 
and  took  up  a  position  on  the  Fox's  quarter,  but  to  windward  ;  and 
yet,  even  there,  found  that  he  could  do  little.  Once  again  he 
attempted  to  rake,  and  was  thwarted,  but  succeeded  in  closing  with 
his  enemy.  At  musket  range  the  heavy  guns  of  the  Junon,  trained 
with  skill  and  deliberation,  did  what  they  ought  to  have  done  far 
sooner  and  got  the  Fox's  fire  under.  The  British  ship  lost  all  her 
masts  and  had  several  of  her  guns  disabled.  The  Junon  s  gunners 
had  been  ordered  to  fire  at  the  enemy's  hull,  not  at  her  masts  after 
the  usual  French  fashion.  Having  offered  a  protracted  and  heroic 
resistance  to  overwhelming  odds,  Captain  Windsor,  who  had  been 
severely  wounded  in  the  arm,  waved  with  his  hat  that  he  surrendered. 
The  Fox,  during  the  last  period  of  the  action,  could  only  fire  a  few 
shots,  and  was  terribly  injured.  The  Junon,  on  the  other  hand, 
suffered  little  of  either  damage  or  loss. 


Junon^ 
Fox    . 


Tons. 

Guus. 

Broadblde. 

Men. 

KiUeil. 

AVomiiled. 

32 

Lbs. 
174 

330 

4 

15 

585 

28 

114 

198  n. 

11 

38 

11) 

49 


Time,  3  liours  30  minutes. 

i  According  to  Capt.  Windsor's  letter,  the  Junon  fought  on  each  side  fourteen  12's  and  sis  G's.  The  Junon 
is  also  described  as  an  18-pr.  frigate.  I  have  given  her  only  the  broadside  of  a  12-pr.  32,  and  therefore  my  figures 
are  probably  an  underestimate. 

On  September  26th,  the  British  ships  Experiment,  ,50,  Captain 
Sir  James  Wallace,^  and  Unicorn,  20,  Commander  Matthew  Squire, 
cruising  off  Boston,  made  out  a  large  sail,  and  gave  chase.  The 
vessel  thus   discovered  was  the   American  32-gun  frigate   Raleigh, 

'  Beatson,  iv.  431,  Sept.  18tli ;  Ouzette  de  France,  691,  Sept.  10th  ;  Troude,  ii.  27; 
C.  M.,  53. 

'  Maclay,  i.  92  ff. ;  Cooper,  i.  92  ff. ;  Beatson,  iv.  379 ;  Log  of  Unicorn. 


1778.]  CAPTURE   OF   THE   U.S.S.   BALEIOIJ.  21 

Captain  John  Barry.  The  weather  was  thick,  and  by  changing  her 
course  the  American  hoped  that  she  had  avoided  the  British  ships ; 
but  in  the  course  of  the  morning  of  the  '27th,  the}'  again  hove  in 
sight.  The  Raleigh  was  a  fast  sailer,  and  was  leaving  them  behind, 
when  suddenly  the  wind  dropped,  enabling  her  enemies  to  come  up. 
The  Unicorn  attacked  first.  Her  fire  brought  down  the  lialeif/h's 
fore-topmast  and  mizen-topmast,  but  the  British  ship  was  compelled 
by  damage  to  her  own  rigging  to  haul  off  and  refit.  Meantime,  the 
Experiment  came  up  and  opened  on  the  Ualeifjh.  Captain  Barry, 
thus  situated,  determined  to  run  his  ship  on  some  low-lying  islands, 
which  were  in  sight,  and  to  abandon  her.  The  first  he  was  able  to 
do,  but  before  all  his  crew  had  got  away,  the  Experiment's  boats 
boarded  the  Raleigh  and  captured  her  with  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  officers  and  men.  She  was  got  off  without  much  difficulty  and 
added  to  the  British  Navy.  The  presence  of  the  Experiment,  though 
she  took  but  small  part  in  the  fighting,  was  doubtless  the  determining 
feature  in  the  action.  The  details,  so  far  as  they  are  known,  of  the 
two  ships  are : 


1>'U<.               Guus. 

Meu. 

Broad^i<^e.         Killcl.         Wouudel.   '       Total. 

1 
(Cnicorn  .      .        581?     '       20' 

[Expetiment   .        923              50 

I}nJe,</h     .      .        r.OT              32 

198 

345 

2.sr> 

Lbs. 
114             10 

414             ? 

IT-t              ? 

many 

'J 

7 

2."> 

1  in  the  MSS.  Navy  LL'^ts  L'nitorn  up{)ear9  a^  n  '.:o-gun  ^bip,  but  the  touuage  ib  tbat  of  a  2d-gun  sLip,  aud 
ebe  is  given  28  guns  in  the  account  uf  the  action,  'i  tie  lialeitjk,  by  the  C.'s  log,  carried  twenly-six  la's  and  tix  6*8 
She  was  131  ft.  long,  34  1\.  in  beam,  and  11  ft.  in  draught. 

On  October  '20th,  the  Jupiter,  50,  Captain  Francis  Eeynolds, 
aud  the  Medea,  '2y,  Captain  James  Montagu  {1),  whilst  cruising  off 
Finisterre,  fell  in  with  the  French  line-of-battle  ship,  Triton,  64, 
Captain  Comte  de  Ligondes.*  The  Jupiter  ranged  up  on  one  board, 
the  Medea  on  the  other,  about  nightfall,  and  cannonaded  the  Triton 
hotly.  The  French  captain  succeeded  in  turning  the  same  broad- 
side to  both  his  assailants,  but  after  about  an  hour's  fighting  was 
wounded  in  either  arm  and  had  to  hand  over  the  command  to  Lieut, 
de  Roquart.  The  engagement  lasted  two  hours,  before  a  squall  of 
wind  and  rain,  and  the  impenetrable  darkness  of  the  night  separated 
the  combatants.     The  Triton  had  thirteen  killed  and  about  twenty 

'  Troude,  ii.  27 ;  Gazette  de  France,  840  ff. ;  Log  of  Jupiter ;  Log  of  Medea  ;  Char- 
nock,  vi.  476. 


22 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792. 


[1778-79. 


wounded :  she  hud  lilty  shot  in  her  hull  or  masts  ;  and  her  sails  and 
rigging  were  much  cut  up.  According  to  Captain  Keynolds,  she 
stood  off  and  abandoned  the  battle,  though  the  Medea  had  been 
struck  by  a  30-pound  shot  on  the  liows  below  the  water-line  and  was 
virtuall}-  out  of  action  after  the  first  half-hour.  The  Jupiter's  loss 
was  three  killed  and  seven  wounded  ;  the  Medea's  loss  was  one  killed 
and  three  wounded. 

On  November  3rd,  whilst  cruising  in  the  West  Indies,  the 
Maidstone,  '28,  Captain  Alan  Gardner,  chased  and  came  up  with  the 
40-gun  French  armed  ship  Lion}  She  was  beaten  off  once,  by 
damage  to  her  masts  and  rigging,  but,  after  refitting,  came  up  again. 
The  French  ship  struck  an  hour  later.  Captain  Gardner  was 
amongst  the  wounded. 


— 

Tous. 

Ciuns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

lulled. 

Wouuded. 

Total. 

Maidstone 

503 

28 

Lbs. 

114 

198  n. 

4 

il 

13 

Lion  . 

•• 

40 

198 

216 

8 

18 

22 

On  December  17th,  1778,  the  British  sloop  Ceres,  18,  Commander 
James  Eichard  Dacres  (1),  was  chased  by  several  French  ships  and 
finally  captured  by  the  frigate  Iphigenie,  32,  off  the  coast  of 
St.  Lucia.-  The  Ceres  was  in  charge  of  a  convoy  from  which  she 
succeeded  in  diverting  the  attention  of  the  French. 

On  January  13th,  1779,  the  Weazel,  Ki,  Commander  Lewis 
Robertson,  whilst  carrying  Admiral  Barrington's  dispatches  from  the 
West  Indies  to  England,  was  chased  by  the  French  Boudeuse,  32, 
and  captured  near  St.  Eustatius.^    She  struck  at  the  second  broadside. 

On  January  31st,  the  Bi-itish  frigate  Apollo,  32,  Captain  Philemon 
Pownall,  was  cruising  off  the  Breton  coast,  when  she  came  in  sight 
of  ten  vessels.*  On  giving  chase  she  overtook  them,  and  made  out 
one  of  the  ten  to  be  a  frigate.  She  steered  for  her,  whilst  the  other 
French  ships,  which  were  merchantmen  under  convoy,  scattered  and 
sought  the  land.  Soon  after  noon  the  Apollo  was  close  enough  to 
fire  upon   the  strange   frigate,  which  was   the    Oiseau,  32,^  Lieut. 

'  Lond.  Gazetti;  '79,  Mar.  24th ;  Li<,n  had  probably  been  liired  from  the  king,  a 
fairly  common  practice  in  France,  though  i-he  may  have  been  an  ordinary  privateer. 

"  C.  M.,  52. 

"  Lond.  Gazette,  Mar.  24tli ;  Troiide,  ii.  46 ;  C.  M. 

*  Gazette  de  France,  77;  Beatson,  iv.  555  ;  Troudc,  ii.  47.  Captain  Pownall  signed 
liis  name  "Pownoll,"  but  the  .spelling  given  is  the  one  employed  in  the  Navy  Lists. 

"  Gazette  de  Frinice.  twentv-six  8's. 


1779.] 


THE  APOLLO    TAKES  THE   OISEAU. 


23 


de  Tarade,  and  which  as  yet  had  hoisted  no  colours.  The  first 
broadside  of  the  Apollo  did  the  Frenchman  some  damage  and  led 
him  to  hoist  his  flag.  The  two  ships  were  upon  opposite  tacks, 
when  the  Apollu  luffed  and  came  round  on  the  same  tack  as  the 
Oiseau.  After  some  skilful  manoeuvring  on  either  side  the  Apollo 
got  within  pistol  shot,  but  to  leeward.  The  ships  engaged  very 
closely  ;  so  closely  that  more  than  once  the  Apollo's  bowsprit  ail  but 
caught  in  the  Oiseau  s  foremast  shrouds.  The  wind  had  fallen,  and 
the  Oiseau's  advantage  in  speed  had  gone  with  it.  The  superior  fire 
of  the  British  sailors  cleared  the  enemy's  deck  till  Lieut,  de  Tarade 
and  fom-  men  were  all  who  were  left  on  the  quarter-deck  ;  the  main- 
deck  battery  was  dismounted  and  silent ;  and  finally  a  shot  carried 
away  the  French  flag.  The  Apollo's  men  cheered  and  hailed  to 
know  if  the  French  had  struck.  No  answer  was  made,  but  their 
fire  had  ceased,  and  so  the  English  took  possession.  The  Oiseau 
had  lost  her  main-topmast  and  mizen-mast :  her  hull  was  terribly 
riddled,  as  many  of  the  Apollo's  shots  had  passed  right  through  her ; 
and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  calm  weather  she  could  scarcely  have 
been  taken  to  Great  Britain.  The  armament  of  both  ships  is  given 
differently  in  the  French  and  British  accounts.  It  is  not  probable 
that  the  Apollo  carried  carronades,  though  "  obusiers  "  are  mentioned 
in  the  French  version,  where  she  is  credited  with  38  guns.  The 
minimum  of  force  has  been  allowed  for  the  Oiseau,  but  Troude  gives 
her  A'l  «;uns  and  in  the  British  Navv  she  carried  that  number. 


— 

Tons. 

Gnus. 

Broadside. 

Meu. 

Kille  1. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Apollo^    .      . 

G7'J 

32 

Lbs. 
174 

220 

(i 

22 

28 

Oiseau 

783 

26 

104       1 

224 

30-35 

? 

9 

Time,  IJ-SJ  liour.". 


<  DniENsioxs  :- 


Apollo 
Oiseau 


Length. 
125  ft. 
146  ft. 


Beam. 
35  ft.  '.>  in. 
31  ft.  1  In. 


Draught. 
12  ft. 
9  ft.  lot  in. 


Both  commanders  were  wounded  in  this  action.  The  French 
fought  very  bravely  against  what  was  perhaps  a  superior  force, 
and  Lieutenant  de  Tarade  was,  for  his  courage,  treated  with  unusual 
deference  when  a  prisoner.' 

'  According  to  Troude  (ii.  47),  and  Gazette  de  France  (91)  a  Britisli  frigate,  called  the 
Congress,  encountered  the  Concorde,  a  French  32,  off  Brest  on  Feb.  18tb.  Though  the 
Frenchman  had  been  damaged  in  a  storm  and  had  thrown  twelve  of  her  guns  over- 


24  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792.  [1779. 

In  January  a  small  French  squadron  captured  the  British  settle- 
ments in  Senegal,  and  some  weeks  later  those  on  the  Gold  Coast. 

On  March  7th,  an  indecisive  brush  took  place  in  the  West  Indies, 
between  the  Bubij,  (J-4,  and  Niger,  32,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
French  frigate  Minerve,  32,  on  the  other.'  The  Frenchman  fired  at 
the  Niger's  rigging,  and  thus  disabling  her,  escaped,  though  the 
British  ships  Bristol  and  jEoIus  were  in  sight. 

On  March  14th  the  Batthsnake,  10,  Lieut.  William  Knell,  gave 
chase  to  two  French  privateer-cutters  off  the  Isle  of  Wight."  She 
came  up  with  them  and  fought  them  for  over  three  hours,  when 
the  larger  one  struck,  and  the  other  sheered  oft'.  Lieut.  Knell, 
however,  instantly  pursued  her,  bore  down  upon  her,  fired  three 
broadsides  into  her,  and  then  boarded.  She  was  the  Frehn,  of 
Dunquerque,  carrying  twelve  guns  and  eighty-two  men,  of  whom 


SIGX.\TURE    OF   C.\PT.    GEORGE    ANSOX    HYROX  (1),   U.X.,    1758-93. 

twelve  had  been  killed  and  thirty  severely  wounded.  The  other 
privateer  succeeded  in  escaping.  The  loss  of  the  Baftlesnake  was 
twelve  wounded,  including  Lieut.  Knell. 

Whilst  cruising  off  Ushant  the  French  frigate  Aigrette,  32, 
Captain  La  Bretonniere,  about  nightfall  of  March  19th,  sighted 
a  frigate  which  was  taken  to  be  a  friend.^  The  stranger  was 
really  the  British  32-gun  ship  Arethusa,  Captain  Charles  Holmes 
Everitt,''  who  lost  no  time  in  attacking  the  Aigrette.  After  a  sharp 
action  of  two  hours  the  two  separated,  as  a  line-of-battle  ship  was 


board,  she  is  said  to  have  beaten  off  the  Britisli  attack  with  tlie  loss  of  four  killed  and 
twenty-three  wounded.     The  name  Coiif/resn,  however,  does  not  appear  in  our  Navy 
Lists  of  the  time,  and  the  action  is  noticed  by  no  British  authority.     Probably  the 
British  ship  was  a  priva'eer. 
'  Troude,  ii.  48. 

*  Gazette,  18th  Mar. 

'  Troude,  ii.  49  ;  C.  M.,  54. 

*  So  Schomberg,  v.  46 ;  Beatsrm,  iv.  564. 


1779.]  WALLACE  JN   CANCALE  BAY.  25 

made  out,  coming  to  the  help  of  the  Aigrette  ;  but  the  British  vessel 
was  so  unfortunate  as  to  strike  a  rock  during  the  night  off  the 
island  of  Molene.  Her  crew  were  rescued  and  made  prisoners, 
with  the  exception  of  thirteen  men  who  got  away  in  a  cutter. 

Towards  the  close  of  April  a  flotilla  of  fishing  boats,  carrying 
fifteen  hundred  men,  and  escorted  by  the  French  warships  Danae,  26, 
Diane,  26,  Ecluse,  8,  Valeur,  6,  and  Guepe,  6,  left  St.  Malo  with 
the  intention  of  effecting  a  descent  on  Jersey.'  The  wind,  how- 
ever, was  so  unfavourable  that  the  flotilla  was  forced  to  return, 
and  could  not  again  put  to  sea  till  May  1st,  when  it  suddenly 
appeared  in  St.  Ouen's  Bay,  and  attempted  a  debarkation.  The 
Jersey  militia  at  once  stood  to  arms,  and,  with  the  soldiers  of  the 
Seaforth  Highlanders,  arrived  in  time  to  repulse  the  French.  A  fast 
ship  was  despatched  to  Portsmouth  for  help,  and  by  good  luck  fell 
in  with  Admiral  ^Nlarriot  Arbuthnot,  who  was  in  charge  of  a  convoy, 
with  a  considerable  force  of  ships.  The  French  fell  back  to  St. 
Malo,  but  on  the  10th  moved  out  and  anchored  off  Coutances. 
Thence  the  British  senior  ofi&cer,  Captain  Sir  James  Wallace  (1),  of 
the  Experiment,  -50,  resolved  to  cut  them  off.  With  his  own  ship, 
the  Pallas,  36,  Unicorn,  20,  Cabot,  14,  Fortune,  14,  and  another, 
he  sailed  round  the  west  of  Jersey,  whilst  the  Richmond,  32,  and 
seven  others  steered  straight  for  the  French.  On  May  13th  the 
British  squadrons  had  the  enemy  between  them.  Only  one  French 
frigate  escaped  by  running  past  Sir  J.  Wallace ;  the  rest  made 
for  the  shore  in  Cancale  Bay  imder  the  shelter  of  a  small  battery, 
and  drove  aground.  Wallace  followed  them,  silenced  the  battery, 
boarded  the  stranded  ships,  and,  as  the  enemy's  laud  forces  were 
mustering  fast,  set  three,  the  Valeur,  hcluse,  and  Guepe  on  fire, 
and  carried  off  the  Danae,  a  brig,  and  a  sloop.  The  Guepe  was 
saved  by  the  French  after  the  British  had  retired.  Troude  com- 
plains of  the  cowardice  of  the  Danae  s  crew,  who,  when  attacked, 
fled  ashore  in  a  panic. 

On  May  1st  the  two  French  74's  Bourgogne  and  Victoire  were 
on  their  way  from  Toulon  to  Brest  when,  just  outside  the  Strait 
of  Gibraltar,  they  sighted  the  British  frigate  Montreal,  32,  Captain 
Stair  Douglas  (1),  and  'Thetis,  32,  Captain  John  Gell.^  The  Thetis, 
being  a  verj-  fast  sailer,  got  away,  but  the  Montreal  wajS  not  so  lucky. 
Overtaken  by  so  superior  an  enemy,  she  struck  her  flag  after  a  few 

'  Beatson,  iv.  538  ;  Troude,  ii.  49. 

'  Beatson,  iv.  536  ;  Troude,  ii.  50 ;  C.  M.,  53. 


26  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792.  [1771). 

shots.  The  British  Captain  and  crew  were  carried  into  AHcante  and 
there  released. 

On  May  7th  the  British  hrig  Diligent,  12,  Lieut.  Thomas 
Walbeoff,  fought  a  most  desperate  action  with  the  United  States' 
brig  Providence,  14,  Captain  Hacker.'  The  contest  was  a  very 
unequal  one,  as  the  Diligent's  guns  were  all  3-prs.,  whilst  the 
Providence  carried  six  6-prs.,  six  4-prs.,  and  two  2-prs.  The  British 
crew  was  only  fifty-three ;  the  American,  eighty-three.  The  Dili- 
gent cleared  for  action  only  on  her  larboard  side  and  was  attacked 
by  her  enemy  on  her  starboard  side ;  her  timbers  were  so  thin 
that  musket  shot  came  through ;  she  lay  very  low  in  the  water, 
and  the  seas  washed  on  to  her  deck.  When  they  realised  the 
heavy  odds  against  them,  thirteen  or  fourteen  of  her  crew  skulked 
and  went  below.  None  the  less  the  heroic  Walbeoff  held  out  for 
three  hours,  when,  with  every  officer  but  himself  disabled,  and  with 
eleven  dead  and  nineteen  wounded,  he  struck.  The  Providence's 
sides  were  proof  to  grape,  yet  she  lost  fourteen,  of  whom  eleven 
were  killed  or  died  of  their  wounds. 

In  May,  Commodore  Sir  George  ColUer,^  then  in  command  on 
the  North  American  station,  with  the  Uaisonnahle,  64,  Rainbow,  44, 
Otter,  14,  Diligent,''  8,  Haarlem,  14,  and  Cornivallis,  8,  galley, 
embarked  2500  British  troops,  under  Major-General  Matthew,  for 
an  expedition  to  Hampton  Boads  and  the  neighbouring  estuaries, 
where  the  Americans  were  known  to  be  accumulating  naval  stores. 
On  May  10th,  the  troops  were  disembarked  at  Portsmouth,  Virginia, 
which  place  they  captured,  destroying  stores  and  magazines.  The 
Americans,  before  evacuating  the  place,  had  set  fire  to  a  frigate 
which  was  building,  and  to  several  other  vessels.  The  American 
ships  Elizabeth  and  Chesapeake  were  secured  by  boat  parties,  and 
when  Collier  returned  to  New  York  on  May  28th  he  could  report 
one  hundred  and  thirty  vessels  captured  or  destroyed. 

On  June  1st,  a  combined  expedition  captured  a  fort  on  Strong 
Point,  commanding  the  Hudson,  and,  next  day,  a  second  on 
Verplanks  Point.  Similar  expeditions  to  Long  Island  Sound  and 
Huntingdon  Bay  followed. 

The   Jupiter,   50,  Captain  Francis   Keynolds,    was   cruising   off 

'  C.  M.,  52;  Lond.  Gazette,  Sept.  24th;  Maclay,  i.  98;  Cooi)er,  i.  118. 

^  Lond.  Gazette,  June  22nd ;  Allen,  i.  275. 

'  It  is  probable  that  the  Dili<jent's  name  is  given  by  mistake ;  unless,  indeed,  she 
was  captured  on  this  very  expedition.  But  then  there  is  no  notice  of  soldiers  on 
board  her. 


1779.]  CAPTURE   OF   TEE  I'RUDESTE.  27 

Finisterre  on  May  21st,  when  she  sighted  a  large  convoy  in  charge 
of  La  Motte-Piquet's  division  of  ships  of  the  line.'  Anxious  to 
discover  whither  the  convoy  was  proceeding,  Captain  Reynolds  ran 
into  the  midst  of  it,  and  was  boldly  attacked  by  the  large  French 
frigate  Blanche,  32.  In  spite  of  her  onslaught  he  captui-ed  one  of 
the  convoy,  took  eighteen  Frenchmen  from  her,  and  put  five  of 
his  own  men  on  board,  before  he  was  forced  to  retire  by  the  move- 
ments of  the  French  ships,  which  were  stretching  out  on  either 
llauk  to  cut  him  off.  He  was  obliged  to  abandon  his  prize,  and 
was  himself  wounded  by  flying  splinters. 

The  British  ships  Ruby,  64,  Captain  Michael  John  Everitt, 
.■Eohis,  32,  and  the  sloop  Jamaica,  18,  were  cruising  off  Hayti," 
when  on  June  2nd,  in  the  liay  of  Gonave,  they  fell  in  with  the 
French  frigate  Prudente,  36,'  Captain  d'Escars.  The  Bubi/  chased 
her  for  some  hours,  and  was  much  annoyed  by  the  well-directed 
fire  of  the  enemy's  stern-chasers,  b}'  which  Captain  Everitt  and 
a  sailor  lost  their  lives.  When  within  easy  range  of  her,  at  about 
sunset,  the  Biibi/  compelled  her  to  strike,  with  the  loss  of  two 
killed  and  three  wounded.  She  was  pm-chased  into  the  British 
Navy  under  the  same  name. 

On  June  22nd,  the  French  16-gun  brig  HeUne,  Captain  de 
Montguyot,  was  captured  by  the  British  32-gun  ship  Ambuscade,* 
Captain  the  Hon.  Charles  Phipps,  in  the  Channel.  On  July  21st 
the  British  frigate  Kinff  George,  26,^  is  said  by  Troude  to  have  been 
captm-ed  by  the  Concorde,  32,  Captain  de  Tilly.  On  the  21st, 
according  to  the  Paris  Gazette,^  the  British  frigate  Pelican,  24, 
fought  a  seventy-five  minutes'  action  with  a  French  frigate  and 
lost  twenty-three  killed  or  wounded.  Five  days  earlier  the  British 
sloop  Haarlem,  14,  Lieutenant  Josias  Rogers,  was  chased  ashore  by 
an  Amei'ican  flotilla  and  captured. 

On  July  14th,  the  British  schooner  Er/monf,  10,  Lieut.  John 
Gardiner,  was  captured  on  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland  by  the 
American    privateer    brig    Wild    Cat,    14.'      The    powder    in    the 

'  Jupiter's  Log  ;  Beatson,  iv.  550  ;  Troude,  ii.  51. 

-   Gazette  de  France,  80,  -45  ;  Beatson,  iv.  488  ;  Troude  ;  Log  of  Jiuby. 

'  Troude,  26  guns.     She  was  rated  3G  in  the  British  Xavy. 

*  Troude,  ii.  52.  Not  noticed  in  Beatson  or  Schoniberg.  She  seems  to  have  been 
the  British  Helena,  which  liad  been  taken  by  the  French  Sensible  in  1778. 

°  No  such  ship  appears  in  the  Xavy  Lists;  probably  a  privateer.  There  was  a 
famous  Bristol  privateer  of  that  name. 

'  Gazette  de  France,  308.     Not  noticed  in  Beatson,  nor  in  Log  of  Pelican. 

'  r.  M.,  52. 


28 


MJyOli    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792. 


[1779. 


British  ship  was  wet ;  her  crew  numbered  only  twenty-six,  and 
was  not  sufficiently  strong  to  work  her  sails  and  guns ;  and  she 
was  in  consequence  boarded  and  easily  overpowered  by  the 
American. 

Early  in  August  Sir  G.  Collier  received  information  that  a 
liritish  force  was  besieged  in  Penobscot  by  American  troops  and 
ships.'     Accordingly,  he  left   New  York  on   August  3rd  with   the 


VICE-AU.MUIAI,    .SUi    GF.UKGK    IKLI.IKU,    KT. 
(Frutti  a  litlni[/rii}jh('(l  iiortrait  hy  Bhud,  in  flic  *  Xdvnl  Chronidc'  1814.) 


liaisunnahle,  64,  Blonde  and  Virginia, 'S2's,  Greijliound,  Camilla,  and 
Galatea,  '20's,  and  Otter,  14.  In  spite  of  thick  fogs,  which  scattered 
the  squadron,  all  except  the  Otter  were  off  the  mouth  of  the 
Penobscot  on  the  evening  of  August  13th.  The  ships  immediately 
proceeded  up  the  river,  and  next  morning  the  rebel  fleet  came 
into  sight.  It  consisted  of  one  32-gun  ship,  the  Warren,  two 
24-gun,  two  22-gun,  two  20-gun,  two  18-gun,  four  16-gun,  three 
14-gun,  and   one    12-gun   ships,    with    twenty-four   transports   and 

'   l.tind.  Gazette,  Sept.  24tli ;  Beatson,  iv.  5i;!. 


1779.]  COLLIER   IN    THE  PENOBSCOT.  29 

other  vessels,  a  total  of  forty-one,'  and  was  drawn  up  in  a  ci'escent. 
Before  the  British  came  to  close  quarters,  however,  it  took  to  flight, 
on  which  Collier  made  the  signal  for  a  general  chase,  and  the 
British  ships  rushed  on  their  enemies.  The  Hunter,  18,  attempted 
to  run  round  to  the  west  of  Long  Island,-  but  was  boai'ded  and 
captured ;  the  Defence,  IG,  was  fired  by  her  crew  and  blew  up ; 
the  Hampden,  20,  hard  pressed  by  the  British,  struck;  and  the 
Warren,  with  the  rest  of  the  flotilla,  was  burnt.  In  this  action  the 
Albany,  14,  Nautilus,  16,  and  North,  14,  which  had  been  stationed 
at  Penobscot  to  support  the  garrison,  joined  with  great  effect.  All 
the  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  on  board  them.  The  total 
loss  of  the  Na\y  was  foiu-  killed,  nine  wounded,  and  three  missing, 
whilst  the  enemy  is  stated  to  have  lost  474. 

In  the  month  of  August  a  combined  Franco-Spanish  fleet  of 
fifty-six  sail  of  the  hne  and  thirty  frigates  cruised  in  the  Channel, 
and  the  British  admiral.  Sir  Charles  Hardy  (2),  too  weak  to  offer  any 
resistance,  could  onl}'  observe  its  movements.^  On  August  14th, 
the  British  warships  Marlborough,  74,  and  Ardent,  64,  Captain 
Philip  Boteler,  left  Plymouth  to  join  Hardj-'s  fleet,  and  were  so 
unlucky  as  to  fall  in  with  the  French  fleet  on  the  17th.  No 
intimation  of  the  presence  of  such  an  enemy  had  been  given  to 
either  of  the  British  Captains,  and  they  were  naturally  quite  un- 
prepared for  battle.  The  Ardent  had  been  hurried  out  of  port 
with  a  raw  crew,  but  she  had  spent  twenty-six  hoiu's  in  Torbay 
setting  up  her  rigging.  "  There  must  have  been  time  to  send  an 
express  by  land,"  said  her  Captain  in  his  defence  before  the  court- 
martial.  On  August  16th,  the  British  Commander-in-Chief  at 
Plymouth,  having  ascertained  the  presence  of  the  enemj^  in  the 
Channel,  sent  out  the  Kingfisher  to  warn  not  only  the  Ardent  but 
also  the  Stag,  which,  with  a  convoy,  was  proceeding  westwards. 
The  Stag  was  turned  back,  but  the  Ardent,  though  sighted  and 
signalled,  paid  no  attention  whatsoever  to  the  Kingfisher.  Either 
she  did  not  see  the  latter  or  the  signals  were  mistaken. 

The  Marlborough  in  some  way  divined  that  the  strange  fleet  was 
hostile ;  the  Ardent,  however,  fell  into  a  trap.  Her  private  signal 
was  twice  answered  ;  and,  all  unsuspectingly,  she  steered  to  join  the 

'  Many  of  these  vessels  did  not  belong  to  the  U.S.  Navy,  nor  to  any  of  the  regular 
Colonial  marines. — W.  L.  C. 

^  Not  the  New  Yoik  Long  Island,  but  the  Long  Island  in  Maine. 

"  C.  M.,  54;  Gazette  de  France,  332,  3G1 ;  Charnock,  vi.  406-7  ;  Troude,  ii.  52; 
Beatson,  iv.  545. 


30 


MlXOlt    VPEltATIONS,   17G3-1792. 


[1779. 


supposed  British  Admiral.  Presently  a  large  frigate — the  32-gun 
Junon,  Captain  de  Marigny — came  up  with  her,  and,  as  she  discovered 
her  mistake,  fired  two  broadsides  into  her.  Captain  Boteler  had  not 
hoisted  his  colours.  It  was  only  after  he  had  received  this  fire  that 
he  showed  them.  His  ship  was  quite  unprepared.  There  were  few 
cartridges  filled  and  scarcely  any  wads  ready.  The  decks  had  to  be 
cleared  in  a  desperate  hurry.  On  the  starboard  side  the  lower-deck 
ports  had  to  be  closed  as  soon  as  the  guns  were  cast  loose,  because 
the  water  poured  in.  Noticing  this,  the  Jinion  passed  under  the 
British  ship's  stern,  giving  her  a  raking  fire,  and  ranged  up  on  the 
starboard  beam.  Almost  at  the  same  time  the  GentiUe,  another 
French  32,  came  to  the  Junon  s  help.  The  British  ship  had  now 
opened,  but  her  fire  was  extremely  ill-directed,  slow,  and  ineffective. 
It  was  at  this  point  that  some  unauthorised  person  lowered  the 
Ardent' s  colours,  and  the  French  imagined  she  had  struck.  As  she 
did  not  shorten  sail  the  frigates  Bellone  and  Surveillante ,  which  had 
come  up,  one  on  either  quarter,  joined  in  the  attack ;  and  two  large 
French  line-of-battle  ships  neared  her  beam.  Thus  surrounded,  and 
persuaded  that  further  resistance  was  futile,  Captain  Boteler  struck 
his  colours.  It  cannot  be  supposed  that  he  surrendered  to  tAvo,  or 
even  four,  frigates  ;  the  presence  of  the  French  battleships  must  be 
taken  into  account.     The  comparative  force  was  as  follows  : — 


Tods. 

Gnus. 

Itroadside. 

Men. 

Killed. 

^Vouuded. 

Total. 

l.bs. 

i Junon       .      . 

?>'! 

174 

257? 

\  QentiUe    .      . 

32 

174 

257? 

Ardent     .      .        l.'!7lj 

64 

GOO 

500 

5 

8 

13 

A  stouter  resistance  and  a  heavier  percentage  of  loss  would  certainly 
have  been  expected  from  a  British  battleship.  The  Ardenfs  crew 
was,  however,  weak  and  of  inferior  quality.  If  Captain  Boteler's 
defence  can  be  believed,  of  the  500,  400  were  landsmen,  mostly 
pressed,  not  one  of  whom  had  ever  seen  a  gun  fired.  The 
100  seamen,  destitute  of  clothing  and  of  every  necessary,  were 
mutinously  inclined.  There  had  not  been  time  even  to  make 
up  the  quarter-bill,  much  less  to  drill  the  raw  hands.  "  The 
whole  force  of  the  objection  against  sending  ships  to  sea  with  men 
so  totally  unformed,  lies  in  the  danger  of  their  falling  in  with  an 
enemy  before  there  is  time  to  exercise  them  and  discipline  them," 


1779.] 


LOSS   OF   THE   SPHINX. 


Al 


as  he  urged.  Kevertheless,  Captain  Boteler  was  sentenced  to 
be  dismissed  the  service.  Bemembering  a  very  similar  mistake 
on  the  part  of  a  man  so  great  as  Boscawen,  and  the  subsequent  loss 
of  the  Pigase  by  France  under  identical  circumstances,  it  would 
appear  that  the  sentence  was  unjust.' 

The  Ardent  and  the  Active,  a  12-gun  cutter,  captured  in  the 
Channel  by  the  14-gun  cutter  Miitine,  Captain  de  Roquefeuil,  were, 
with  a  number  of  merchantmen,  the  only  trophies  that  this  immense 
fleet  carried  home. 

In  August,  on  the  Jamaica  station,  the  British  frigate  Boreas,- 
•28,  Captain  Charles  Thompson  (1),  captured  a  French  jiiite,^  the 
Compas,  of  18  gims,  laden  with  sugar.  The  Compass  loss  was  nine 
killed  or  wounded.  Early  in  September,  the  French  3-2-gun  frigate 
Amphitritc,  Captain  de  Langan-Boisfevrier,  fell  in  with  the  British 
Sphinx,  20,  Captain  Eobert  Manners  Sutton.  The  Amphitrite 
opened ;  her  superior  weight  of  metal  soon  brought  down  the 
Sphinx's  main-topmast  and  cut  her  sails  and  rigging  to  pieces;  and 
after  a  two  hours'  fight  Captain  Sutton  hauled  down  his  flag. 


Tuus. 

Guns. 

Bruad^siite. 

Men. 

KiUea. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Amphitrite    . 

? 

32 

Lbs. 
174 

257  n. 

? 

9 

•} 

Sphinx     . 

431 

20 

flO 

138  n. 

y 

•) 

'J 

On  December  29th,  the  Sphinx  was  recajituit-d  frcnu  the  French 
by  the  Proserpine,  32,  in  the  West  Indies." 

On  October  20th,  the  Proserpine,  with  a  44-gun  ship  in  company, 
fell  in  with  the  French  frigate  Alcmhie,  26,  dismasted  and  disabled 
by  a  stoi-m.^  The  Alcmbne,  incapable  of  any  resistance  to  such  a 
force,  struck  her  flag  at  once. 

In  September,  d'Estaing's  fleet  on  the  American  coast  took 
two  valuable  prizes.  The  first  was  the  Ariel  of  20  guns.  Captain 
Thomas  Mackenzie.*  She  was  chased  by  the  26-gun  frigate 
Amazone  and  overtaken  on  September  10th.     An  action  of  ninety 

'   Vide  also  '  Nelson  Dispatches,'  i.  36,  and  Capt.  Evelyn  Sutton's  defence  in  the  case 
of  the  Isis.     C.  M.,  56. 
2  Troude,  ii.  33. 
'  A  fli'iie,  or  a  vessel  armed  en  fliite,  carried  her  lower  deck  gtins  in  her  hold. 

*  Log  of  Proserpine  does  not  name  the  Sphinx  and  calls  her  a  French  32. 
"  Troude,  ii.  54 ;   Gazette  de  France,  80,  50. 

•  C.  M.,  54. 


32  MINOIt    OPERATIONS,    17G3-1702.  [1779. 

minutes  followed,  in  which  the  Ariel  lost  one  of  her  masts  and  had 
another  wounded,  before  she  struck,  with  four  killed  and  twenty 
wounded.  On  the  '24th,  the  Experiment,  50,  Captain  Sir  James 
Wallace,  was  captured.  She  was  hound  with  a  convoy  from  New 
York  to  Savannah,  and  the  French,  discovering  this,  detached  the 
Pendant,  74,  Zile,  74,  and  Sac/ittaire,  50,  Captain  de  Rions,  to  look 
for  her.  The  Experiment  had  lost  her  masts  in  a  storm,  and  could 
not  get  away,  though  she  did  her  best,  and  gave  the  Sagittaire  some 
trouble.  She  struck  after  a  short  resistance.^  She  had  150,000 
piastres  on  board ;  and  two  store-ships  in  her  company  fell  victims 
with  her. 

On  September  9th,  the  French  admiral,  d'Estaing,  with  twenty 
ships  of  the  line  and  thirteen  smaller  craft,  anchored  at  Tybee. 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Savannah  river.-  The  island  of  Tybee  was 
seized,  and  between  the  9th  and  16th  a  large  force  of  French  troops 
numbering  over  three  thousand,  who  had  been  drawn  from  the 
garrisons  of  the  French  West  India  islands,  were  landed  at  Beaulieu, 
thirteen  miles  from  Savannah,  and  the  town  of  Savannah  was 
summoned  to  sm-render.  The  British  ships,  Foweij,  20,  Captain  John 
Henry,  Rose,  20,  Captain  John  Brown,  Vigilant,  20,  Commander 
Brabazon  Christian,  KeppeJ,  12,  Germaine,  12,  Savannah,  14,  and 
seven  galleys,  were  lying  at  that  place.  They  landed  men  and  guns 
as  soon  as  d'Estaing's  arrival  was  known,  and  the  Bose,  being  old, 
dilapidated,  and  worm-eaten,  was  sunk  in  the  channel.  General 
Prevost,  the  British  commander  on  land,  brought  up  troops  from 
Port  Royal;  and  the  place,  which  might  have  been  carried  by 
d'Estaing  by  an  immediate  attack,  was,  bj'  the  dela3's  and  short- 
sightedness of  the  French,  allowed  time  to  develop  its  resistance. 
A  truce  of  twenty-foiu-  hours  gave  Colonel  Maitland  time  to  come 
up  from  Port  Royal.  The  French  and  Americans  broke  ground,  and 
on  the  night  of  October  3rd-4th,  bombarded  the  town.  On  the 
night  of  the  9th,  they  delivered  an  assault.  D'Estaing  was  filled 
with  alarm  for  his  ships,  which  on  that  exposed  coast  were  suffering 
much  from  storms ;  and  his  attack  was  on  that  occasion  as  rash 
as  his  abstention  from  attack  had  previously  been  timid.  The  assault 
was  repulsed  vnth  heavy  loss,  amounting  to  about  750  in  the 
case   of   the   French   alone.     The   loss   of   the   British    Na\-y   was 

'  C.  M.,  54. 

'  'Ann.  Register,'  1779,  [207  ;  Troude,  ii.  4.3;  Captain  Henry's  letter  in  Admirals 
Dispatches,  N.  American  Station,  vol.  7. 


1779.] 


TEE  PEARL    TAKES   THE  STA.   MONICA. 


38 


four  killed  and  sixteen  wounded.     The  siege  was  abandoned  on  the 
18th,  and  d'Estaing  re-embarked  his  diminished  force.' 

The  Pearl,  32,  Captain  George  Montagu,  was  cruising  off  Fayal 
in  the  Azores,  when  at  6  A.M.  on  the  morning  of  September  14th, 
she  saw  and  chased  a  sail.^  At  9.30  a.m.  she  brought  the  stranger 
to  action,  and  two  hours  later  compelled  her  to  strike,  herself 
sustaining  only  damage  to  her  rigging.  The  captured  ship  was  the 
Santa  Monica,  Don  M.  de  Nunes,  a  Spanish  frigate  of  twenty-eight 
guns.    The  comparative  force  and  loss  of  the  two  were  as  follows  : — 


— 

Tons. 

Gons. 

w 

eight  of  Jktal. 

Men. 

KillcJ. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

'Pearl.      .      . 

683 

32 

Lbs. 
174 

220 

12 

19 

31 

Sta.  Monica  . 

'     956 

I 

28 

IW 

■271 

?,9 

45 

83 

Time,  2  hours. 


DniENSioxs  :- 


sta,  Monica 
Pearl 


Length, 
H5ft. 
125  ft. 


Beam. 
38ft.  gin. 
35  ft.  3- in. 


Draught. 

lift.  10  in. 

12  ft. 


The  Santa  Monica  was  a  finer  and  larger  ship  than  the  Pearl, 
though  more  feebly  armed.  She  was  bought  into  the  British  Navy 
and  rated  as  a  36. 

In  spite  of  his  successes  in  the  spring  of  1778,  Captain  Paul 
Jones  could  not  get  another  squadron  to  sea  before  June  1779,  and 
then  it  was  composed  of  vei-y  indifferent  material.^  Captain  Jones's 
ship  was  the  Bonhomme  Richard,  a  former  East  Indiaman,  equipped 
in  singular  fashion.  As  her  sides  were  very  high  she  carried  guns 
on  her  lower  deck — six  long,  old-fashioned  18-prs.,  which  could  all  be 
fought  on  the  same  side.  On  her  main  deck  she  mounted  twenty- 
eight  12-prs.,  and  on  the  forecastle  and  quarter-deck  eight  9-prs. 
Her  crew  was  a  medley  of  all  races  and  nationalities,*  and  even  her 
officers  were  not  all  Americans.  As  consorts  she  had  the  Alliance, 
a  32-gun  frigate  °  commanded  by  Captain  Landais ;  the  Pallas,  of 
thirty  guns,*  an  ex-merchantman ;   the    Vengeance,  also  an  armed 

'  These  operations  liave  been  very  briefly  touched  up<in  in  vol.  iii.  442. 

'  Lond.  Gazette,  Sept.  28 ;  Log  of  Pearl ;  Beatson,  iv.  559. 

'  See  authorities  already  cited  for  the  Banger's  cruise.  Add  also  Capts.  Pearson 
and  Piercy's  Ofiicial  Letters,  London  Chronicle,  Oct.  12th  ;  the  court  martial  [C.  M.,  54] ; 
Maclay,  'Hist.  U.S.X.,'  i.  104-136  ;  'Century,'  vol.  49,  873  ;  Beatson,  iv.  548. 

*  A  number  of  American  sailors  were  taken  on  board  the  Bonhomme  Bichard 
whilst  she  was  undergoing  repairs. 

'  Laughton  calls  Alliance  a  36-gun  ship,  with  D-prs.  on  the  main  deck. 

"  Laughton  says,  thirty-two  B-prs. 

VOL.   IV.  ^ 


34 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1703-1792. 


[1779. 


merchantman,  of  twelve  guns,  and  the  18-gmi  cutter  Cerf.  Landais 
was  at  the  best  contumacious  and  insubordinate.  At  the  worst  he 
was  a  violent  madman,  more  dangerous  to  friends  than  to  enemies. 
The  onlj'  tie  which  united  these  five  ships  was  a  paper  agreement 
to  act  together.  This  was  certain  to  be  broken  as  soon  as  it  was  to 
any  one's  interest  to  break  it. 

Leaving  Lorient  on  June  19th,  1779,  the  Bonhomme  Bichard  and 


CAPTAIN   WILLIAM    LOCKER,    R.N.,    1732-1800. 

{Lieut.-Govr.  of  Greenwich  Hospital,  1793-1800.) 
(From  a  lithograph  by  Rldleii.) 

Alliance  collided,  and  sustained  so  much  damage  that  they  were 
compelled  to  return  to  port.  On  their  way  back  they  chased  three 
supposed  British  frigates,  and  the  Cerf  fought  a  sharp  engagement 
with  an  unknown  British  vessel,  which  is  said  to  have  struck,  but 
had  to  be  abandoned  on  other  British  ships  coming  up.  The 
repairs  were  completed  by  August  14th,  when  the  squadron  again 
put  out,  -with  two  French  privateers.  These,  however,  soon 
quarrelled  with  Captain  Jones,  and  parted  company.     Off  the  south 


1770.]  THE  SERAPIS  AND   BONHOMME    RICHAHD.  35 

coast  of  Ireland  two  prizes  were  captured  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
twenty-three  Englishmen  of  the  Bonhomme  liicliard's  crew  escaped  to 
the  Kerry  coast  in  two  of  the  ship's  boats.  At  the  same  time  Landais 
began  to  show  such  insubordination  as  convinced  Captain  Jones 
of  the  man's  madness.  He  practically  asserted  his  entire  independ- 
ence, and  followed  this  up  by  parting  company  when  he  chose.  The 
Cerf  and  Fallas  vanished  from  sight  on  August  26th.  Sailing  north 
round  the  W'est  coast  of  Ireland  to  Cape  Wrath,  Jones  was  rejoined  by 
the  Pallas.  Some  time  was  spent  in  waiting  for  the  Alliance,  and  in 
endeavom-ing  to  persuade  Landais  to  show  some  obedience  when 
she  arrived,  but  all  in  vain.  The  Bonliomme  Richard,  Pallas,  and 
Vengeance  doubled  Cape  Wrath  and  sailed  down  the  east  coast  of 
Scotland,  whilst  the  Alliance  followed,  joining  or  deserting  the 
squadron  according  to  her  captain's  fancy.  On  September  13th,  the 
ships  were  off  the  Firth  of  Forth  ;  and  Jones,  hearing  that  a  British 
'20-gun  ship  was  lying  at  anchor  off  Leith,  and  anxious  to  lay  Edin- 
burgh and  Leith  under  contribution,  wished  to  run  up  the  estuary. 
The  captains  of  Lhe  Pallas  and  I'cngrancr,  however,  had  no  stomach 
for  any  such  bold  moves,  and  it  was  not  till  the  14th  that  Jones  could 
overcome  their  reluctance.  The  wind  was  then  adverse.  Laboriously 
the  ships  beat  their  way  up  the  firth,  whilst  the  alarmed  inhabitants 
gathered  to  make  what  resistance  they  could,  and  threw  up  a  battery 
at  Leith.  Jones  had  picked  up  a  pilot  from  a  collier,  and  would  have 
had  the  town  at  his  mercy,  had  not  the  unfavourable  wind  freshened 
suddenly  to  a  gale  on  the  17th,  and  swept  the  motley  squadron  out 
to  sea.  Thereupon  he  detennined  to  try  in  the  Tyne  what  he 
had  purposed  to  accomplish  in  the  Forth.  His  conceptions  were,  as 
usual,  accurate  and  judicious,  but  again  the  cowardice  and  insubor- 
dination of  his  captains  balked  him.  On  September  21st,  three  ships 
were  taken  or  destroyed  off  Flamborough  Head  ;  on  the  22nd,  the 
Bonhomme  Bichard  and  Vengeance  being  in  company,  pilots  were 
seized  off  the  Humber,  and  from  them  Jones  learnt  that  the  wildest 
alaiTu  prevailed  in  Great  Britain.  Up  to  that  date  the  squadron  had 
taken  seventeen  ships.  On  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  the  Pallas  and 
Alliance  rejoined.  Very  little  later,  in  the  afternoon,  a  great  fleet 
came  into  sight.  It  was  the  Baltic  trade,  convoyed  by  his  Majesty's 
frigate  Serajns  of  forty-four  guns,  Captain  Kichard  Pearson,  and  the 
aimed  ship  Countess  of  Scarborough  of  twenty.  Commander  Thomas 
Piercy.  The  warships  at  once  placed  themselves  between  their 
convoy  and  the  American  squadron,  whilst  the  merchant  ships  went 

D  2 


36  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792.  [1779. 

off  on  the  other  tack.  Captain  Jones  signalled  to  form  line  of  battle, 
to  which  signal  neither  the  Alliance  nox  Pallas  paid  much  attention. 
On  shore,  the  cliffs  of  Scarborough  and  the  coast  of  Flamborough 
Head  were  crowded  with  spectators,  who  were  to  be  rewarded  by 
the  sight  of  one  of  the  fiercest  fights  in  history. 

At  dusk  the  Bonhomme  Richard  and  the  Serapis  were  within 
musket-shot,  both  standing  for  the  land  on  the  port  tack.  The  two 
hailed  one  another,  each  summoning  the  other  to  surrender.  Almost 
at  the  same  moment,  at  7.20  p.m.,  the  Bonhomvic  BicJiard  opened 
fire,  and  was  replied  to  by  the  Serapis.  At  the  first  round  two  of  the 
Bonhomvie  Richard's  lower-deck  18  prs.  bm-st,  killing  several  men  and 
doing  great  damage  to  the  ship.  The  other  four  were  abandoned,  and 
the  American  had  to  fall  back  upon  her  thirty-six  12-  and  9-prs. 
Against  her  was  the  Serapis,  a  man-of-war,  handy,  a  better  sailer, 
with  a  homogeneous  crew  and  a  far  more  powerful  armament.^  In 
leadership  alone  had  the  Ajuerican  any  advantage.  Her  captain, 
if  not  superior  in  sheer  courage  to  Captain  Pearson,  hopelessly  out- 
distanced him  in  audacity,  resource,  and  inspiration.  Whilst  these 
two  closed  in  desperate  encounter,  the  Pallas  engaged  the  Countess 
of  Scarborough,  and  the  Alliance  sailed  round  and  roimd,  firing  at 
random  on  British  and  Americans  alike. 

The  heavy  shot  of  the  Serapis  quickly  began  to  tell.  The 
Bonhomme  Richard  received  several  hits  between  wind  and  water ; 
and  she  had  her  fourteen  12-prs.  disabled  or  dismounted,  and  seven  of 
her  deck  guns  put  out  of  action,  so  that  she  was  left  with  a  battery 
of  only  three  9-prs.,  one  of  which  had  to  be  shifted  over  from  the 
starboard  side.  In  these  circumstances  Jones  determined,  as 
his  only  hope  of  safety,  to  close  with  his  enemy ;  and  Captain 
Pearson  of  the  Serapis  was  foolish  enough  to  allow  his  half- 
beaten  opponent  to  lay  himself  alongside.  The  Serapis  evaded  the 
Bonhomme  Richard's  first  attempt  to  grapple.  At  the  second  the 
Bonhomme  Richard's  mizen-shrouds  caught  the  Scrapis's  jib-boom, 
which  was  promptly  lashed  fast  by  the  American  captain  himself.  The 
boom  broke,  but  the  Serapis's  spare  anchor  hooked  the  Bonhomme 
Richard's  quarter,  and  held  the  two  combatants  side  by  side,  bow  to 

'  Laiighton,  '  Studies  in  Kaval  Hist.'  398,  states  tliat  slie  carried  IH-prs.  on  her 
lower  and  12-i)rs.  on  her  ujjper  deek.  Cooper,  and  Maclay,  'Hist.  U.S.N .'  i.  129,  give 
her  twenty  18'b,  twenty  9'e,  and  ten  6's.  The  regular  44:-g\ui  frigate  carried 
twenty  I8's,  twenty-two  9's,  and  two  6's ;  see  James,  '  Naval  History,'  i.  445,  and 
Derrick,  279  ;  but  a  MS.  of  Capt.  Pearson,  refers  to  the  age  and  bad  condition  of  the 
Serapis's  12-prs.,  which  makes  it  evident  that  she  had  I2's  and  not  9'f. 


1779.] 


THE  SERAPIS  AND   BONHOMME  RICHARD. 


37 


stern,  starboard  to  starboard,  with  the  muzzles  of  the  guns  touching. 
This  happened  at  about  8.80  in  the  evening.  The  Scrapis  let  go  her 
other  anchor  in  the  hope  that  the  American  would  be  swept  clear 
by  the  tide ;  but,  owing  to  this  entanglement,  the  manoeuvre  did  not 
succeed  in  its  object.  Meantime  the  Bo?ihomme  Richard's  men, 
driven  from  the  18  and  1'2-prs.  below,  had  swarmed  to  the  deck  and 
the  tops,  whence  they  swept  the  Scrapis  with  a  steady  musketry  fire, 
and  from  time  to  time  pitched  hand-gi"enades  on  board  her.  Below, 
the  port  lids  of  the  Serapis's  18-pr.  battery  had  been  closed  when  the 
two  ships  swung  alongside,  from  fear  of  boarders.  The  guns  were 
fired  through  them,  and  speedily  reduced  to  splinters  the  hull  of 
the  American.     Their  fire,  however,  though  it  ultimately  sank  the 


.MEDAl.    coMMr.MuIlATlVK    dl"    LAl'T.    I'AUL    JONES,    U.S.X. 
CFram  an  urUjinal  hut  bij  B.S.II.  Ciii't.  Prince  Louis  <il  Battfiiliirn.  It.S'A 

enemy's  ship,  did  not  kill  his  men,  since  these  had  been  withdrawn 
from  the  lower  battery.  The  18-prs.  thus  failed  to  exercise  a 
decisive  influence  on  the  fate  of  the  action.  Akeady  the  Serapis's 
starboard  side  had  taken  fire  in  seven  or  eight  places,  and  was  blazing 
fiercely.  Yet,  in  spite  of  this,  victory  was  decidedly  incHning  to  her 
when  a  temblc  mischance  befell  her.  An  American  seaman  climbed 
out  on  the  Bonliommc  liichard's  main-yard,  which  overhung  the 
Serapis's  deck,  and  dropped  a  hand  grenade  down  the  main-hatchway 
into  the  Serapis's  gun-room,  where  a  number  of  12-pr.  cartridges  had 
been  placed.  The  grenade  fired  the  cartridges,  and  the  explosion 
ran  aft  between  the  row  of  gims,  scorching  or  kiUing  officers  and 
men,  and   disabling  five  of  the  guns.     Thirty-eight  were  killed  or 


36^776 


38  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792.  [1779. 

woxuided  at  this  one  blow.  Amongst  those  injured  was  Lieutenant 
the  Hon.  Heniy  Edwyn  Stanhope,  who  in  his  agony  leapt  overboard, 
but,  climbing  back,  had  his  wounds  di'essed  and  rctmiicd  to  his 
quarters  A  minute  later  the  Allimice  hove  in  sight  and  was  seen 
to  fire  a  broadside.  The  fire  was  directed  on  the  Bonliomme 
Bichard,  and  not  on  the  British  ship,  though  Captain  Pearson 
could  hardly  know  this.  The  Serapis  still  fought  on,  her  men  by 
that  time  recovering  from  the  shock  of  the  explosion ;  and  at  ten 
there  was  a  call  for  quarter  from  the  American.  It  came  from 
her  gunner,  and  was  promptly  silenced  by  Jones,  who  rapped  him 
on  the  head  with  a  pistol.  But  at  the  shout  the  British  prisoners 
in  the  hold  of  the  Bonhommc  Bichard,  taken  from  the  various  prizes, 
had  been  released.  The  ship  was  sinking  :  her  lower  deck  ports  were 
completely  shattered,  and  she  was  on  fire  in  more  than  one  place. 
The  prisoners  poiu'ed  up  on  deck :  the  fate  of  the  battle  was  in 
their  hands.  With  astounding  coolness  Captain  Jones  set  them 
to  work  the  pumps,  and  thus  converted  them  from  a  source  of 
danger  into  a  som-ce  of  strength.  Thej'  seem  without  question  to 
have  obeyed  him,  perhaps  dumbfomided  by  his  assui-ance.  Each 
ship  was  now  at  her  last  gasp ;  each  crew  had  fought  fairly  to  a 
standstill ;  the  men  on  either  side  had  done  their  best ;  the  issue 
rested  with  the  captains.  A  refugee  crawled  through  the  ports  of 
the  Bonhommc  Bichard  and  told  Captain  Pearson  of  his  enemy's 
condition.  He  ordered  the  boarders  awaj',  but  they  could  do 
nothing  in  face  of  the  small  arms'  fire  from  the  rigging  of  the 
American.  The  last  effort  of  the  British  crew  had  failed :  the 
Alliance  could  be  seen  passing  across  the  Serapis's  stern,  and 
preparing  to  rake  her,  whilst  the  Serapis  could  not  fire  a  gun. 
Her  mainmast  was  tottering,  and  the  bold  face  of  Captain  Jones 
made  the  British  hopeless  of  success.  At  10.30  Captain  Pearson 
hauled  down  his  flag,  just  as  the  mainmast  went  overboard.  The 
Americans  took  possession  of  their  prize,  transfen-ed  to  her  the  crew 
of  the  Bonliomme  Bichard,  and  saw  the  latter  sink  a  day  later.  As 
the  battle  had  been  fought  with  unusual  obstinacy,  the  loss  on  board 
each  ship  was  very  heavy.' 

'  Many  American  writers  deny  that  the  Alliance  exercised  any  influence  on  the 
issue  of  the  action.  I  tliink,  howevei-,  that  any  unprejudiced  man  will  allow,  with 
Professor  Laughton,  that  her  mere  presence  had  a  very  discouraging  cflect  on  the  crews 
of  the  Serapis  and  Countess  of  Scarhorough. 


1779.]        THE   COUNTESS   OF  SCARBOROUOH  SURRENDERS. 


39 


Ton?. 

Guus. 

Broadbitle. 

Crew, 

Kille.l. 

Woondcd. 

ToUl. 

Ll». 

Bon  ho  mm 
Richard 

■i 

•• 

42 

312 

347 

49' 

;    67' 

116 

Serapis    . 

886 

44 

324 

264 

54 

75 

129 

Time,  3^  hours. 

I  The  American  lossies  are  variously  given  and  range  from  317  (Capt.  Pearson's  estimate)  to  that  given  in  the 
text.  Cooper  estimates  the  loss  at  150,  viz.,  42  seamen  killed  or  died  of  n-ounils,  and  41  wounded ;  the  others 
marines  or  soldiers  serving  as  marines,    llie  nnmber  of  the  crew  is  variously  given,  the  alxive  Iwiug  Cooper's 


The  inferiority  of  the  Bonhomme  Richard's  armament  should  be 
taken  into  account.  If  her  18-prs.,  which  scarcely  fired  a  shot,  are 
subtracted,  her  broadside  falls  to  204  lbs. 

Captain  Pearson  was  outwitted,  and  threw  his  advantage  away. 
The  action,  however,  has  an  interesting  bearing  upon  a  point  which 
is  much  debated  at  the  present  day  : — whether  the  gims  should  attack 
the  enemy's  water-line  or  his  men.  It  seems  to  show  that  the  efforts 
of  the  gunners  should  be  directed  to  the  killing  of  their  opponents 
rather  than  to  the  disabling  of  the  hostile  ship.  Captain  Jones  had 
paid  great  attention  to  his  top-fire,  and  his  marksmen  cleared  the 
Serajns's  deck  of  all  but  Captain  Pearson,  whom  they  spared  for  his 
gallantry. 

The  Countess  of  Scarborough  fought  the  Pallas  for  two  hours, 
when  Commander  Piercy  struck  to  the  French- American,  with  heavy 
damage  to  his  rigging,  seven  gims  disabled,  and  twent3'-four  out  of  a 
crew  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  killed  or  wounded.  He  appears,  like 
the  Serajjis,  to  have  been  fired  upon  by  the  Alliance.  Owing  to  the 
vigorous  resistance  of  the  British  ships  the  convoy  was  enabled  to 
escape  \vithout  an)'  loss,  and  the  Americans  were  left  unfit  for  any 
further  depredation.  Captain  Pearson  was  deservedly  rewarded  for 
his  determined  resistance  with  a  knighthood.  After  the  battle  Jones 
proceeded  to  the  Texel,  and  thence,  after  some  weeks'  blockade,  sailed 
with  his  usual  audacity  down  the  Channel  to  Lorient  under  the  verj' 
noses  of  the  British  cruisers.  There  his  squadron  was  broken  up, 
and  though  liberal  promises  were  made  to  him,  and  though  the 
consternation  and  rage  in  England  testified  to  the  success  of  his 
methods  of  making  war,  he  was  not  given  another  command,  but 
seems  to  have  been  distrusted  by  the  American  commissioners. 

The  French  cutters,  of  14  guns,  Mutine  and  Pilate,  fell  in,  on 


40 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1703-1702. 


[1779. 


October  Snd,'  with  the  British  ships  Jupiter,  50,  Apollo,  32,  and 
Crescent,  28,  and  were  captured  after  a  short  cannonade,  in  which 
the  Mutine  was  dismasted. 

On  October  6th,  the  Quebec,  32,  Captain  George  Farmer,  in  com- 
pany with  the  Bambler,  10,  Lieutenant  Rupert  George,  was  cruising 
off  Usbant  to  watch  for  a  squadron  which  was  reported  to  be  leaving 
Brest,  when  at  dawn  she  sighted  the  French  frigate,  Surveillante,  32, 


V 


CAPTAIN    SIR    lilCHAHD    I'EAIiSON    KT.,    E.X. 

Lieut.-Oovr.  of  Oreenivich  Hospital. 
{From  n>i  engrarinti  Ixj  H.  It.  Cook.) 

Lieut.  Du  Couedic  de  Kergoualer,  and  the  cutter.  Expedition,  10, 
Lieut,  de  Eoquefeuil.-  These  vessels  had  put  out  from  Brest  to 
observe  a  British  squadron,  which  was  supposed  to  be  on  the  point 
of  saihng  for  Brest.  Du  Couedic  was  a  man  of  ebullient  courage, 
and  had  vowed  to  the  king  that  the   Surveillante   should   be   his 

'  Troude,  ii.  5.5. 

'  Land.  Chronicle,  xlvi.  354,  363,  381 ;  '  Diet.  N.at.  Bingr.' :  "  Farmer,  G." ;  Henne- 
quin,  '  Biogr.  Nav.'  i.  98  ;  Gazette  de  France,  401,  424,  435,  448 ;  Beatson,  iv.  561 ; 
Troude,  ii.  55  :  Lond.  Gazette,  Oct.  12  ;  C.  M.  missing. 


1779.]  THE   QUEBEC  AND    SURVEILLANTE.  41 

chariot   of  triumph,  or  his  tomb.     His   enemy,   Captain  Farmer, 
was  fully  worthy  of  him,  though  of  a  temper  less  demonstrative. 
The  spirit  of  their  captains  inspired  the  crews  of  the  two  ships.     An 
encounter  between  such  antagonists  was  certain  to  be  desperate  and 
bloody.     Neither  shirked  the  combat ;  they  stood  eagerly  towards 
one  another;   hoisted  their  respective  flags,  and  fired  each  a  long 
range  shot  as  a  signal  of  defiance.     Du  Couedic  sailed  as  close  to 
the  wind  as  possible,  whilst  Farmer  rapidly  bore  down  upon  him. 
Some  time  after  ten  in  the  morning  the  two  frigates  were  within 
close   range.     The   Siirveillante   had  already  been  firing  for  some 
time,  but  at  long  range,  and  without  inflicting  much  injmy .     Not  till 
she  was  within  musket  range  did  the  Quebec  reply.     The  two  then 
settled  down  to  a  furious  battle,  broadside  to  broadside.     An  hour 
passed  and  neither  ship  had  the  advantage,  when  Captain  Fanner 
determined  to  rake  his  opponent.      He  tried  to  drop  astern,  ^ith 
this  object  in  view,  but  was  foiled  by  Du  Couedic's  promptness  and 
judgment.     Once  more  the  two  closed.     They  could  no  longer  hug 
the  wind,  but  had  to  go  before  it ;    the  masts  of  both  ships  were 
tottering ;    the  fire  on  each  side  was  mui'derous ;    and   yet  neither 
showed  any  sign  of  jnelding.     Tmce,  indeed,  the  Quebec's  officers 
saw,  or  thought  they  saw,  the   French   crew  running  from  their 
guns,  but   for   all   that   the  SurvciUante  maintained   her   fire.     In 
the    Quebec   the   crew   w"as   dwindling   fast ;    from    seven    men   to 
each  gun   it  had  fallen  to  three ;    Captain   Farmer  was  wounded 
in   the   finger,  and   his   collar   bone   was   shattered.      He   did   not 
leave  the  deck,  but   bandaged  his  womids   as   best   he  could,  and 
called   to   his   men,  "  My   lads,  this   is  warm  work,  and  therefore 
keep  up  your  fire  with  double  spirit.     We  will   conquer  or  die." 
Beside    him    stood    his    first    Lieutenant,    Francis  Roberts,    who 
had    lost    an    arm.      Most   of    the   other   officers    were    killed   or 
disabled. 

It  was  verging  upon  noon  when  the  masts  of  the  Surveillante 
went  overboard.  They  fell  to  port,  and  did  not  mask  her  battery, 
nor  encmnber  and  endanger  the  ship.  A  few  minutes  before  this  Uu 
Couedic  had  been  twice  womided  in  the  head  by  bullets.  He  did  not, 
however,  leave  the  deck.  Just  after  the  fall  of  the  Surveillante' s 
masts,  the  Quebec's  masts  came  down.  Unfortunately  for  her,  they 
did  not  clear  the  ship,  but,  falling  fore  and  aft,  blocked  the  gangways, 
and  impeded  the  service  of  the  forecastle  and  quarter-deck  guns. 
The  mizen-mast  sails  hung  down  on  the  engaged  side,  and  were 


42  MINOR    OPEHATIOXS,    1763-1792.  [1779. 

almost  instauth'  set  on  fire  by  the  flash  of  the  guns.  Du  Couedic  at 
that  moment  is  said,  in  the  French  accomits,  to  have  attempted  to 
board.  His  dispositions  for  that  end  were  made,  and  his  bowsprit 
was  fast  entangled  in  the  wreckage  of  the  Quebec  s  masts,  when  he 
was  wounded  a  third  time,  just  as  he  had  ordered  his  three  nephews 
to  lead  the  boarding  party.  Smoke  was  already  pouring  up  from 
the  Quebec's  sails,  and  her  quarter-deck  was  beginning  to  blaze. 
The  French  captain,  for  all  his  wounds,  directed  the  fire  of  his  guns 
to  cease,  and  his  boats  to  be  lowered,  whilst  the  Surveillante's  bow- 
sprit was  cut  away,  and  the  Quebec  was  pushed  off  with  spars :  not 
any  too  soon,  for  the  French  ship's  rigging  was  akeady  beginning  to 
burn.  The  heat  was  intense.  On  board  the  Quebec,  Farmer  still 
kept  his  station,  and  refused  to  leave  the  ship  whilst  there  was  a 
man  on  board.  The  pumps  were  by  his  orders  directed  on  the 
magazine,  and  thus  there  was  no  apparent  danger  of  an  explosion. 
The  first  Lieutenant  was  by  him  :  the  crew  at  his  orders  were 
jumping  into  the  sea  or  saving  themselves  as  best  they  could  ;  whilst 
the  cutter  Rambler  had  come  up  to  the  aid  of  the  men  in  the  water, 
though  the  constant  explosion  of  the  Quebec's  guns  made  the  work 
of  rescue  very  dangerous.  Of  the  Surveillante's  boats,  only  one  would 
float,  and  that  one  was  damaged  in  getting  it  out.  The  French  crew, 
however,  threw  oars  and  ropes  to  the  drowning  men.  At  six  in  the 
evening  the  Quebec,  with  her  colours  still  flying,  blew  up.  When 
last  seen,  her  Captain  was  sitting  calmly  on  the  fluke  of  the 
anchor. 

His  splendid  gallantry  was  rewarded  by  his  country  in  the  way 
it  deserved.  His  eldest  son  was  made  a  baronet,  and  pensions  were 
gi-anted  to  his  widow  and  his  children,  "  to  excite  an  emulation  in 
other  officers  to  distinguish  themselves  in  the  same  manner,  and 
render  Captain  Farmer's  fate  rather  to  be  envied  than  pitied,  as  it 
would  give  them  reason  to  hope  that,  if  they  should  lose  their  lives 
with  the  same  degree  of  stubborn  gallantry,  it  would  appear  to 
posterity  that  their  services  had  met  with  the  approbation  of  their 
sovereign."  '  Thus  died  in  the  flower  of  his  age  a  great  and  accom- 
plished officer ;  ^  and  one  of  those  who  may  be  said  to  have  made 
and  moulded  our  Navy  for  the  next  French  war.  Under  him 
Nelson  and  Troubridge  served,  and  the  master  was  worthy  of  his 
disciples. 

'  Admiralty  Minute. 

^  Capt.  George  Farmer  had  been  posted  on  Jan.  lOtli,  1771.— W.  L.  C. 


1779.]  THE   QUEBEC  AND    SURVEILLANTE.  43 

Du  Couedic  died  in  port  some  months  later.'  His  family  were  as 
splendidly  rewarded,  and  a  handsome  monument  was  erected  at 
Brest  to  his  memory,  to  be  defaced  and  destro3'ed  in  the  shameful 
excesses  of  the  Eevolution. 

The  loss  of  both  ships  was  terribly  heavy.  Of  the  Quebec's  195 
men  only  68  were  saved;  17  by  the  Rambler,  13  by  a  passing 
Russian  ship,  and  38  by  the  Surveillanfe ;  and  of  these  again  two 
died  of  their  injuries.  The  French  behaved  with  a  magnanimous 
humanity  to  their  prisoners.  Men  who  had  so  fought  and  suffered, 
they  said,  must  be  released ;  and  accordingly  they  sent  them  back  to 
a  British  port.  They  are  stated  in  one  British  account  to  have  fired 
upon  a  British  boat  engaged  in  saving  life.  We  may  indignantly 
reject  this  maUcious  libel.  The  fire  probably  came  from  the 
Quebec's  own  heated  guns.  In  the  SurveiUante  30  were  killed  and 
85  wounded.  In  one  or  other  category  were  nearly  all  the  ofScers. 
The  ship  herself  was  in  a  sinking  condition.  She  had  been 
frequently  hulled  between  wind  and  water,  and  was  leaking  heavily. 
She  was  taken  in  tow  by  the  Expedition  :  in  time  jury-masts  were 
rigged  ;  and  she  succeeded  in  returning  to  Brest. 

The  comparative  force  of  the  two  ships  is  disputed.  According 
to  Farmer's  own  letters  the  Quebec  carried  twenty-six  9-prs.,  and  six 
6-prs.  This  anomalous  armament  was  due  to  the  fact  that  she  had 
struck  a  rock  some  months  before  ;  and,  being  compelled  to  throw 
all  her  12-prs.  overboard,  she  could  only  replace  them  with  the 
smaller  9-prs.  on  reaching  a  British  port.  French  ^\Titers  give  her 
thirty-six  guns,  but  are  obviously  untrustworthy,  as  they  had  no 
means  of  knowing  accurately.  The  SurveiUante,  by  the  official 
British  version,  carried  twenty-eight  18-prs.  and  twelve  small  guns — 
probably  in  the  writer's  imagination  8  or  6  prs.  To  get  the  truth, 
however,  we  must  go  to  the  French  accounts,  and  they  dififer 
strangely.  M.  de  Lostanges,  who  fought  on  board,  gives  her  thirty- 
six  guns — probably  twenty-six  18-prs.  and  ten  8-prs. :  Troude  and 
the  official  French  account  give  twenty-six  12-prs.  and  six  (5-prs.  It 
was  the  impression  of  the  Quebec's  sm-vivors  that  the  SurveiUante 
was  gi-eatly  their  superior  in  power  and  weight  of  metal,  but  men 
who  have  fought  a  desperate  battle  are  naturally  prone  to  exalt  the 
strength  of  their  enemy.     We  have,  therefore,  accepted  Troude's 

'  Du  CouiJdic  was  instantly  promoted  to  be  capitaine  de  vaisseau,  and,  lor  a  time, 
his  recovery  seemed  probable ;  but  he  died  of  his  wounds,  three  months  after  the  action, 
aged  forty. 


44 


NINOIi    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792. 


[1779. 


statement,  though   even   then   the   disparity   is   quite  sufficient  to 
explain  the  result : — 


Tons,      j      Gum. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

KUled.        Wounded. 

Total. 

Surveillanle  .   ' 
Quebec      .      .685 

32 
32 

Lbs. 
174 

125 

255 
195 

30       1       85 
127       [      ?  ' 

115 
127' 

'  At  least  three  of  the  sixty -eight  sarvivors  were  "  greatly  wounded,"  besides  the  two  who  actually  died.  No 
wounded  or  men  dying  from  their  wounds  have  been  bicluded  in  the  above  total.  Troude  gives  the  survivors  as 
eighty -one. 

The  Bambler  and  Exp&dition,^  whilst  the  fight  between  the  Quebec 
and  Surveillante  was  raging,  were  just  as  hotly  engaged,  from 
eleven  o'clock  onwards.  At  about  two,  however,  the  Expedition  made 
off — either  to  aid  the  Surveillante  or  because  she  had  had  enough. 
She  had,  by  the  French  account,  suffered  severely  from  the  Bambler' s 
musketry.  The  Bambler  was  much  cut  up  in  her  rigging,  her  gaff, 
topmast,  and  topsail  halyards  being  shot  through,  and  her  mainsail 
rendered  useless.  She  stood  at  once  to  the  help  of  the  Quebec, 
and  with  her  boat  rescued  seventeen  people — of  whom  two  were 
Midshipmen,  and  one  the  Master's  Mate. 


1 
Tons.            Guns.      [  Broadside. 

Men. 

KUled. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Rambler  .      .139 
Expedition    . 

10' 
12 

Lbs.       j 

?             50 
68              ? 

0 
3 

2 
14 

22 

17 

1  Navy  List  glve.^  her  eight  guns. 

2  Several  slightly  wounded  Cthese  as  usual  not  being  includei  in  the  return  or  estimate). 

A  brilhant  episode  of  the  autumn  of   1779  was  the  captm'e  of 

Omoa  and  two  Spanish  treasure  ships  by  Captain  the  Hon.  John 

Luttrell,  with  a  small  squadron,  and  a  few  armed  "  Baymen  "  from 

British   Honduras.^      The   squadron   consisted  of   the   Charon,  44, 

Captain  Luttrell,   Lowestoft,   32,   Captain  Christopher  Parker  (2), 

Pomona,   28,    Captain    Charles    Edmund    Nugent,    Porcupine,    20, 

Commander  John  Pakenham,  Bacehorse,  schooner,  and  some  other 

schooners  and  smaller  craft.     These  arrived  on  the  Honduras  coast 

on    September    15th.      After   some    skirmishing   in    the   Gulfs   of 

'  Log  of  Rambler. 

'  BeatsoD,  iv.  475 ;    Cf.  also   C.  M.,  53  ;    Court  of  inquiry  on  conduct  of  Capt. 
Luttrell. 


1779.]  CAPTURE    OF   OMOA.  45 

Honduras  and  Dolce,  and  after  an  attempt  to  capture  the  town  of 
Omoa  by  a  purely  naval  attack  from  the  sea  had  failed  through  the 
remissness  of  the  pilots,  a  landing  was  effected  at  Puerto  Caballo, 
and  a  force  composed  of  seamen,  250  Baymen,  a  number  of 
Mosquito  Indians,  and  detachments  of  the  Royal  Irish  Eegiment 
and  Marines,  began  the  march  on  Omoa,  nine  miles  distant,  on  the 
night  of  October  16th.  It  was  hoped  to  sui-prisc  the  fort,  but  the 
allowance  of  time  was  not  sufficient  and  the  difficulties  of  the  march 
were  enormous.  The  landing  force  had  to  make  its  way  through 
mangrove  swamps  and  across  mountains,  and,  when  day  dawned,  it 
was  in  gi-eat  disorder  and  still  six  miles  off  the  town.  After  some 
hours'  halt  the  march  was  resumed. 

When  the  force  was  near  Omoa  it  met  ■with  a  party  of  50  or  60 
Spaniards,  who  fired  upon  it,  inflicting  trivial  loss,  and  then  fled. 
The  British  sailors  carried  and  fired  the  town  ;  but  the  fort  they  could 
not  take,  as  the  Ba}'meu,  who  were  carrying  the  scahng  ladders, 
had  dropped  them  in  their  eagerness  to  fight.  Meantime  the  British 
ships  had  stood  in  to  the  support  of  the  assaulting  party.  The 
Lowestoft  and  Charon  opened  fire,  but  at  somewhat  long  range. 
The  Lowestoft  then  tried  to  run  in  closer,  and  grounded,  but  luckily 
got  off  again,  though  not  without  considerable  damage.  On  the 
18th  the  sailors  landed  some  of  the  Pomona's  guns  and  opened  with 
them  on  the  fort ;  but  this  was  rather  to  hide  the  real  plan  of  attack 
than  to  breach  the  walls. 

It  was  decided  to  assault  the  fort  on  the  night  of  the  19th-20th, 
while  the  ships  covered  and  aided  the  storming  party.  Accordingly, 
on  the  night  of  the  19th,  the  squadron  attacked  the  fort,  ^\^len 
the  garrison  was  busy,  four  storming  parties  of  seamen.  Marines,  and 
Eoyal  Irish  dashed  forward  and  were  in  the  fort  before  the  Spaniards 
were  aware  of  their  presence,  with  a  loss  of  only  six  killed  and 
woimded.  The  treasm-e  taken  in  the  galleons  and  the  fort  was 
estimated  at  3,000,000  dollars.  The  fort  was  garrisoned  by  British 
troops  till  November  28th,  when  it  was  abandoned  on  a  Spanish 
force  threatening  it.  In  the  assault  only  two  Spaniards  were 
womided  by  the  British  seamen.  A  story  is  told  of  a  sailor  who, 
with  a  cutlass  in  each  hand,  met  an  unarmed  Spaniard,  presented 
him  with  one  of  his  cutlasses,  and  challenged  him  with  these  words, 
"  I  scorn  to  take  any  advantage  :  you  are  now  upon  a  footing  with 
me." 

On  November  11th,  the  Spanish  28-gun  frigate  Santa  Margarita 


46 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792. 


[1779. 


was  sighted  in  the  afternoon  bj^  Commodore  George  Johnstone  off 
Finisterre.'  The  Tartar,  28,  •  Captain  Alexander  Grseme,  was 
ordered  to  give  chase,  and  came  up  with  her  at  four  o'clock,  when, 
after  a  broadside  or  two,  seeing  that  escape  was  hopeless  in  the 
face  of  the  British  squadron,  she  struck  with  four  killed  or  wounded. 
The  Tartar  did  not  lose  a  man;  but  she  suffered  some  damage, 
as,  during  the  action,  the  Spaniard  fell  on  board  her,  carrying 
away  her  mizen  topsail  yard.  The  Santa  Margarita  canied 
twenty-six  1'2-prs.  and  two  6-prs.,  with  two  hundred  and  seventy 
men.  She  was  purchased  into  the  British  service  under  the  same 
name." 

On  November  19th,  the  Hussar,  28,  Captain  Elliot  Salter,  in 
company  with  the  Chatham,  50,  and  convoying  the  trade  home  from 
Lisbon,  saw  a  two-decked  ship  standing  out  of  the  convoy,  and  at 
once  gave  chase.  She  came  up  with  the  ship  next  day  and,  on  the 
Spanish  flag  being  hoisted,  attacked,  when,  after  a  short  engagement, 
the  Spaniard  struck.  She  was  the  Nuestra  Senora  del  Buen  Confeso, 
armed  en  flute,  and  mounting  only  twenty-six  12-prs.,  though  pierced 
for  sixty-four  guns.  She  carried  a  valuable  cargo.  The  force  of  the 
two  was : — 


Tons. 

Guns. 

BroadsUe. 

Men. 

Killed. 

^\'ouuded. 

Total. 

Hussar     .... 

Nuestra   Senora  del  \ 
Buen  Confeso  . 

580 

28 
28 

Lbs. 
lU 

168 

198  n. 
120 

i 
27 

10 

8 

li 
35 

Time,  45  miuutes. 


On  November  27th,  the  cutter  Jackal,  14,  whilst  lying  in  the 
Downs,  was  seized  by  seventeen  of  her  crew  and  carried  off  to 
a  French  port.  Her  officers  were  mostly  ashore ;  several  of  the 
mutineers  were  smugglers  impressed  on  the  Irish  coast. ^  Some  of 
them  were  afterwards  taken  and  executed  for  this  act  of  mutiny. 
The  ships  lying  near  the  Jackal  had  no  idea  of  the  intentions  of  her 
crew,  or  they  could  easily  have  brought  her  to.     The  Jackal  was 

•  Beatson,  iv.  561 ;  Tartar's  Log ;  Johnstone's  squadron  included  one  50,  tliree 
frigates  and  two  sloops ;  Schomberg,  iv.  359. 

^  Often  spelt  at  that  time  Sta.  Mnrgaretta.    She  was  rated  as  a  36. 

^  Beatson,  iv.  505 ;  C.  M.,  53,  61 ;  Captains'  Letters,  1781,  1782,  Napier.  She  was 
renamed  the  Bouloijne,  and  was  re-captured  by  the  I'rudente  in  1781,  with  many  of 
lier  original  crew. 


1779.]      CAPTURE    OF   THE  BLANCHE,    FORTUNEE   AND   ELISE.     47 

sold  at  Calais,  and  turned  into  a  privateer ;  and  she  proceeded  to 
plunder  and  harass  British  trade  off  the  coast  of  Scotland. 

On  December  21st,  the  French  frigates  Fortunie  and  Blanche, 
32's,'  and  Elise,  28,  were  off  Guadeloupe,  when  they  fell  in  with  foiu- 
large  vessels  flying  the  French  flag.  These  were  the  British  ships 
Mafinijiccnt,  74,  Suffolk,  74,  Vengeance,  74,  and  Sfirling  Castle,  ()4, 
under  Eear-Admiral  Joshiia  Eowley.  The  French  ships  were  in  bad 
order  ;  their  crews  were  excessively  weak ;  and  thus  they  could  not 
escape  the  vastly  superior  British  force.  The  Blanche  was  overtaken 
and  captured  on  the  evening  of  the  21st ;  the  Fortiinee,  by  throwing 
her  quarter-deck  guns  overboard,  kept  away  a  little  longer,  but  was 
captm-ed  at  last  in  the  early  morning  of  December  22nd,  an  hour 
before  the  Elise. 

In  the  course  of  the  j^ear  the  French  made  themselves  masters 
of  the  West  Indian  islands  of  St.  Bartholomew,  St.  Vincent,  and 
Cariacou. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  year  ^  1779  a  British  squadron  ^  under 
Captain  Charles  Feilding  (1)  came  up  with  a  large  Diitch  convoy  in 
charge  of  the  Dutch  Rear-Admiral  van  Bylandt,  who  had  with  him 
two  sail  of  the  line  and  two  frigates.  It  was  notorious  that  the 
Dutch  ships  were  laden  with  naval  stores  and  other  contraband  of 
war  for  the  French.  Captain  Feilding  requested  permission  to 
search  these  ships,  but  it  was  refused  him  ;  and  van  Bylandt  declared 
that  he  would  fire  if  any  such  search  were  attempted.  Next  day, 
however  (January  1st),  boats  were  sent  from  the  British  shipS;  on 
which  the  Dutch  fired,  and  the  British  warships  replied  by  opening 
on  the  Dutch.  His  honour  being  now  satisfied,  van  Bylandt 
struck,  though  no  blood  had  been  shed  in  the  interchange  of  com- 
phments.  Captain  Feilding  refused  to  accept  the  surrender,  and 
retm-ned  to  port  with  nine  prizes,  which  were  all  condemned  in 
due  course. 

On  December  26th,  1779,  as  soon  as  the  departure  of  d'Estaing's 
French  fleet  from  the  coast  of  North  America  had  been  ascertained, 
Vice-Admiral  Marriot  Ai-buthnot  *  left  New  York  with  a  squadron  of 

'  Bcatson,  iv.  -173  ;  Qazctle,  80,  Feb.  29th  ;  English  accounts  give  the  F.,  42  guns, 
and  the  B.,  36. 

'  Beatson,  iv.  573.  Some  allusion  to  the  legal  aspects  of  this  afifair  will  be  found 
in  vol.  iii.  351. 

'  Namtir,  90  ;  Centaur,  Courageux,  Thunderer,  Valiant,  74's ;  Buffalo,  CO ;  Port- 
land, 50 ;  Emerald,  32  ;  Seaford,  Camel,  20 ;  Hawk,  12  ;   Wolf,  8. 

*  See  vol.  iii.  472. 


48 


MINOR    OPEBATIONS,    1763-17U2. 


[1780. 


warships  and  transports — in  which  were  embarked  7550  troops  under 
General  Sir  H.  Chnton— for  Charleston.'  The  following  were  the 
warships  : — 


Ships. 


Guns. 


Russell       .  \ 
Robust       . ) 

Europe.      .  j 

Defiance     .  l 

Raisonnahle] 

Renovm 

Roebuck 

Romulus 


Captaius. 


:} 


64 

50 

44 


/F.  S.  Drake,  Commod. 
tPhillips  Cosby. 
/M.  Aibuthnot,  V.-Ad. 
\Wra.  Swiney  (1). 

{Max.  Jacobs. 
T.  Fitzherbert. 
Geo.  Dawson. 
rSirAnd.S.Haniond(l). 
\Geo.  Gay  ton. 


Ships. 


Captaius, 


Richmond 
Blonde. 
Raleif/h 
Virginia^ 

Perseus 
Camilla 


32 

28 
20 


!Chas.  Hudson. 
And.  Barkley. 
Ja.  Gambler  (2). 
Jno.  Orde  (1). 
Hon.  G.  K.  Elphin- 

stone. 
Jno.  Collins. 


Armed  ships,  Sandwich  and  Oermaine. 


'  r.eaclicil  Cbark'ston  after  the  rest  of  the  fleet. 


Putting  into  Savannah  in  January,  and  capturing  Port  Eoyal, 
the  armament  proceeded  to  North  Edisto  Inlet,  near  Charleston, 
on  February  10th,  and  the  troops  quickly  made  themselves  masters 
of  James  Island,  which  shuts  in  Charleston  Harbour  to  the  south 
and  south-west.  Four  hundred  and  fifty  Marines  and  seamen,  with 
guns  from  the  ships,  were  landed  under  Captain  the  Hon.  Geo. 
Keith  Elphinstone,  and  on  March  29th  the  siege  was  duly  formed. 
Meantime,  the  smaller  ships  were  lightened  and  carried  over  the  bar 
on  March  20th ;  the  74's  and  G4's  were  sent  back  to  New  York ;  and 
Arbuthnot's  flag  was  hoisted  in  the  Boebuck. 

A  44-gun  ship,  severi  frigates  and  sloops,  and  a  French  frigate 
and  polacca — of  which,  however,  there  is  no  mention  in  French 
authorities — had  been  moored  by  the  Americans  in  the  mouth  of 
the  harbour  off  Fort  Moultrie.  This  work  protected  the  entrance  ; 
it  mounted  about  forty  guns ;  and  its  fire  had  some  years  before 
repulsed  Sir  Peter  Parker's  attack.  When  Arbuthnot  crossed  the 
bar  the  American  flotilla  was  retired  and  sunk  in  the  channel 
between  Charleston  and  the  island  of  Shute's  Folly  .^  On  April  9th, 
Arbuthnot  led  his  fleet,  consisting  of  the  Roebuck,  Bomulus,  Blonde, 
Virginia,  Balclgh,  Sandwich,  and  Benoiun,  through  the  entrance, 
past  Fort  Moultrie.  The  ships  gave  and  received  a  heavy  fire, 
the  loss  to  the  British  being  twenty-seven  killed  or  wounded,  and 

'  Beatson,  v.  16;  Colomb,  'Naval  Warfare,'  417;  Scbomberg,  ii.  16,  iv.  359;  'Ann. 
Register,'  1780,  [218 ;  Log  of  Roebuck  ;  Admirals'  Dispatches,  North  American  Station, 
vol.  vii. ;  Allardyce,  '  Lord  Keith.' 

*  On  the  capture  of  Charleston  the  American  frigate  Boston,  whicli  was  one  of  tlie 
vessels  sunk,  was  raised,  and,  under  the  name  Charleston  (spelt  Charles-Town  by 
Steel),  added  to  the  Navy. 


1780.]  CAPTURE   OF   CHARLESTON.  49 

a  good  deal  of  damage  to  masts  and  rigging.  The  fleet  anchored  off 
James  Island,  out  of  range,  it  was  hoped,  of  the  American  batteries 
at  Charleston.  These  presently  opened  fire  on  the  Roebuck  at  the 
head  of  the  British  line.  Every  shot  went  through  her,  but,  with 
admirable  judgment,  she  made  no  reply  ;  and  the  Americans,  in  con- 
sequence, jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  their  shots  were  falling  short 
and  ceased  their  cannonade,  when  they  might  have  destroyed  her. 
The  coolness  of  the  Boebuck's  captain,  Sir  Andrew  Snape  Hamond, 
deserves  a  word  of  praise.  The  boats  of  the  fleet  endeavoured, 
unsuccessfully,  to  force  their  way  up  Cooper  River ;  but  landing- 
parties  of  Marines  and  seamen  stormed  a  work  at  ilount  Pleasant, 
and  compelled  the  surrender  of  Fort  Moultrie  on  May  7th.  This 
fort  fell,  as  did  the  works  at  Mobile  in  1864,  when  isolated  by 
Farragut's  fleet.  On  May  11th,  Charleston  capitulated.  The  loss 
to  the  Navy  in  these  operations  was  twenty-three  killed  or  wounded. 

In  January,  1780,  a  small  expedition  of  five  hundred  men  was 
sent  against  the  Spanish  forts  on  the  river  San  Juan,  controlling 
the  appi-oach  to  Lake  Nicaragua  in  Central  America.^  Captain 
Horatio  Nelson,  in  the  Hinchinbroke,  28,  convoyed  the  transports  to 
Greytown,  where  the  troops  landed.  Nelson  himself  took  part 
in  the  expedition,  which  succeeded  in  capturing  Castillo  Viejo  on 
April  '29th,  though  only  after  he  had  left,  invalided.  The  climate 
was  so  unhealthy  that  the  men  died  like  flies  ;  the  transports  at 
Greytown  were  left  without  a  man  in  charge ;  and  very  few  of  the 
troops  returned,  though  large  reinforcements  had  been  sent  in  the 
meanwhile.  The  survivors  were  withdrawn,  defeated  by  the 
climate.  The  expedition  was  grievously  mismanaged,  and  moreover 
it  was  sent  at  the  wrong  time  of  the  year. 

A  French  convoy  of  two  storeships  and  thirteen  other  vessels, 
bound  for  Mam-itius  under  the  care  of  the  64's  Protee  and  Ajax, 
the  frigate  Charmante,  and  the  corvette  Argus,  was  imlucky  enough 
to  be  sighted  to  the  south  of  Madeira  on  February  23rd  by  a 
British  squadron  under  Rear-Admiral  the  Hon  Robert  Digby.^  The 
French  at  once  scattered,  and,  darkness  coming  on,  altered  com-se, 
with  the  exception  of  the  ProUe,  Charmante,  and  two  of  the  smallest 
ships.  At  one  in  the  morning  of  February  24th,  some  hours  after 
this  change  had  been  made,  the  Protee's  captain  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  safety  of  his  consorts  was  assured,  and  decided  to  look 

'  Nicolas,  'Nelson,'  i.  9  ;  Collingwood's  Correspondence  (1  vol.),  7  ;  Beatson,  v.  96. 
'  Beatson  v.  130;  Troiule,  ii.  66;  Gazette  de  France,  125. 
VOL.   IV.  E 


50  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792.  [1780. 

to  that  of  his  owu  ship.  Hitherto  he  had  been  sailing  large  ;  now 
it  was  necessary  to  sail  nearer  the  wind.  In  altering  course,  how- 
ever, his  main  topgallant  mast  came  down,  injm-ing  the  sails  of  the 
foremast,  and  hindering  the  working  of  the  ship.  In  consequence, 
the  ProfSc  was  quickly  overtaken.  At  about  two,  the  Resolution,  74, 
Captain  Lord  Kobert  Manners,  opened  upon  her.  A  little  later 
the  Bedford  and  Marlborough,  both  7-1's,  joined  in  the  cannonade. 
Eesistance  was  perfectly  hopeless  from  the  first,  but  Captain  Vicomte 
Du  Chilleau  did  not  strike  till  his  wheel  had  been  shattered,  his 
sails  riddled,  and  his  ship  rendered  incapable  of  movement.  He 
surrendered  at  3.15  a.m.,  having  lost  thirty-two  killed  and  a  great 
number  of  wounded.  The  Resolution  had  not  lost  a  man.  On 
board  the  Protee  was  a  large  sum  of  money.  Of  the  rest  of  the 
convoy,  three  sail  only  were  taken.  The  Charmante  was  hotly 
pursued,  but  she  got  away. 

In  April  a  serious  mutiny  occurred  on  board  the  Invincible,  74, 
Captain  Charles  Saxton,  at  Portsmouth.'  She  had  been  ordered  to 
the  West  Indies,  but  as  the  seamen  had  six  months'  wages  due, 
reckoning  by  Imiar  months,  they  refused  to  weigh  anchor  till  they 
were  paid.  It  had  frequently  happened  before  that  crews  refused 
to  proceed  to  sea  without  receiving  their  arrears  of  wages  ;  ^  and  the 
men  could  point  to  an  Act  of  Parliament  enjoining  prompt  payment 
of  all  wages,  leaving  always,  however,  six  months'  wages  due.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Articles  of  War  decreed  death  to  those  who 
delayed  the  service  and  demanded  arrears  of  wages.  The  mutineers 
were  well  behaved  and  obedient,  but  no  threats  or  promises  would 
induce  them  to  go  to  sea.  The  Alexander,  74,  was  wai-ped  along- 
side the  Invincible,  and  ostentatious  preparations  were  made  for 
battle,  but  the  mutineers  did  not  tm-n  a  hair.  They  effected  their 
purpose,  as  they  were  not  sent  to  the  West  Indies  till  November, 
and  the  only  punishment  dealt  out  to  them  was  the  trial  of  four 
men  by  com-t-martial,  and  the  infliction  upon  two  of  those  fom-  of 

'  Jliiiutes  uf  C.  M.  wanting  ;  Beatson,  v.  5. 

'  In  C.  M.,  52  (MSS.  Record  Ofiice),  will  be  found  a  similar  instance.  Seven 
seamen  of  the  Eymont,  on  Sept.  29th,  1779,  demanded  their  pay.  They  were  severely 
pimished.  Three  were  condemned  to  death  and  petitioned  for  mercy  in  moving  words. 
"  We,  the  unhappy  condemned  objects  never  willing  to  offend,  now  posterate  ourselves 
imploring  mercy,  strangers  to  mutiny,  or  dissatisfaction,  always  ready  to  obey,  but 
now  led  away  through  error,  misguided  by  insinuating  men,  fall  a  victim  to  the 
martial  law.  Pity  our  misconduct  and  be  merciful  to  us.  Take  not  away  our  lives 
but  spare  us  from  the  approaching  and  gloomy  day,  being  youiig  in  the  service,  that 
we  may  live  to  be  an  honour  to  our  Sovereign  and  help  to  our  country." 


1780.]  ACTION  OFF  FLAMBOROUOn  BEAD.  51 

five  hundred  lashes.  It  was  not  till  the  mutiny  of  1797  that  the 
Act  for  the  better  payment  of  the  Navy  reformed  one  of  the  worst 
abuses  in  the  service.  Till  that  Act  it  was  extraordinarily  difficult 
for  the  seaman  to  get  his  pay. 

On  April  26th,  the  British  sloop  Fortune,  18,  Commander  Lewis 
Eobertson,  was  captvu-ed  by  the  French  frigates  Iphighiie  and 
Gentille  in  the  West  Indies.' 

At  about  that  time,  within  ten  days,  the  Iris  and  Galatea, 
cruising  on  the  American  coast,  took  nine  privateers,  manned  by 
eight  hundred  men. 

On  the  30th  of  the  same  month,  a  small  British  squadron,  com- 
posed of  the  Ariadne,  20,  Captain  Matthew  Squire,  the  Fury,  16, 
Commander  Alexander  Agnew,  and  the  armed  ships,  each  of  20  guns, 
Queen  and  Loudoun,  Commanders  Eichard  Trotten  and  Stephen 
Eains  (1),  was  cruising  off  Flamborough  Head,  when  three  French 
privateers  of  from  20  to  24  guns  each  were  sighted.^  These  were 
chased  and  attacked  by  the  Ariadne  and  Queen,  whilst  the  Fury  and 
Loudoun  held  aloof  and  gave  no  assistance.  The  Queen  suffered 
considerably.  Seven  men  were- wounded  in  her  and  every  running 
rope  cut  away.  After  a  sharp  action,  the  privateers  got  away  by 
using  sweeps.  The  conduct  of  two  of  the  British  Commanders  was  so 
unsatisfactory  that  Agnew  and  Eains  were  cashiered  by  court-martial. 
Commander  Eains  was  a  very  old  and  infirm  officer,  which,  perhaps, 
explains  his  indifferent  behaviom-.  Captain  Squire,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  honourably  acquitted. 

On  May  1st  the  cartel  ship  Sartine,  John  Dallis,  master,  with 
the  French  officers  and  soldiers  who  had  surrendered  at  Pondicheny, 
after  a  ten  months'  voyage  arrived  oft'  Cape  St.  Vincent,  where  she 
was  sighted  and  fired  upon  by  the  Bomney,  50.  Captain  Eoddam 
Home.  She  carried  a  French  flag  and  a  cartel  flag.  At  once  she 
lowered  her  French  flag,  but  she  was  again  fired  upon,  with  the 
result  that  Dallis  and  two  French  soldiers  were  killed  and  twelve 
wounded.  Strong  complaint  was  made  by  the  French  of  the 
Bomney's  conduct,  but  as  it  appeared  at  the  court  of  inquiry  that  the 
Sartine  had  hoisted  a  broad  pennant,  contrary  to  the  custom  of  cartels, 
and  failed  to  lower  it.  Captain  Home  was  acquitted  of  all  blame.^ 

'  Troude,  ii.  78.  The  Iphigenie  carried  twenty-six  12-prs.  and  eight  6-prs. ;  tlie 
Geiitilh,  thirty-four  12-prs.  and  six  6  prs.,  according  to  evidence  to  be  found  in 
C.  M.,  56. 

=  Beatson,  v.  1-17  ;  C.  M.,  57. 

'  Chevalier,  105  ;  C.  M.,  55,  July  17th. 

E   2 


52 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792. 


[1780. 


On  June  6th,  in  West  Indian  waters,  the  Iris,  32,  Captain 
James  Hawker,  engaged  for  eighty  minutes  the  French  32  of  equal 
force,  Hermione,^  Captain  de  La  Touche.  Each  side  accuses  the 
other  of  breaking  off  the  engagement,  but  as  the  Hermione  was 
coppered,  and  therefore  presumably  the  fastest  sailer,  it  is  probable 
that  she,  rather  than  the  Iris,  retired.  The  British  loss  was  seven 
killed  and  nine  wounded  ;  the  French  lost  ten  killed  and  thirty- 
seven  wounded ;  which  bears  out  the  account  of  the  Iris's  log,  and 
leads  us  to  think  that  the  Hermione  had  all  the  worst  of  it. 

On  June  15th,  the  British  32-gun  frigate  Apollo,  Captain 
Philemon  Povraall,  chased,  and  fought  an  indecisive  action  with, 
the  French  privateer  Stanislas,  26,  in  the  Channel.  The  Apollo 
lost  her  Captain  and  five  other  men  killed,  and  twenty  w^ounded. 
The  Stanislas  ran  agi'Oimd  off  Ostend  in  neutral  waters,  but  soon 
got  off,  was  taken  into  port,  and  was  there  eventually  sold  to  the 
British  Government." 

On  Jime  26th,  in  the  West  Indies,  the  French  cutter  Sans 
Pareil  was  captured  by  the  British  44-gun  Phoenix  and  two  other 
frigates.  On  July  1st,  the  Bomney,  50,  cruising  off  Finisterre 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Eoddam  Home,  fell  in  with  and 
captm-ed  the  French  "  frigate"  Artois  of  40  guns  and  four  hundred 
and  sixty  men.^  The  Artois' s  battery  is  stated  to  have  been  com- 
posed of  24-,  18-,  and  9-prs.  She  was  a  new  ship  and  much  was 
expected  from  her.  In  spite  of  this  she  struck  after  a  short  action, 
having  lost  very  heavily. 


— 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Mtu. 

Killed, 

Wotmdeil. 

Total. 

Bomney  . 
Artnis 

50 

40 

Lbs. 

416 
•> 

365 

4  CO 

0 
20 

2 

40 

2 
60 

Time, 

45  mill 

ute 

5. 

A  few  days  later,  on  July  5th,  the  Bomney  made  another  prize ; 
this  time  the  Perle,  of  18  guns  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
men,  commanded  by  the  Chevaher  de  Breignon.  The  Perle  merely 
fired   a  broadside,   and   then   struck.      On   July   5th,   the  British 

'  Troude,  ii.  78-i) ;  Beatson,  v.  4G-7  ;  Log  of  Iris. 
'  Lond.  Gazette,  Aug.  8tb. 

'  Not  in  Troude.     The  Artois  was  possibly  a  privateer  or  a  ship  hired  from  the 
French  king. 


1780.] 


DESTRUCTION   OF   THE   CAPRICIEUSE. 


53 


frigates  Priidente,  36/  Captain  the  Hon.  William  Waldegrave,  and 
Licorne,  32,  Captain  the  Hon.  Thomas  Cadogan,  captured  ofif  Cape 
Ortegal  the  Capricieuse,  32,  a  French  frigate  commanded  by  Captain 
Le  Breton  de  Eanzanne.  The  Prudente  saw  and  gave  chase  to  the 
Frenchman  at  10  a.m.  of  the  4th;  at  midnight  she  was  able  to  bring 
her  enemy  to  close  action,  and  attacked  the  Capricieuse  yardarm  to 
yardann,  inflicting  heavy  loss  upon  her.  The  action  had  lasted 
an  horn*  before  the  Licorne  could  come  up.  She  then  stood  across 
the  Capricieuse' s  quarter.  The  French  ship,  nevertheless,  prolonged 
her  determined  resistance  to  ovei-powering  odds  till  4.30  A.M.,  when 
she  struck,  with  five  feet  of  water  in  her  hold.  The  Capricieuse 
was  a  new  frigate  of  1100  tons,  pierced  for  forty-four  guns  and 
mounting  thirty-two,  and  was  reduced  to  such  a  terrible  condition 
by  the  British  fire  that  no  attempt  was  made  to  bring  her  into 
port.  She  was  destroyed  and  her  crew  transferred  to  the  British 
vessels.  The  loss  of  life  on  board  her  dm-ing  the  action  was  very 
heavy.  Her  captain  and  first  lieutenant  were  killed,  and  all  but 
two  of  the  ofiicers  were  wounded.  Her  crew  displayed  the  greatest 
intrepidity  in  offering  so  stubborn  a  resistance  to  so  superior  a 
force. 


Prudeitff . 
Licorne  . 
Capricieuse 


Tous. 

Gnus. 

Broadside. 

897 

40? 

Lbs. 
228? 

679 

32 

174  n. 

1,100 

32  > 

174? 

Men.  Killed.        Wonnded. 


24711. 
220  n. 
308 


31 


48 

13 

"  at  least 

100" 


Time,  4i-5i  hours. 
I  So  Tronde,  thongh  British  authorities  say  forty.    I  have  reckoned  her  as  an  ordinary  French  32  (12-pr.). 

A  third  French  ship  fell  a  victim  to  the  Enghsh  on  this  day. 
This  was  the  Hussard,  18,  which  struck  to  the  Nomuch,  64, 
Captain  Sir  James  Wallace,  off  Ushant. 

On  the  night  of  July  11th,  the  Nonsuch,  Captain  Sir  James 
Wallace,  cruising  off  Croisic,  came  up  with  the  French  frigate 
Belle  Poule,  32,  commanded  by  the  Chevalier  de  Kergariou-Coatles.* 
Against  a  Hne-of-battle  ship,  such  as  the  Nonsuch,  a  frigate  could 

'  Of  44  <:uns  according  to  Troude  ;  Gazette  de  France,  297,  gives  her  twenty-eight 
12'8,  eight  6's,  and  four  18's  =  "  obusiers."  Lond.  Gazette,  July  18th  ;  Troude,  ii.  81. 
She  was  officially  rated  a  32. 

»  Gazette  de  France,  303  ;  Beataon,  v.  137  ;  Troude,  ii.  81 ;  Log  of  Nonsuch. 


54 


JJINOB    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792. 


[1780. 


hope  to  effect  little ;  but,  notwithstanding  the  great  disparity  of 
force,  the  Frenchman  offered  a  brave  resistance.  For  about  twenty 
minutes  a  running  fight  was  maintained,  in  which  Captain  de 
Kergariou  in  vain  endeavoured  to  dismast  or  cripple  the  rigging 
of  his  opponent.  Just  after  midnight  he  yawed  three  times,  and 
fired  as  many  broadsides  at  the  Nonsuch's  masts,  but  without 
success.  The  Nonsitch  closed  him  fast ;  her  musketry  fire  cut 
down  the  men  exposed  on  the  poop  and  forecastle,  which  were 
not  barricaded,  or  the  barricades  of  which  had  been  throw^l  over- 
board ;  and  her  heavy  guns  quickly  deprived  the  Belle  Poide  of  all 
manoeuvring  power.  Then  the  line-of-battle  ship  placed  herself 
on  the  frigate's  port  bow,  and  held  this  advantageous  position  for 
a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Soon  after  two  the  French  captain  was 
mortally  wounded ;  but  the  French  did  not  strike  till  three.  Half 
their  guns  were  dismounted  ;  the  masts  and  rigging  were  much 
cut  up  ;  the  sea  was  pouring  in  through  the  shot-holes  on  the 
water  line;  and  from  below  the  cry  w'as  coming  up,  "We  are 
sinking."  The  British  took  possession  about  four  o'clock.  They 
had  suffered  very  shght  loss,  probablj'  owing  to  the  greater  strength 
of  the  hne-of-battle  ship's  sides. 


— 

Tous. 

Guus.      1  Broadside. 

lieu. 

Killed. 

WulmJeJ.         Tutal. 

Nonsuch  . 
Belle  Pouk    . 

1,372 
902 

72" 
32 

Lbs. 
648 

192 

491  n. 
275 

3 
21 

10 

47 

13 

r,rt 

*  Eight  12-pr.  can-ouailes,  [of.  Gazette  de  France^  301]  iucludeil. 

The  Belle  Poule  was  bought  into  the  British  Navy  and  rated 
as  a  36. 

An  action,  which  is  interesting  as  showing  the  British  respect 
for  a  strong  neutral,  is  that  between  the  Porcupine,  24,  Captain 
Sir  Charles  Henry  Knowles,  and  Minorca,  18,  xebec.  Lieutenant 
Hugh  Lawson,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  French  Montreal,  32,  on 
the  othcr.^  The  Montreal  had  under  her  charge  a  convoy  of  six 
ships.  On  July  30th,  she  was  attacked  by  the  two  British  ships  on 
the  Algerian  coast ;  but  these  did  not  venture  inshore  to  rake  her 
owing  to  the  risk  of  running  aground.  The  three  ships  fought  at 
long  range  for  an  hour-  and  forty  minutes,  when  the  Porcupine  and 
Minorca  hauled  off.  The  French  lost  four  killed,  including  their 
'  Qazttte  de  France,  320;  Troude,  ii.  82;  Beatsou,  v.  116. 


1780.]  MOVTRAY'S    CONVOY.  55 

captain ;  the  English  had  five  killed  and  two  wounded.  They  retired 
because,  had  the  MontrSal  struck,  they  could  not  have  carried  her  off 
from  Algerian  waters,  and  because  three  other  ships  had  appeared 
above  the  horizon.  The  French  version  represents  the  British  as 
employing  three  frigates,  three  "  corsaires,'  a  "  senau  "  (snow),  and 
a  schooner.  There  is  no  mention  of  these  craft  in  the  British 
reports  ;  the  names  of  their  captains,  as  given  by  the  French,  are 
suspiciously  un-English,  and  their  existence  seems  to  have  been  due 
to  a  vivid  imagination.  Some  days  before  this  action  the  Porcupine 
had  fought  an  indecisive  action  with  two  Spanish  polaccas. 

On  July  29th,  a  convoy  of  sixty-three  valuable  ships,  bound  for  the 
East  and  West  Indies,  left  Great  Britain  under  the  care  of  Captain 
John  Moutray  in  the  BamiUies,  74,  with  the  frigates  Thetis  and 
Southampton,  both  of  36  guns.'  On  August  8th,  in  lat.  36^  40'  N., 
long.  15'  W.,  strange  sails  were  seen,  and  Captain  Moutray  signalled 
his  ships  to  alter  course  and  follow  him  close  to  the  wind.  They 
paid  no  attention  to  his  orders,  and  by  daylight  of  the  9th  the  bulk 
of  the  convoy  found  themselves  close  to  the  enormous  combined 
Franco-Spanish  fleet.  The  warships,  wath  eight  of  the  convoy,  alone 
escaped ;  the  other  fifty-five  merchantmen,  with  2805  prisoners,  and 
cargo  worth  a  miUion  and  a  half,  were  captured.  It  was  a  ten-ible 
blow  to  British  commerce,  and  especially  to  the  forces  in  the  West 
Indies,  which  lost  a  vast  quantity  of  military  stores.  The  merchants 
at  home  were  so  enraged  that  Captain  Moutray  had  to  be  made  a 
scapegoat.  He  was  tried  by  court-martial  and  dismissed  his  ship, 
but  w'as  again  employed  before  long.  Early  in  July,  the  outwai'd- 
bound  Quebec  fleet  was  attacked  on  the  Newfoundland  Banks  by 
privateers,  and  about  fourteen  of  its  richest  ships  were  carried  off.^ 

On  August  10th  was  fought  the  famous  action  between  the  Flora 
and  Nymphe,  which  demonstrated  the  value  of  the  carronade,  then 
newly  introduced  into  the  British  Navy.-'  The  Flora,  36,  Captain 
William  Peere  Williams,  was  off  Ushant,  when,  in  the  afternoon, 
she  sighted  and  chased  a  cutter  and  a  frigate.  The  fonner  got 
away ;  the  latter  was  overhauled  and  brought  to  action  soon  after 

'  Qazdte  de  France,  334,  347  ;  Beatson,  v.  U'J  ff. ;  C.  M.,  56,  Feb.  ISih.  During 
the  earlier  [lart  of  this  wav  tlie  French  were  exceedingly  well  informed  of  British 
proceeding i.  Cf.  'Annual  Begister,'  1781,  [230,  for  the  trial  of  a  French  sjiy  named 
Lamotte,  who  appears  to  liave  sent  them  intelligence. 

»  '  Ann.  Register,'  1781,3. 

'  GazHle  de  France,  323-4  ;  Troude,  ii.  82  ;  James,  i.  39  ;  Log  of  Flora  ;  Beatson, 
V.  138.     For  an  account  of  the  introduction  of  the  carronade,  see  vol.  iii.,  330-333. 


66 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792. 


[1780. 


five,  when  she  proved  to  be  the  French  32-gun  Nymphe,  Captain 
Du  Eiuuain.  The  two  fought  yardarm  to  j^ardarm  from  5.4-5 
to  6.15  I'.M.,  during  which  time  the  Flora's  wheel  was  shot  away 
and  her  shrouds  and  rigging  were  greatly  cut  up.  On  the  other  side 
the  French  captain  was  mortally  wounded  Ijy  four  musket-shot, 
a  magazine  of  cartridges  exploded,  the  ship  was  twice  on  fire, 
and  terrible  havoc  was  wrought  on  deck  by  one  of  the  Flora's 
18-pr.  forecastle  carronades,  handled  by  only  the  boatswain  and 
a  boy.  At  6.15  the  ships  fell  on  board  one  another.  The  French 
sounded  "  boarders  away,"  abandoned  their  guns,  and  endeavoured 
to  carry  the  Flora.  The  attempts  of  the  French  to  board  having 
been  easily  repulsed,  it  was  now  the  turn  of  the  British.  They 
dashed  on  to  the  Nymphe's  deck,  which  presented  a  horrible  scene 
of  slaughter,  and  quickly  were  masters  of  the  ship. 


Tous. 

Guus. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Kille:!.     ,  \\'ouuclea. 

\.u\. 

Flora . 
Nymphe  . 

8C8 
037 

42  > 
32 

Lba. 
333 

174 

259 

291 

9 
55 

17 
81 

2G 
1.19 

Time,  about  50  minutes. 

1  III  tlie  toxt  above  I  have  described  the  Kom  by  her  official  rating  as  a  36-guu  sliip.  Bvit  the  official 
rating  is  wiioUy  misleading  as  it  does  not  include  carronades,  nor  does  it  give  any  real  idea  of  tlie  great 
superiority  of  force  ou  tlie  liritlsh  side.  The  French  have  always  coinjilained— and  justly — of  these  iictious. 
According  to  the  account  of  the  (French)  Lieut.  Taillard  in  the  Gatetle  tie  France,  the  Flora  liad  eight  carronades, 
18-prs.    James  ('Naval  History."  i.  39),  whom  I  have  followed,  gives  her  only  sis. 

The  number  of  the  Nymphe's  killed  and  wounded  is  given 
differently  in  all  the  accounts,  but  the  substantial  fact  remains 
that  she  lost  in  less  than  an  hour  from  43  to  45  per  cent,  of  her 
crew,  whilst  inflicting  on  her  enemy  a  loss  of  just  10  per  cent. 
Without  doubt  it  was  the  superior  weight  of  the  Flora's  metal, 
her  18-prs.  against  the  Nymphe's  12-prs.,  her  9-prs.  against  the 
French  6-prs.,  and  her  carronades,  which  gave  her  the  victory. 
The  Nymphe  was  a  larger  ship,  a  longer  ship,  and  a  better  sailer,' 
but  she  had  not  the  battery.  We  cannot  accuse  the  French  of 
either  lack  of  spirit  or  mismanagement. 

On  August  13th,  the  Bienfaisant,  64,  Captain  John  Macbride, 
and  Charon,  44,  in  charge  of  a  convoy  on  the  Irish  coast,  captured 
a  French  privateer  of  unusual  size,  the  Comte  d'Artois,  of  sixty-four 


Touuage. 

868 
937 


Length  of 
gun-deck. 

Beam. 

llepth 

'  Flora     . 
Nymphe 

Ft. 

.     137 
.     14U 

Ft. 
38 
38J 

Ft. 

m 

111 

1780]  CAPTURE   OF  AMERICAN  DISPATCHES.  57 

guns   and    644   men.     The  French  lost  57  killed  or  wounded,  the 
English  ships  26. 

On  September  13th,  the  British  sloop  Rover,  18,  Commander 
Henry  Savage,  was  captured  by  the  French  Junon,  32,  in  the  West 
Indies.'  At  the  second  shot  one  of  the  Rover's  masts  fell.  She  was 
in  a  leaky  condition,  and  had  four  feet  of  water  in  her  hold,  yet  she 
offered  a  good  resistance,  though  she  suffered  no  loss.  On  the  4th,  a 
French  frigate  and  two  ships  of  the  line  captured  the  Unicorn,  20, 
Captain  Thomas  Lenox  Frederick,  off  Tortuga,  after  a  bravely 
fought  action  in  which  she  had  two  guns  and  two  carronades 
dismounted,  and  lost  4  killed  and  13  wounded.^  Later  in  the  same 
month,  oft'  San  Uomingo,  the  British  14-gun  ship  Leveret  is  said  by 
Troude  to  have  been  captured  by  the  French  18-gun  cutter  Serpent.^ 
The  Leveret  must  have  been  a  privateer,  or  an  armed  ship,  since  the 
name  does  not  occur  in  the  Navy  List. 

On  September  10th,  a  capture  of  great  importance  was  made 
by  Captain  George  Keppel  in  the  Vestal,  aided  by  the  Fairy.* 
This  was  the  American  packet  Mercury  from  Philadelphia,  with  the 
American  minister  to  Holland,  and  important  dispatches,  on  board. 
The  dispatches,  as  usual,  were  thrown  into  the  sea  when  capture 
was  inevitable,  but  not  being  weighted  they  did  not  sink ;  and  an 
English  sailor  leapt  overboard  and  picked  them  up.  Amongst  them 
was  a  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  Holland,  which 
betrayed  the  Dutch  intentions  of  war.  It  is  claimed  that  in  October 
the  French  frigates  Aimahle  and  Diligente  captured  three  British 
cutters,  the  Alert,  Tartar,  and  Jersey,  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay.  As 
their  names  do  not  occur  in  the  Navy  Lists  of  1780  these  ships 
may  have  been  privateers. 

Between  the  4th  and  16th  of  October  the  West  Indies  were 
visited  by  an  extraordinary  series  of  violent  hurricanes,  which 
inflicted  on  the  British  Navy  the  severest  losses.  On  October  5th 
Eear-Admiral  Eowley  was  caught  at  sea  to  the  N.E.  of  San 
Domingo  with  the  Grafton,  74,  Thunderer,  74,  Hector,  74, 
Berwick,  Ti,  Ruby,  64,  Trident,  64,  Stirling  Castle,  64,  and 
Bristol,  50.  In  the  afternoon  waterspouts  were  seen.  Towards 
dark  the  wind  rose  steadily,  till  at  midnight  a  fm-ious  hurricane 
blew.  The  TJiunderer  disappeared  and  was  never  seen  again;  the 
Grafton  was   dismasted,  and   the   wreckage,   dashing  against    her 

'  C.  M.,  56,  Jan.  18th.  »  Troude,  ii.  84. 

2  lb.  *  BeatsoD,  v.  52. 


58  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792.  [1780. 

sides,  was  threatening  to  disable  her,  T,hen  twenty-five  of  her  crew 
volunteered  for  the  desperately  dangerous  work  of  cutting  it  away. 
In  this  they  succeeded  without  suffering  hurt  or  loss.  That  night 
the  Stirling  Castle  struck  on  the  San  Domingo  coast  and  quickly 
went  to  pieces,  only  fifty  of  her  crew  being  saved.  The  Berwick 
was  so  much  damaged  that  she  had  to  part  company  and  steer 
for  Great  Britain,  and  the  Trident,  Buby,  Bristol,  and  Hector  were 
all  dismasted.  A  day  earlier  the  Phoenix,  44,  was  vnrecked  on  the 
Cuban  coast;  the  Scarborough,  20,  Barbados,  14,  and  Victor,  10, 
foundered ;  and  the  Ulysses,  44,  and  Pomona,  28,  were  dismasted. 

On  October  10th,  the  Ajax,  Montagu,  Egmont,  Endymion, 
Amazon,  Vengeance,  and  several  smaller  ships  at  St.  Lucia,  were 
driven  from  their  anchorage  and  dismasted.  The  Ajidromeda  and 
Laurel,  both  of  28  guns,  were  swept  ashore  at  Martinique  and  but 
few  of  their  crews  saved  ;  the  Deal  Castle,  24,  was  lost  at  Puerto  Eico ; 
the  Cameleon,  14,  and  Blanche,  32,  foundered  at  sea  with  the  loss 
of  all  hands ;  the  St.  Vincent,  14,  and  Vengeance,  74,  drove  ashore 
at  St.  Lucia,  but  got  off  again  slightly  damaged ;  the  Venus,  36, 
and  Alcmene,  32,  were  dismasted  and  carried  to  Antigua.  Thus, 
in  all,  His  Majesty's  fleet  lost  through  these  storms  one  74,  one  64, 
one  44,  a  32,  and  seven  smaller  ships.' 

On  November  2nd,  the  British  ship  Zephyr,  14,  Commander  John 
Inglis  (1),  engaged  in  trade  protection  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  with 
the  Polly,  16,  privateer,  entered  the  Gambia  Eiver,  and  attacked  the 
French  18-gun  ship  Senegal,  which,  under  the  name  of  Bacehorse, 
had  been  captiu-ed  from  Great  Britain.-  There  was  a  sharp  action 
of  five  hours'  duration,  after  which  the  enemy  struck,  with  twelve 
killed  and  twenty-eight  wounded.  The  British  loss  was  two  killed 
and  four  wounded.  The  Senegal  did  not  long  survive  her  capture,  Ijut 
blew  up  on  the  22nd,  from  some  unexplained  cause,  kilhng  twenty- 
three  British  officers  and  men  who  were  on  board  at  the  time. 

In  November  and  December,  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Edward  Hughes 
gained  some  small  successes  against  the  armed  ships  of  Hyder  Ali.^ 
One  of  the  Madras  Eajah's  ships  was  cut  out  by  the  boats  of  the 
squadron  at  Cahcut ;  a  second  was  driven  ashore  ;  but  the  Sartine,  32, 
in  covering  these  operations,  was  unfortunate  enough  to  strike  on 

'  Beatson,  v.  80-1. ;  'Ann.  Register,'  1781,  30  ff. 

2  Lond.  Gazette,  Mar.  13th,  1781 ;  Beatson,  v.  93.     This  was  the  Racehorse  of  the 
Arctic  ex])edition  in  which  Nelson  took  part. 
^  Lond.  Gazette,  June  16th,  1781.    C.  M.,  55. 


1780.]  THE  ISIS  AND    THE  liOTTEliDAM.  59 

a  rock  and  sink  on  November  26th.  Her  Captain,  Eobert  Simonton, 
had  previously  protested  against  being  sent  too  close  inshore. 

The  Spanish  sloop  Real  Carlos,  20,  on  a  voyage  between 
Montevideo  and  Ferrol,  met  the  British  West  Indiaman  Mary, 
M.  Stewards,  master,  of  twenty-two  guns  and  eighty-three  men 
in  the  latitude  of  the  West  Indies  on  December  27th.'  She 
fought  the  merchant  ship  for  five  hours,  shooting  awaj'  all  her 
topmasts,  hitting  her  three  times  between  wind  and  water,  dis- 
mounting seven  guns  and  killing  or  wounding  eight  men.  Each 
side  claims  to  have  driven  off  the  other,  but,  be  this  as  it  ma}',  it 
is  wonderful  that  the  merchant  ship  should  have  been  able  to 
escape  from  a  man-of-war.  The  Spanish  loss  was  foiu-teen.  Un- 
fortunately the  Mary,  in  her  disabled  state,  was  attacked  a  little 
later  by  the  American  privateer  Pilgrim  and  compelled  to  strike. 

On  December  30th,  the  Marlborough,  74,  Captain  Taylor  Penny, 
and  Bcllona,  74,  Captain  Eichard  Onslow,  overtook  and  engaged 
the  Dutch  warship  Prinses  Carolina,  of  fifty-four  guns  and  three 
hundred  men,  in  the  Channel.^  She  could  offer  little  resistance 
to  a  force  so  superior.  After  thirty  minutes'  fight  she  struck  with 
sixteen  killed  or  wounded  to  the  British  loss  of  three.  She  was 
purchased  and  added  to  the  Navy  as  the  Princess  Caroline. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  year  1780  the  Dutch  50-guu  ship 
Bottcrdam  was  chased  and  attacked  bj'  the  Isis,  Captain  Evelyn 
Sutton,  of  her  own  force,  in  the  Channel.  The  British  ship  fired 
a  broadside  and  came  very  precipitately  to  close  quarters,  when 
the  crew,  who  were  raw  and  undisciplined,  fell  into  great  confusion. 
The  Rotterdam  is  said  to  have  struck  ;  but  Captain  Sutton  failed 
to  take  possession  of  her.  Eor  his  conduct  he  was  com't-martialied 
and  reprimanded.  His  defence  was  that  his  men  had  deserted 
their  quarters ;  that  on  the  lower  deck  there  was  much  disorder, 
and  cartridges  were  left  lying  about ;  that  of  a  total  crew  of  284, 
in  place  of  350,  fifteen  were  sick,  that  of  the  rest  many  w'ere  un- 
disciplined, had  never  been  afloat  before,  and  did  not  understand 
English ;  and,  finally,  that  the  men  could  not  work  the  ship  pro- 
perly, but  tacked  slowly  and  awkwardly.^     The  Isis  had  been  sent 

'   Gazette  de  France  (1781),  77  ;  Beatsoii,  v.  liOo. 

-  Bcatson,  v.  148. 

'  BeatsoD,  v.  419  ;  C.  M.,  56,  Jau.  19  ;  Xicoks,  'Xelson's  Dispatches,'  i.  36.  In  view 
of  the  theory  that  Irisli  were  not  numerous  in  the  licet  during  this  war,  the  mention  of 
men  who  could  not  understand  English,  and  who  were  almost  certainly  Irishmen,  is  in- 
teresting.  Similar  statements  are  not  infrefjuent  in  the  Mins.  of  C.  M.  during  the  period. 


60  ^rIX01i    OPERATIOSS,    17C3-1792.  [1781. 

to  sea  in  hot  haste,  and  the  hands  had  never  been  exercised.  In 
these  circumstances  she  was  perhaps  fortunate  in  escaping  capture. 
Some  daj's  later,  on  Januar)'  5th,  1781,  the  Botterdum  was  brought 
to  action  by  the  Warwick,  50,  Captain  the  Hon.  George  Keith 
Elphinstone.  Though  the  Warwick's  crew  had  been  weakened  by 
detachments  for  the  purpose  of  manning  prizes,  the  Dutch  ship 
struck  to  her  without  causing  her  the  loss  of  a  man.  Prior  to  this 
action  the  Botterdam  had  fought  a  British  ship  of  the  line  and  two 
cutters,  but  had  got  away  from  them  through  the  aid  of  two 
French  privateers.' 

In  January  a  weak  French  force  landed  in  Jersey  and  seized 
St.  Helier,  but  was  quickly  overpowered  and  captured.^ 

On  January  4th,  whilst  the  French  ship  Minerve,  32,  Captain 
de  Grimouard,  was  cruising  with  three  other  frigates  in  the  Channel, 
she  and  her  sisters  were  chased  by  the  British  74's  Courageux, 
Captain  Lord  Mulgrave,  and  Valiant,"  Captain  Samuel  Granston 
Goodall.  The  Courageux  was  quickly  within  range  of  the  Minerve, 
but,  to  the  sm-prise  of  the  British,  the  frigate  did  not,  as  was  the 
custom,  strike  promptly  to  the  line-of-battle  ship.  On  the  contrary 
she  fought  on  for  an  hour  at  pistol-shot  range.  Then,  on  the  Valiant 
coming  up,  the  Minerve,  reduced  to  a  complete  WTeck,  surrendered. 
Her  captain  was  wounded ;  her  crew  had  lost  very  heavily,  two 
oflQcers  being  amongst  the  killed ;  her  guns  had  for  the  most 
part  been  dismounted ;  her  masts  had  fallen  or  were  threatening 
to  fall ;  her  rigging  was  terribly  cut  up ;  and  her  hold  was  fiUing 
with  water.  Nor  had  the  Courageux  escaped  scatheless.  She  had 
seventeen  killed  or  woimded,  and  had  sustained  grave  injury  to 
her  foremast,  mizenmast,  and  bowsprit.  For  a  frigate  to  have 
offered  such  a  resistance  against  such  terrific  odds,  and  to  have 
inflicted  so  much  loss  and  damage,  was  no  mean  achievement. 


Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Killed. 

1     Wounded. 

Total. 

Courageux     . 

82' 

Lbs.         ; 
82!)         i 

590  n. 

10 

7 

17 

Minerve  . 

32 

171 

.■iUi 

51 

23 

74 

Time, 

1  hour. 

1  Eight  c&rronades  allowed. 

'  Gazette  de  France,  25. 

'  Beatson,  v.  367. 

'  Gazette  de  France,  55  ;  Troude,  ii.  110  ;  Beatson,  v.  419. 


1781.]  BAEKLEY  AT  WILMINGTON.  61 

The  Minervc  had  to  he  towed  into  port,  where  she  was  purchased 
for  the  Navy  and  named  Recovery.  She  was  the  same  Muierva  that 
had  been  captured  by  the  French  frigate  Coyicorde  on  August  22nd, 
1778.'  A  new  Minerva  of  thirty-eight  guns  had  been  built  for  the 
British  fleet  in  1780. 

On  January  9th,  1781,  the  Fairy,  IG  (6-pdrs.),  Commander 
Joseph  Browne,  was  captured  by  a  large  French  privateer  of  30  or 
32  gims,  ten  leagues  S.S.W.  of  the  Scillies.  Her  loss  was  due  to 
the  fact  that  no  private  signals  had  been  issued  to  the  Plymouth 
cruisers.  It  was  consequently  impossible  for  her  to  discover  an 
enemy  at  a  distance. 

On  January  25th,  a  small  combined  expedition  proceeded  from 
Charleston  to  Cape  Fear  Eiver.^  Captain  Andrew  Barkley  had 
under  him  the  Blonde,  32,  Otter,  14,  Commander  Kichard  Creyke  (1), 
and  Delight,  14,  Commander  John  Inglis  (1),  and  some  smaller  craft, 
and  was  the  naval  commander.  On  board  were  300  soldiers  under 
Major  Craig.  These,  with  80  Marines  were  disembarked,  and  on 
the  28th  occupied  Wilmington  and  captured  seven  American  ships. 
The  object  of  this  expedition  was  to  open  up  sea  communication 
with  Lord  ComwalUs,  and  to  secure  a  base  for  his  army,  then 
moving  northward.  And  here  it  may  be  mentioned  that  on 
March  20th  General  Phillips,  with  2000  men,  was  convoyed  from 
New  York  to  the  Chesapeake  and  James  Eiver  by  the  Ambus- 
cade, 32,  Chatham,  50,  Orpheus,  32,  Savage,  16,  Halifax,  18, 
Bonetta,  14,  and  Vulcan,  fireship. 

On  Eodney's  arrival  at  St.  Eustatius,  the  Dutch  frigate  Mur.i, 
38,  and  five  other  vessels  of  from  26  to  14  guns  fell  into  his  hands. ^ 
A  day  before  his  coming  a  rich  convoy  of  thirty  ships  had  sailed  for 
Europe  under  the  convoy  of  Eear-Admiral  Willem  Crul,  in  the  Dutch 
hne-of-battle  ship  Mars,*  60.  Captain  Francis  Eeynolds,  with  the 
Monarch,  74,  Panther,  60,  and  Sibyl,  28,  was  despatched  in  chase. 
On  February  4th,  at  ten  in  the  morning,  he  was  alongside  the  Mars. 
She  refused  to  strike  and  a  short  action  took  place  in  which  the 
Dutch  flag-officer  lost  his  hfe.  On  this  the  Mars  sun-endered,  to  be 
purchased  into  the  Navy  under  the  name  of  Prince  Edward.    All 

'    Vide  pp.  18,  19. 

^  Land.  Qazette,  Mar.  Slst;  Bcatson,  v.  2.3G-T. 

'  See  Chap,  xxxi.,  (vol.  iii.  481). 

*  The  duplication  of  the  name  Mars  is,  at  first,  puzzling.  No  60-gun  Mars  apjiearB 
in  the  list  of  the  Dutch  Navy  (Beatson,  vi.  256).  [But  the  account  of  the  cajiture 
appears  in  its  place  in  De  Jonge,  iv.  463  et  seq. — W.L.C.] 


62 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792. 


[1781. 


the  ships  of  the  convoy  were  taken,  and  by  four  in  the  afternoon 
Captain  Eeynolds  was  on  his  way  back  to  join  Eodney. 

False  colours  were  kept  flying  at  St.  Eustatius,  and  in  this 
way  several  merchant  ships,  American,  French,  and  Dutch,  were 
captured.  The  goods  seized  in  the  island  were  sold  by  auction — 
much  below  their  real  value — or  shipped  to  Great  Britain.  It  was 
found  that  many  of  the  merchants,  who  had  warehouses  at 
St.  Eustatius,  were  Englishmen.  These  were  particularly  detested 
by  Eoduey,  and  were  treated  with  inexcusable  severity  by  him. 

In  the  month  of  February  the  sloop  Bover,  18,  which  had  been 
taken  by  the  French  on  September  13th,  1780,  was  retaken  by 
a  privateer,  but  was  lost  at  sea  with  her  crew.^  In  the  same  month 
the  Bomulus,  44,"  Captain  George  Gayton,  was  proceeding  to  the 
Chesapeake  when  she  was  captured  by  a  squadron  from  Des 
Touches's  squadron  under  the  orders  of  Captain  Le  Gardem-  de 
Tilly,  composed  of  the  EveilU,  64,  GentiUe,  32,  SurreiUanfc,  32,  and 
Guepe,  cutter.^ 

On  the  25th,  the  Cerberus,  28,  Captain  Eobert  Man  (3),  whilst 
cruising  off  Finisterre,  sighted,  chased,  and  brought  to  action  the 
Spanish  30-gmi  frigate  Grana,  Don  N.  de  Medina.  She  was  a 
mouth  out  from  Ferrol  on  a  cruise.  Her  armament  was  wretchedly 
light,  consisting  of  twenty-two  6-prs.  and  eight  4-prs.,  and  to  this 
must  probably  be  ascribed  her  easy  capture.*  She  was  purchased 
into  the  Navy  under  the  same  name,  and  rated  as  a  28. 


— 

Gims. 

Broadside. 

Mm. 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

Totll. 

Cerhirus  . 
Grana 

28 
30 

Lbs. 
126 

82 

176  n. 
166 

0 
7 

17 

2 

21: 

Time 

,  15  minutes 

Towards  the  end  of  February,  a  flotilla  of  six  British  privateers, 
of   from   thirty-two   to   four    guns,   entered    the    river    Demerara, 

1  Troude,  ii.  117. 

2  Troude,  ii.  07 ;  C.  M.,  58,  Sept.  26. 

'  Land.  Gazette,  Mar.  10th  ;  Cerberus's  Log. 

*  The  proportions  of  the  Grana  and  Cerberus  were  these  (Charnock, '  Mar.  Arch.'  iii. 
258-9)  :— 

Length.  Beam,  Tonnage. 

Cerberus  118  It.  34  593 

Grana  118  „  31  528 


1781.]  BE-CAPTUHE  OF   THE   UNICORN.  63 

and  on  the  •27th  of  the  month  captured  fifteen  Dutch  ships  of 
considerable  value.'  In  the  meantime  the  British  governor  of 
Barbados  had  sent  an  officer  under  a  flag  of  truce  to  demand  the 
surrender  of  Demerara  and  Essequibo  on  favourable  terms.  The 
governor,  alarmed  at  the  depredations  of  the  privateers,  at  once 
acceded  to  this  demand.  On  March  17th,  the  French  island  of 
St.  Bartholomew  surrendered  to  Commander  Lawrence  Graeme,  of 
the  Sylph,  18. 

On  April  14th,'-  the  36-gun  American  frigate  Confederacy, 
Captain  Seth  Harding,  was  captui'ed  by  the  British  frigates 
Boebuck,  44,  Captain  John  Orde  (1),  and  Orpheus,  32,  Captain 
John  Colpoys,  on  a  voyage  from  the  West  Indies  to  Washington. 
She  was  loaded  with  stores  for  the  American  arm}-,  and  with 
colonial  produce.  She  was  purchased  into  the  Navy  under  the 
name  Confederate.^ 

On  April  16th,  the  George  and  Molly,  8  (3-prs.),  Lieutenant 
Eichard  Saunders,  captm'ed  an  American  16-gun  privateer  in  the 
Channel. 

The  British  28-gun  frigate  Resource,  Captain  Bartholomew 
Samuel  Kowley,  was  cruising  in  the  West  Indies,  when,  on 
April  20th,  she  sighted  a  large  sail.*  As  the  stranger  bore  down 
upon  her,  she  cleared  for  action,  and  engaged  at  about  4.30  in  the 
afternoon.  The  enemy  struck  at  six ;  she  proved  to  be  the  Licorne, 
a  French  frigate,  commanded  by  Captain  de  St.  Ture,  and  mounting 
twenty  9-prs.  and  eight  12-pr.  carronades.  The  Resource  had  her 
Gunner  killed  and  her  second  Lieutenant  wounded.  Her  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded  was  much  heavier  than  that  of  the  French  ship. 
The  gallantry  of  his  crew  was  greatly  commended  by  Captain 
Kowley,  as  was  that  of  some  soldiers  of  the  Loyal  American 
Rangers  who  were  on  board.  The  Licorne  had  passed  through 
many  vicissitudes,  as  she  had  been  originally  a  British  vessel, 
but  had  been  taken  by  the  French  in  September  1780,  as  has  been 
shown.* 

'  BeatsoD,  v.  172. 

^  Beatson,  v.  303.  Maclay,  i.  147,  gives  the  22nd  as  the  date,  but  he  is  wrong  by 
I  he  Roebuck" s  log. 

'  Charnock,  'Mar.  Arch.,'  iii.  256,  gives  these  particulars  of  her:  Lenjih, 
159  ft.  7i  in.,  beam,  3G  ft.  9  in.,  draught,  12  ft.  IJ  in.,  displacement,  959  tons.  She 
was  at  the  date  of  her  capture  tl  e  largest  36-gun  ship  in  the  Navy. 

*  Beatson,  v.  209;  Log  of  Resource.  The  Licorne's  name  was  commonly  angUcised 
as  Unicorn, 

'  See  p.  57. 


64 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792. 


[1781. 


— 

Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Killed. 

WoundeJ.         Total. 

Resource  . 
Licorne    . 

603 
581 

34' 

28 

Lbs. 
150 

138 

194  n. 
197 

15 

8 

30      :      45 

30             38 

1 

1  IV»ssibly  the  liesouixe  was  armed  as  ttie  Licorne,  though  th  '  2s.guu  ship  properly  carried  tweuty-fovir  9's, 
four  3's,  and  six  12-pr.  earrouades.  There  seems  in  the  rating  to  be  some  confusion  between  ships  carrying 
20  guns  +  8  carronades.  and  28  guns  +  carronades.  In  Sehomlierg  and  the  List  Books,  the  Lwtmie  is  a 
20-gmi  ship;  in  Cbamoelc  and  Beatson  a  28-guii ;  in  Allen  she  is  a  24.  Log  of  Itesource  calls  her  a  28-gun 
frigat?. 

She  was  restored  to  the  Navy  as  the  I'nicm^t  20. 

On  May  1st,  the  Canada,  74,  Captain  Sir  George  Collier,  having 
been  detached  from  Admiral  Darby's  fleet,  then  on  the  west  coast 
of  Spain,  to  scout,  came  in  sight  of  the  Spanish  frigate  Sta.  Lcocadia, 
34,  Captain  Don  F.  Winthuysen,  and  a  small  sloop,  standing  towards 
a  number  of  British  merchantmen.'  The  sloop  escaped,  but  the  Sta. 
Leocadia  was  hotly  chased  all  that  day.  At  nightfall  the  ships  were 
still  some  distance  apart  when  the  wind  began  to  fall.  The  Sta. 
Leocadia  endeavoured  to  make  her  escape  by  changing  course.  Un- 
fortunately for  her  there  was  a  bright  moon  and  she  failed  in  her 
attempt.  It  was  now  calm  and  the  Canada  had  almost  forged  within 
pistol  shot.  The  action  was  opened  by  the  Sta.  Leocadia,  which 
offered  a  desperate  resistance  to  the  tremendous  fire  of  the  ship  of 
the  line.  A  heavy  swell  made  the  shooting  difficult  for  the  gunners 
on  both  sides,  and  prevented  the  Canada  from  opening  her  lower- 
deck  ports.  Some  twenty  minutes  after  the  engagement  had  begun, 
Winthuysen's  arm  was  broken  by  a  cannon-ball  and  he  had  to  give 
up  the  command.  A  little  later  his  successor  had  also  to  retire 
— wounded  in  the  tongue.  After  fighting  for  rather  over  half  an 
hour  the  Sta.  Leocadia,  disabled  and  leaking  heavily,  struck  her  flag. 
Though  pierced  for  forty  guns,  she  carried  only  thirty-four. 


Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

KUled. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Canada    . 
Sfa.  Leocadia 

1,605 
952 

82' 

34 

Lbs. 
829 

186? 

590 
250 

20 

10 

30 

Time,  35-45  minutes. 
Eight  12-pr.  carronades  included. 


The  Sfa.  Leocadia  was  purchased  into  the  Navy  and  rated  as  a 

'  Loud.  Gazette,  June  5th  ;   Gazette  de  France,  317  (1781)  ;  Log  of  Canada. 


1781.] 


THE   NONSUCH  AND   AC  TIF. 


05 


36-gun   ship.      In    size   and   lines  ^    she  was   little   inferior   to   the 
Confederate . 

On  May  14th,  the  Nonsuch,  tj4,  Captain  Sir  James  Wallace,  was 
scouting  with  Admiral  Darby's  fleet  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay  when  she 
saw  and  chased  a  sail,  looking  like  a  French  hne-of-battle  ship.- 
Soon  after  ten  in  the  evening  she  was  close  enough  to  open  on  the 
strange  vessel,  which  was  the  Actif,  74,  Captain  de  Boades.  The  two 
interchanged  broadsides  and  then  the  Nonsuch  wore  and  raked  her 
opponent.  The  fight  lasted  for  an  hour,  during  part  of  which  time 
the  ships  were  on  board  of  one  another,  as  the  Nonsuch's  anchor 
hooked  the  Actifs  quarter.  Getting  free,  the  Actif  made  sail  and 
stood  away,  and  the  Nonsuch,  owing  to  injuries  to  her  mizenmast 
yards  and  rigging,  could  not  again  overtake  her  for  some  hours.  The 
British  ship,  however,  having  repaired  her  injuries,  pursued  and 
came  up  a  second  time  about  daylight  on  the  loth.  A  second  and 
still  hotter  action  of  ninety  minutes'  duration  followed,  in  which  the 
Nonsuch  sustained  much  damage.  Her  fore-yard  fell,  and  her  masts, 
yards,  and  rigging  were  badly  cut  up.  She,  therefore,  hauled  off  and 
left  the  Actif  free  to  retire  to  Brest.  The  latter  ship  made  no 
attempt  to  pursue,  as  there  was  some  risk  of  falling  in  with  Admiral 
Darby's  fleet.  The  Nonsuch's  lighter  metal  and  weaker  hull  were 
probably  the  cause  of  her  comparatively  heavy  loss. 


Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Jleu. 

Killed. 

Wuu.uleil. 

Tital. 

(Actif .      . 

1          1 

74  2 

Lb8. 
838 

750 

15 

38 

53 

[  Nonstick  . 

.    '     1372 

72  3 

648 

491  n. 

2r> 

64 

90 

Time,  2i  hours. 

1  Probably  of  from  1680  to  1780  tons.    Wecapturod  no  French  74's  of  less  displacement  between  IT.'iOand  1783. 

2  Tioude,  loc.  cit.^  gives  her  only  64  guns,  but  Beatson,  vl.  91,  in  his  'Correct  List  of  the  Kreuch  Navy,  1778, 
makes  her  a  74  ;  so  also  C'apt.  Wallace  describes  her ;  ioitd.  Gasttle,  loc.  cit. 

3  Sixty-four  guus,  and  eight  12-pr.  carronades  which  she  most  probably  carried. 

On  May  27th,  the  British  brigs  Atalanta,  16,  Commander 
Sampson  Edwards,  and  Trcpassey,  14,  Commander  James  Smyih, 
saw  and  chased  a  strange  vessel  in  the  North  Atlantic.  As  they 
closed  with  her,  however,  ascertaining  that  she  was  of  great  size, 
they   hauled    their   wind,    and    made   off,   chased    in   turn.^      The 


'  Length,  144  ft.  10  in.,  beam,  38  ft.  8  iu.,  draught,  11  ft.  7J  in. 
^  Lond.  Gazette,  May  22nd  ;  Troudc,  ii.  118 ;  Beatson,  v.  384. 
'  Beatson,  v.  308  ;  C.  M.,  58,  Oct.  loth ;  Gazette,  Aug.  4th. 


VOL.  IV. 


66 


MISOB    OPERATIONS,    1703-17112. 


[1781. 


stranger  came  up  with  them  on  the  ^Hth  about  noon,  when  they 
discovered  that  she  was  the  American  frigate  Alliance,  36,  Captain 
John  Barry.  The  wind  had  fallen  to  a  dead  calm ;  the  brigs 
had  no  chance  of  escape ;  they  therefore  turned,  and  with  sweeps 
headed  for  the  enemy.  The  Trepassey,  endeavoming  to  take 
up  a  favom-able  position  on  the  Alliance's  quarter,  unfortunately 
overshot  the  mark  and  came  up  on  her  broadside.  Then  the 
Atalanta  gallantly  stood  in  to  the  rescue,  between  the  American 
and  the  British  brig,  but  the  Trepassey  was  so  shattered  that 
she  could  not  get  away.  The  American  captain  early  in  the 
action  was  struck  by  a  grape  shot  on  the  shoulder  ;  Commander 
Smyth  of  the  Trepassey  was  killed.  Lieutenants  in  each  ship 
took  up  the  command.  The  Alliance,  with  a  freshening  breeze, 
was  able  to  use  her  heavy  battery  to  the  greatest  advantage.  Three 
and  a  half  hours  after  the  first  shot  the  Trepassey  struck  with  a  loss 
of  seventeen.  The  Atalanta  had  been  in  action  an  hour  longer  than 
her  consort,  and  she  still  held  out,  but  in  the  end  struck  with  a  loss 
of  twenty-fom:.  On  board  her  Lieutenant  Samuel  Arden '  lost  an 
arm,  but  vdth  heroic  courage,  as  soon  as  the  amputation  had  been 
performed,  he  returned  to  his  quarters.  All  the  ships  were  badly  cut 
up  in  masts  and  rigging.  If  evidence  given  at  the  com't-martial 
can  be  beUeved,  the  Alliance  carried  twenty-eight  12's  and  eight  9's. 


Alliance  . 
Trepassey 

At  al an  til 


3i2 


^_.t^U:^. 

ISroailside. 

Jlen. 

36 

Lbs. 
201 

300 

1-1 

28 

80 

\i\ 

32 

12.5 

Killed.        Wounded. 


6  26 

6        I      11 

6  1^^ 


32 
17 

24 


Time,  4^-5  hours. 

The  Trepassey  was  sent  to  Halifax  as  a  cartel ;  the  Atalanta  was 
shortly  afterwards  retaken  off  Boston  by  the  Assurance,  Charleston, 
and  Amphitrite.  Considering  the  immense  disproportion  between 
the  two  sides,  the  British  must  be  held  to  have  got  off  very  lightly. 

The  British  frigates  Flora,  36,  Captain  WiUiam  Peere  Williams, 
and  Crescent,  28,  Captain  the  Hon.  Thomas  Pakenham,  had  been 
detached    by  Admiral    Darby   with   a   convoy   to    Minorca."      On 

'  He  was  promoted  for  his  gallantry,  and  posted  in  1783.     In  1806  he  retired. 
^  Beatson,  v.  387  ;  Lond.  Gazette,  June  30th,  1781 ;  Gazette  de  France,  p.  258, 
1781  :  C.  M.,  57. 


1781.]  TEE  FLOIiA    TAKES    THE   CASTOR.  67 

their  return,  early  on  May  '23rd,  when  off  the  south-east  coast 
of  Spain,  they  were  chased  hy  a  Spanish  squadron,  and  only 
escaped  after  a  sharp  skinuish,  in  which  the  Flora  lost  a  man 
killed  and  another  badly  injured,  through  loading  a  gun  before 
it  had  been  sponged  out.  The  British  frigates,  having  shaken 
off  their  pursuers  by  altering  course,  reached  Gibraltar  safely  on 
the  '29th.  After  communicating  with  the  garrison,  they  stood 
over  to  Ceuta  to  look  for  two  large  ships  which  had  been  seen 
earlier  in  the  morning.  They  discovered  these  to  be  Dutch 
frigates,  and  were  preparing  to  attack  when  a  storm  compelled 
them  to  haul  off.  Next  day  the  wind  fell  and  they  were  able  to 
attack  the  two  Dutch  vessels,  which  were  the  Castor,  36,  Captain 
Pieter  Melvill,'  and  the  Briel,  Captain  Gerardus  Oorthuijs,  also  of 
36  guns.  The  ships  paired  off,  the  Flora  engaging  the  Castor,  and 
the  Crescent  the  Briel. 

The  Flora  was  very  much  more  heavily  armed  than  the  Castor,'^ 
but  the  Dutchman  fought  her,  none  the  less,  for  two  hours  and 
a  quarter  before  striking.  The  Flora  lost  her  Lieutenant  of  Marines 
killed,  as  also  did  the  Castor;  of  the  British  wounded  eight,  and 
of  the  Dutch  eleven,  died  after  the  battle. 


Tous. 

Guus. 

Broadside. 

Meu. 

KiUci. 

Wonnrtcd. 

Total. 

Flora . 

868 

42 

Lbs. 

333 

270 

9 

32 

41 

Ciisfor 

o6 

186 

230 

oo 

41 

63 

Time,  2  liuure  15  iiiiuutes. 

The  Crescent,  a  far  smaller  and  weaker  ship,  was  less  fortunate 
in  her  combat  with  the  Briel,  a  vessel  of  equal  if  not  superior  force. 
The  quarter-deck  gims  and  four  main-deck  guns  were  disabled ;  the 
head-yards  and  sails  were  shot  away  early  in  the  engagement ;  and 
a  little  later  the  wreck  of  the  mainmast,  mizenmast,  and  booms 
fell  into  the  waist  of  the  ship,  fatally  encumbering  her  deck,  dis- 
abling all  the  guns  before  the  mainmast,  and  rendering  the  ship 

'  Pieter  Melvill,  born  at  Donlrecht  in  1743,  entered  the  navy  at  the  age  of  fourteen ; 
lieutenant,  17C2;  commander,  1766;  captain,  1777;  Schout-bij-Nacht,  1789;  quitted 
the  service  from  1795  to  1813  ;  vice-admiral,  1814  ;  died  1826. — W.  L.  C. 

'  Flora  mounted  t\ventj--six  long  18-prB.,  six  18-pr.  carronades,  and  ten  9-prs. ; 
Castor  only  twenty-six  12-prs.  and  ten  G-prs. 

F   '2 


68 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792. 


[I7)sl. 


unmanageable.  The  Briel  was  to  windward  and  could  not  be 
boarded  by  the  Crescent,  and  the  Dutch  frigate  at  once  made  use  of 
her  advantage  and  came  round  under  the  Crescent's  stern,  whence 
she  began  to  rake  the  British  ship.  Captain  Pakenham,  as  not 
a  gmi  would  beai',  and  not  a  yard  of  canvas  was  left  standing  on 
his  frigate,  was  compelled  to  strike.  The  Dutch  were  not  able 
to  take  possession,  since  by  that  time  the  victorious  Flora  was 
approaching.  The  Briel,  therefore,  made  off  to  Cadiz  in  a  very 
shattered  condition,  and  though  her  maimnast  fell,  succeeded  in 
reaching  that  port. 


— 

Tous. 

{      Guns. 

Broadside. 

Meu. 

Killed. 

w 

unnded. 

40 
67 

Total. 

Briel  .      . 
Crescent  . 

611 

36" 
31' 

Lbs. 
178 

168 

230? 
200  n 

12 
26 

52 
93 

Time,  2 

hours,  30  minutes. 

1  firid  mouut€d  tweuty  six  12-prs.,  two  G-prs.,  eight  4-prs. ;  descent's  establisbmenl  was  tneuty.four  9-pn*. 
aud  four  3-prs.,  iu  addition  to  which  she  probably  carried  four  to  six  18-pr.  carronades.  She  has  been  allotte  i 
therefore  six  carronades. 


The  Crescent's  heavy  loss  was  probably  due  to  her  weaker 
scantling  and  sides,  and  to  the  fact  that  she  was  raked  more  than 
once.  That  her  crew  faced  a  loss  which  probably  exceeded  50  per 
cent. — for  British  ships  were  as  often  as  not  below  their  nominal 
establishment  in  number  of  men — speaks  volumes  for  their  obstinacy 
and  corn-age.  Captain  Pakenham,  when  his  ship  had  stnick,  refused 
to  resume  his  command,  considering  that  a  court-martial  was 
necessary  to  clear  him  of  guilt.  The  first  lieutenant  of  the  Flora, 
John  Bligh  (1),  was  therefore  appointed  by  Captain  Williams  to 
the  command. 

Beatsou  justly  remarks  that  a  want  of  combination  between 
the  British  frigates  is  obvious.  The  evidence  at  the  court-martial 
showed  that  a  considerable  time  intervened  between  the  Castor's 
striking  to  the  Flora,  and  the  Crescent's  surrender,  when  the 
Flora's  help  would  have  decided  the  action  in  favour  of  the  Crescent. 
Another  British  ship,  the  Enterprise,  28,  Captain  Patrick  Leslie, 
was  in  sight  and  soimd  of  the  engagement,  but  gave  absolutely 
no  aid.  She  had  a  convoy  in  her  charge,  it  is  true,  but  her 
mere  appearance  would  probably  have  decided  the  captm'e  of  the 
Briel.     This  action,  again,  appears  to  bear  very  strong  testimony 


1781.]  LOSS    OF  THE    CASTOR   AND  CRESCENT.  69 

to  the  importance  of  a  heavy  battery.  The  men  on  either  side 
were  of  equal  courage  and  skill,  and  so  it  was  the  weight  of 
metal  which  decided  the  day.  Of  course,  if  the  Crescent  carried 
no  carronades — a  point  on  which  we  cannot  speak  with  absolute 
assurance — her  weight  of  broadside  would  be  only  two-thirds  that 
of  the  BrieVs. 

The  three  ships  repaired  their  injuries  as  well  as  they  could, 
and  stood  away  for  England.'  On  June  19th,  however,  while  the 
Flora  was  chasing  a  privateer,  a  squall  suddenly  cleared  and  revealed 
to  her  two  French  frigates,  which  at  once  gave  chase.  The  battered 
appearance  of  the  three  British  vessels  doubtless  encouraged  the 
French  to  confront  such  formidable  odds.  Captain  Williams  did 
not  think  it  safe  to  risk  an  action  after  the  heavy  losses  he  had 
sustained.  He  had  not  much  more  than  three  hundred  unwounded 
people  to  work  and  fight  three  ships  requiring  crews  of  seven 
hundred  luen.  The  three  parted  company  aud  steered  different 
courses.  The  Castor  was  overtaken  by  the  Friponne,  32,  and 
with  only  seventj'-five  Biitish  seamen  on  board,  nearly  all  of 
whom  were  at  tlio  pumps  or  working  the  ship,  struck  at  the 
first  shot.  The  Crescent  had  only  five  men  to  each  gun  on  her 
broadside,  and  but  nine  Marines  to  act  as  a  small-arms'  party. 
She  offered  some  resistance,  but  she,  too,  had  quickly  to  strike. 
The  Flora  alone  succeeded  in  escaping. 

On  May  28th,  the  British  ship  Champion,  32,  attacked  the 
Dutch  fort  of  Commendah,  on  the  Gold  Coast,  and  was  repulsed.^ 
At  about  the  same  time  the  Dutch  captured  Secondee,  a  British 
fort  near  Cape  Three  Points. 

On  June  5th,  in  West  Indian  waters,  the  Ulysses,  44,  Captain 

John  Thomas,  had  an  indecisive  action  with  the  Surveillante,  40, 

Captain  de  Villeneuve  Cillart.^     The  Uli/sses  laid  the  French  frigate 

alongside.     Captain  Thomas  was  almost  at  once  wounded,  and  had 

to   be  carried   below,   as   also   had    the   Master   and    one   of    the 

Lieutenants.     The   wheel   and    tiller   ropes   were   shot    away,    the 

rigging  was  badly  cut  up,  and  the  mainyard  fell.    At  about  midnight 

the  Surveillante  made  off  after  a  four  hours'  fight.     She  is  said  to 

have  sustained  severe  damage.     On  July  28th,  there  was  another 

indecisive  action,  between  the  Fee,  32,  Captain  de  Boubee,  and  the 

'  Tioude,  ii.  119,  and  other  autlioritics  cited  ;  Letter  of  j^.cting  Capt.  John  Bligh 
in  Oazftte. 

^  Oazette  de  France  (1782),  2G5  ;  Log  of  Champion. 
"  Beatson,  v.  208;  Troude,  ii.  1  If) ;  Log  of  Ulysses. 


70  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    17G3-1792.  [1781. 

Soutliampton,  32,  Captain  William  Affleck  (1).'  The  Fee  is  said  by 
Troude  to  have  had  a  previous  engagement  on  June  2nd  with  the 
Ulysses,^  but  that  ship's  log  pi'oves  him  to  have  made  a  mistake. 
The  vessel  which  the  Fee  fought  cannot  be  discovered.  The  Fee 
had  lost  her  topmasts  and  was  carrying  jury  rigging  when  sighted 
by  the  Southampton.  She  was  chased  and  closed  by  the  British 
vessel  late  in  the  night  of  the  27th-28th.  The  action  began  at 
midnight  at  a  cable's  distance,  and  was  maintained  for  ninety 
minutes,  when  the  two  ships,  having  received  serious  damage  to 
masts  and  rigging,  separated.  Most  of  the  Southampton's  standing 
and  running  gear  had  been  shot  away,  and  her  foresail  came 
down  just  before  the  close  of  the  action.  She  lost  four  killed  and 
twenty-three  wounded ;  the  Fee,  three  killed  and  twenty-three 
wounded. 

On  June  13th,  in  the  Atlantic,  the  Snake  12  (4-prs.),  Lieu- 
tenant William  Jackson,  fell  in  with  two  American  privateers 
of  immensely  superior  force,  the  Pilgrim  and  Rambler,  and  was 
captured. 

On  July  21st,  Commodore  George  Johnstone's  squadron,  on  the 
way  to  the  East  Indies,  captured  five  valuable  prizes  in  Saldanha 
Bay.^  These  were  the  Dutch  East  Indiamen  Dankbaarheid,  24, 
Perel,  20,  Schoonkoop,  20,  Hoogcarspel,  20,  and  Middelhurg,  24.* 
Their  masters  were  surprised  and  could  not  escape ;  they  therefore 
cut  their  cables,  loosed  their  fore-topsails,  and  drove  on  shore, 
where  the  ships  were  fired,  and  the  men  landed.  The  British 
boats,  however,  were  smartly  on  the  spot  and  checkmated  the 
Dutch  designs.  The  fires  were  got  under  on  board  all  the  ships 
except  the  Middelburg,  which  burnt  furiously,  floated  ofif,  and 
nearly  drifted  on  board  two  of  the  other  prizes.  Finally  she 
blew  up.  A  hooker  laden  with  the  sails  of  the  captured  ships, 
was  discovered  hidden  away,  and  captured.  Two  other  hookers 
were  taken,  but  restored  to  the  Dutch  inhabitants  by  the  Com- 
modore. The  prizes  were  sent  home,  but  it  is  noteworthy  as 
showing  the  extreme  insecurity  of  British  waters  at  that  time, 
that   two   of  them   had   sharp   fights   in   coming  up  the  Channel. 

'  Log  of  Southampton  ;  Gazette  de  France,  381. 

"  Troude,  ii.  118. 

'  Gazette,  Oct.  15th. 

*  Tlie  exact  names  of  some  of  tliese  ships  are  iloubtful.  They  are  suggested  as 
above  by  the  misspelt  travesties  in  the  Britisli  accounts.  They  are  not  "iven  by 
De  Jonge.— W.  L.  C. 


ITrtl.]  LOSS   OF   THE  JACK.  71 

The  Huo(jcarspcl  was  chased  by  a  French  Irigate,  and  had  to  retire 
to  Mount's  Bay,  there  to  await  an  escort.  The  Perel  was  attacked 
by  two  privateers,  which  only  retired  when  their  ammunition  was 
exliausted. 

On  July  21st,  the  two  French  frigates  Astree,  32,  Captain  de 
La  Perouse,  and  Hermione,  32,  Captain  de  La  Touche-Treville, 
whilst  cruising  off  Cape  Breton  Island,  perceived  several  sail 
approaching/  They  were  a  number  of  British  merchant  vessels 
escorted  by  the  Charleston,  28,  Captain  Henry  Francis  Evans ; 
Allegiance,  14,  Commander  David  Phips;  Vulture,  14,  Commander 
Kupert  George;  Vernon,  14,  and  Jack,''  14.  The  two  last  were 
armed  ships.  After  a  long  chase  the  French  vessels  came  up 
with  them.  The  British  formed  single  line  ahead,  the  Charleston 
in  the  centre,  between  their  enemy  and  the  convoy,  and  opened 
fire  between  7  and  8  p.m.  The  heavy  fire  of  the  French  frigates 
soon  began  to  produce  effect.  The  Jacli — probably  weakly  built — 
had  to  strike,  and  the  French  assert  that  the  Charleston,  having 
lost  her  maintopmast,  struck  also,  but  that  she  took  advantage 
of  the  darkness  to  steal  away.  The  Allegiance,  Vulture,  and 
Vernon  likewise  made  off,  but  the  Astree  had  been  so  damaged 
in  her  rigging  dm-ing  the  action  that  she  could  not  pm-sue. 
The  British  ships  altered  course  and  got  safely  away,  whilst  the 
French,  after  taking  possession  of  their  prize,  returned  to  Boston. 
Since  the  French  official  account  represents  M.  de  La  Perouse 
as  fighting  against  odds,  it  is  well  to  remember  that  two  large 
and  heavily-aiTued  frigates  would  have  a  great  advantage  against 
a  number  of  weak  and  small  frigates,  sloops,  and  armed  ships. 
The  British  ships,  if  they  had  carronades,  no  doubt  carried  a 
greater  weight  of  metal,  but  their  scantling  would  be  weaker, 
and  their  force  was  scattered  in  several  ships. 

Amongst  the  British  killed  was  Captain  Henry  Francis  Evans  of 
the  Charleston. 


'   Gazette  de  Paris,  40G  ;  Beatsou,  v.  303  ;  Troude,  ii.  Ill* ;   Allen,  i.  317. 

*  In  the  Navy  List  Book  for  June,  Charleston  apiiears  as  a  32,  Allcr/itiiice  as  a  16, 
Vultwe  as  a  IG ;  but  Steel  gives  the  ratings  as  above.  Allen  adds  to  the  ships  given 
the  Rupert,  armed  ship,  and  wrongly  names  the  Vultures  commander  (William) 
Langhorne.  The  Charleston  was  the  American  Boston,  renamed  after  her  capture. 
Charleston's  log  is  missing;  Allegiance's  log  makes  no  reference  to  the  action.  There 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  a  C.  M.  on  the  loss  of  the  Jack,  which  was  therefore 
probably  a  merchantman.  Possibly  the  Vernon  was  also  a  merchantman,  as  slie  does 
not  figure  in  Steel's  contemjwrary  lists. 


72 


.VJXOB    OPERATIONS,   1763-1702. 


[1781. 


— 

'Ions, 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Killea. 

\Vul)ll>lfl. 

I'.ital. 

iT,bs. 

Asfree 
Hermione 

32 

174 

2o5 

6 

15? 

21' 

.'!'* 

174 

255 

6 

15? 

21 

64 

348 

510 

12 

30 

42 

Charleston 

514 

34  = 

168  = 

8 

20 

37 

Allegiance     . 

24 

102 

1 

5 

6 

\  Vulture    .      . 

24 

102 

I 

O 

3 

Vernon     . 

24' 

102? 

7 

6 

13 

Jack  . 

14? 

42? 

? 

? 

V 

1  -Jl  I 


'  French  losses  from  Gazette  de  France,  p.  407. 

•  Include  carronades,  viz.,  six  18-prs.  for  Charleston,  and  ten  12-prs.  each  for  Allegiance,  Vulture,  and 
Vernon,  It  is  possible  t'lat  they  carried  these  guns.  In  auy  case  the  armaments  of  these  ships  are  quite 
micertain.  French  accounts  givt-  the  AUeffiance  and  Venwn,  24  gnus,  ani  t^ie  Vulture,  26.  If  this  I  ernon  be 
tho  same  as  the  r.  which  on  Mar.  iCth,  1782,  w  th  the  Success  enconnterei  the  Sta.  Catalina,  she  was  a  22gini 
(6-pr.)  ship.    Bnt  there  is  no  Vernon  in  the  Navy  1  ist->  of  t  Je  time. 

On  Jul}-  29tb,  the  French  ships  Lively,  26,  and  Hirondelle,  16, 
fell  in  with  a  British  fleet  in  the  Channel,  and  though  the  HirondeUe 
got  away,  the  Lively  had  to  strike  to  the  36-gun  frigate  Perseverance,^ 
Captain  Skeffington  Lutwidge,  after  a  short  but  desperate  defence, 
iu  which  she  lost  six  killed  and  ten  wounded. 

On  July  30th,  when  de  Grasse's  fleet  was  entering  the 
Chesapeake,  two  British  ships  were  seen  off  Cape  Henry  and 
chased  by  the  Glorieux,  74,  and  Biligente,  26.  The  British  vessels, 
which  were  the  Guadaloupe,  28,  Captain  Hugh  Kobinson,  and 
Loyalist,  16,  Commander  Morgan  Laugharne,  took  to  flight,  and 
the  Guadaloupe  got  safely  into  York  Eiver.  The  Loyalist,  how- 
ever, was  run  down  and  captured. 

In  August  the  crews  of  the  British  hne-of -battle  ships  Lion 
and  Canada,  which  had  been  ordered  with  Admiral  Bigby  to 
escort  a  fleet  to  the  West  Indies,  refused  to  go  on  foreign  service 
till  they  had  received  their  pay,  then  a  year  in  arrear.^  Thereupon 
the  men  received  six  months'  pay,  and  no  longer  raised  any 
difficulty. 

On  the  8th  of  that  month  the  American  frigate  Trumbull,  32, 
Captain  James  Nicholson,  off  Delaware,  was  sighted  and  chased 
by  the  British  Iris,  82,  Captain  George  Dawson.^  The  American 
was  badly  manned ;  she  had  a  weak  crew  on  board,  and  of  these 

'  Troude,  ii.  121 ;  Log  of  Perscuerance. 

^  Oazeite  de  France,  305. 

'  Land.  Gazette,  Sent.  25th  ;  Maclay,  i.  142,  143 ;  Beatsoii,  v.  304. 


1781.] 


THE   IRIS   AXD    TliUMBULL. 


73 


many  were  British  deserters.  What  her  normal  crew  could  have 
been  is  difficult  to  conjecture,  for  American  writers  tell  us  with 
one  accord  that  she  was  two  hundred  men  short.  On  the  9th 
there  was  a  heavy  gale  which  brought  down  the  American's  fore 
topmast  and  main  top-gallantmast.  Late  in  the  evening,  while  she 
was  thus  crippled,  and  before  the  wreckage  had  been  cleared  away, 
the  Iris  came  up.  The  TrumbulVs  crew  showed  the  greatest 
cowardice  or  disaffection  ;  they  put  out  the  battle  lanterns  and  flew 
from  their  quarters,  whilst  Captain  Nicholson  and  Lieutenants 
Alexander  Murray  and  Richard  Dale,  with  a  handful  of  American 
seamen,  alone  fought  the  ship.  After  an  hour's  engagement  the 
Trumbull  struck  her  flag. 




Funs. 

Gun'!. 

Broa  IsMe. 

Vtn. 

KilleJ. 

Wounde<i. 

li.tal. 

Lbs. 

ins    . 

730 

32  > 

156 

220  u 

1 

6 

( 

TnimhiiU 

32 

174? 

20::*? 

0 

11 

ii; 

'rime,  1  liour. 
*  Carrouades  not  inclutie-l.  as  it  is  doubtful  wbether  ebe  carrieti  them. 


On  August  7th,  a  brilliant  display  of  courage  and  seamanship 
was  given  by  Commander  Francis  Roberts  and  the  crew  of  the 
Helena,  14.'  Roberts  had  served  under  a  good  master,  as  he 
had  been  first  Lieutenant  to  Captain  Farmer  of  the  Quebec.  He 
ran  into  Gibraltar  in  the  face  of  fom-teen  Spanish  gunboats, 
though  the  weather  was  so  calm  that  the  Helena's  sails  were 
useless,  and  sweeps  had  to  be  employed.  From  the  rock  the 
hostile  boats  could  be  seen  close  to  her,  "and,"  it  is  added,  "the 
clouds  of  grape  and  other  shot  that  seemed  almost  to  bury  her 
were  astonishing."  Presently  the  British  gunboats  licpuhe  and 
Vanguard  went  to  her  aid,  and  the  Spaniards  fell  back.  The 
Helena  was  dreadfully  cut  up,  but,  strange  to  say,  only  lost 
one  man. 

On  Augixst  14th,  the  British  sloop  Cameleon,  14,  Commander 
Thomas  Drury,  cruising  in  the  North  Sea,  came  up  with  and  engaged 
a  Dutch  dogger  of  18  guns.^  The  Cameleon,  which  carried,  in 
addition  to  her  gun  armament,  four  carronades,  was  probably 
of   the   heavier   metal.     The   two   fought   furiously  at   the   closest 


Lond.  Gazette,  Sept.  18tli. 


Ih ,  Aug.  21st. 


74 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1-63-1792. 


[1781. 


quarters  for  forty-five  minute.?,  when  the  Dutch  ship  blew  up, 
setting  the  Cameleon's  sails  and  rigging  on  fire,  and  covering  her 
deck  with  human  fragments.  Not  one  of  the  dogger's  crew 
survived  the  explosion.  The  British  loss  was  thirteen,  including 
Commander  Drury,  wounded. 

On  August  19th,  an  allied  expedition,  under  the  Due  de  Crillon, 
laid  siege  to  Port  Mahon  in  Minorca.^  Serving  with  the 
British  garrison  was,  according  to  the  ofScial  account,  a  small 
corps  of  Marines  and  sailors,  who,  "  being  more  accustomed  to  live 
on  salted  provisions,  kept  their  health  much  better  than  the  other 
troops  of  the  garrison  did."  They  do  not  appear  to  have  numbered 
more  than  one  hundred  or  two  hundred  men. 

On  August  '24th,  the  armed  ship  Sandwich,  20,  Commander 
William  Bett,  and  sloop  Cormorant,  14,  Commander  Eobert  M'Evoy, 
were  captured  by  de  Grasse's  fleet  off  Charleston  Bar. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  September  2nd,  the  British  50-gun 
ship  Chatham,  Captain  Andrew  Snape  Douglas,  overtook,  after  a 
long  chase,  the  French  32-gun  frigate  Magicienne,  Captain  de  La 
Bouchetiere.-  The  Magicienne  endeavoured  to  regain  Boston,  from 
which  port  she  was  sailing  to  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire ;  but, 
after  a  desultory  cannonade,  she  found  it  impossible  to  escape,  and 
turned  to  fight  a  broadside  action.  She  engaged  the  Chatham 
in  that  way  for  thirty  minutes.  The  weakness  of  her  scantling 
and  battery,  however,  brought  inevitable  defeat,  and,  as  usual  in 
cases  where  frigates  fought  sail  of  the  line,  she  suffered  very 
heavy  loss  and  inflicted  little  upon  her  enemy. 


— 

Tons. 

Guus. 

Broad&iile. 

Men. 

KiUed. 

Wounded. 

Totil. 

Chatham . 

1,052 

60' 

Lbs. 
534 

350 

1 

1 

2 

Magicienne    . 

•■ 

32 

174 

280 

32 

54 

86 

Time,  90  ininuti's. 

I  Including  ten  ijl-pr.  carronades,  wbicb  were  probably  carried.     In  tbc  British  Navy  the  Magicienne  was 
rated  36. 


The  time  as  given  in  the  British  accounts  is  thirty  minutes, 
but  this  probably  does  not  include  the  desultory  fire  carried  on 
before  the  two  came  to  close  quarters. 


'  Beatson,  v.  309,  363. 


'  Beatsou,  v.  304  ;  Troude,  ii.  121. 


1781.] 


LOSS   OF   THE  IBIS   AND   RICHMOSD. 


iO 


On  the  6th  of  September,  the  British  sloop  Savage,  16,  Com- 
mander Charles  Stirling  (1),  whilst  craising  off  Charleston,  was 
chased  and  brought  to  action  by  the  American  privateer  Congress,  24, 
of  vastl}'  superior  force.'  The  Savage,  as  the  enemy  was  so  much 
stronger,  fired  at  the  Congress  s  rigging,  hoping  thus  to  get  away. 
She  did,  indeed,  compel  the  privateer  to  he  to  to  make  repairs,  but 
not  before  her  hull  had  been  wrecked  by  the  Congress's  broadsides. 
The  privateer  came  up  afresh,  and,  after  another  hour's  fighting, 
received  the  surrender  of  the  Savage.  According  to  American 
historians — on  what  authority  does  not  appear — the  Congress's  crew 
was  largely  composed  of  landsmen.  The  Savage,  on  her  way  to 
an  American  port,  was  retaken  by  the  Solehay. 


— 

Tous. 

Ciiuis.       1 

Bn«ail&ii]e. 

Meu. 

Kilie'l. 

Wouudeil. 

iuUI 

Congress  . 

.. 

24 

Lbs. 
132 

215 

11 

30 

41 

Savuy       .       . 

:■■••■! 

"  ! 

'.If) 

100? 

f-; 

.■u 

39 

Time 

,  about  1 

J  houi>^. 

'  Eight  calTonade«.  12 

prs.,  alloweJ. 

Eear- Admiral  Thomas  Graves  (2),  when  he  appeared  off  the 
Chesapeake  and  the  French  fieet  put  to  sea  to  meet  him,  had  reason 
to  suppose  that  the  enemy's  ships  had  slipped,  and  buoyed  their 
cables.^  He  therefore  despatched  the  Iris,  32,  Captain  George 
Dawson,  and  Richmond,  32,  Captain  Charles  Hudson,  to  cut  away 
the  cables  from  their  buoys.  These  ships  were  thus  engaged  when, 
on  September  11th,  they  were  surprised  by  M.  de  Barras'  squadron 
and  compelled  to  strike. 

Early  in  October  a  number  of  British  ships  were  destroyed  by 
the  American  batteries  before  Yorktown.  On  the  one  side  was 
Washington's  aiTuy,  on  the  other  de  Grasse's  fleet,  so  that  no 
escape  was  possible.  Four  vessels  were  set  on  fire  by  hot  shot  on 
October  10th,  the  Charon,  44,  Captain  Thomas  Symonds,  Guada- 
loupe,  28,  Captain  Hugh  Eobinson,  Foweij,  24,  Captain  Peter  Aphn, 
and  Vulcan,  fireship.  Commander  George  Palmer,  in  addition  to 
some  transports.     In  this  way  they  were  saved  from  the  indignity 

'  BeatsoD,  v.  305;  Maclay,  i.  140:  C.  M.  wanting:  Ann.  Register,  1781   [251. 
^  Beatson,  v.  277  ;  Troude,  ii.  122. 


76  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792.  [1781-82. 

of  a  surrender  to  the  Americans  and  French.  The  Bonetta,  14, 
Commander  Ralph  Dundas,  was  taken,  however,  hy  the  French 
when  Yorktown  fell. 

On  October  2(;th,  the  Hannibal,  .50,  Captain  Alexander  Christie, 
whilst  cruising  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  saw  and  chased  a 
fleet  of  merchant  ships  mider  convoy  of  the  French  Necker,  28.' 
The  Necker  was  captured,  her  mainmast,  foremast,  and  mizen- 
topmast  going  overboard  just  as  the  Hannibal  was  closing  her. 
With  one  other  prize  the  Hannibal  arrived  at  St.  Helena.  The 
Necker  was  purchased  into  the  Navy  and  was  sent  to  the  East 
Indies.  Though  Beatson  describes  her  as  a  frigate,  Troude  does 
not  mention  her,  and  thus  it  is  probable  rather  that  she  was  an 
armed  merchantman,  or  a  hired  privateer,  than  a  frigate  of  the 
Royal  French  navy. 

A  marked  featm-e  of  the  year  1781  was  the  growing  audacity  of 
the  privateers,  French,  Dutch,  and  American,  which  infested  British 
waters.^  Aberbrothick  was  cannonaded  and  a  ransom  demanded ; 
ships  were  carried  off  from  Aberdeen ;  French  privateers  cruised  off 
Dublin  and  Belfast ;  American  off  Wexford ;  and  Dutch  off  Flam- 
borough  Head.  Amongst  the  privateers  taken  this  year  was  the 
Jackal,  14,  captm-ed  by  the  Prudenfe,  36.  The  Jackal,  it  will  be 
remembered,  had  been  carried  off  from  the  Downs  by  her  crew 
on  November  27th,  1779.  Amongst  the  brilliant  achievements  of 
British  privateers  was  the  capture  by  the  Tigress,  22,^  T.  Hall,  of 
Appledore,  of  a  large  Dutch  ship,  the  Tromp,  46,  which  was 
escorting  two  merchant  ships.*     They  also  were  taken. 

On  January  3rd,  1782,  the  Bonetta,  14,  which  had  been 
captured  by  the  French,  was  retaken  by  the  Anvpliion,  32,  Captain 
John  Bazely  (1),  on  the  American  coast. ^ 

On  January  4th,  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Edward  Hughes,  with  his 
fleet,  arrived  off  Trincomale,  the  Dutch  garrison  of  which  place  had 
been  for  some  time  blockaded  by  the  frigate  Seahorse,  24.^  A  force 
of  five  hundred  sepoys,  a  battalion  of  sailors,  and  a  detachment  of 
Marines  were  landed ;  and  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  the  Marines 
carried  Trincomale  fort.  On  the  11th,  Fort  Oostenburg,  which  com- 
manded the  town  and  anchorage,  was  stormed  by  the  sailors  and 
Marines.      The   British  loss  was  considerable,  as  a  Lieutenant  of 

'  Beatson,  v.  329.  *  Beatson,  v.  42f<,  429. 

2  Beatson,  v.  401  (T.,  422  ff.  "  Beatson,  v.  553. 

'  Six-pounders.  '  Beatson,  i.  560  ff. 


1782.]  LOSS    OF   THE  HANNIBAL   AND    CHASER.  77 

the  Superb,  and  twenty  seamen  were  killed,  and  two  officers 
and  forty  men  were  wounded.  A  garrison  was  left  in  the  captm-ed 
forts  and  the  British  squadron  withdrew. 

On  January  11th,  the  British  frigate  Coventry,  28,  Captain 
WiUiam  Wolseley,  cruising  in  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  sailed  into  the 
midst  of  a  French  squadron  on  the  Orissa  coast,  mistaking  it  for  a 
fleet  of  British  merchantmen,  and  was  captm-ed.' 

On  Januarj'  18th,  the  Hannibal,  50,  Captain  Alexander 
Christie,  which  had  been  detached  by  Commodore  Johnstone 
to  the  East  Indies,  was  seen  and  chased  by  the  French  fleet 
in  the  Indian  Ocean.'  Calms  and  unfavourable  winds  prevented 
her  from  making  her  escape,  and  on  the  21st  she  was  overtaken, 
brought  to  action,  and  compelled  to  strike  to  the  Heros,  74,  and 
Arfesien,  64.  A  month  later,  on  February  25th,  the  British 
sloop  Chaser,  18,  Commander  Thomas  Parr,  was  captm-ed  by 
the  Bellone,  32,  in  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  after  an  action  of  twenty 
minutes.^ 

At  the  end  of  January  and  the  beginning  of  February  the  settle- 
ments in  Guiana,  which  had  been  captm-ed  by  the  British  from  the 
Dutch,  were  recaptm-ed  by  a  French  squadron  of  five  ships,  com- 
manded by  Captain  de  Kersaint,  in  the  Iphigcnie,  32.''  With 
the  Colony  were  surrendered  the  following  ships  of  the  Navy : 
Oronoqiie,  20,  Commander  William  Tahourdin  ;  Barbuda,  10,  Com- 
mander Francis  Pender;  Sylph,  18,  Commander  Lawrence  Graeme  ; 
Stormont,  16,  Commander  Christmas  Paul,  and  Rodney,  brig,  16, 
Lieutenant  John  Douglas  Brisbane. 

On  March  16th,  off  Cape  Spartel,  the  British  frigate  Success,  32, 
Captain  Charles  Morice  Pole,  and  the  storeship  Vernon,  22,*  sighted 
a  sail  right  ahead,  which  was  presently  made  out  to  be  a  large 
frigate  with  a  poop.'^  The  stranger  directed  her  course  towards  the 
British  vessels,  and  at  about  five  o'clock  hoisted  Spanish  colom-s. 
The  Success,  as  the  enemy  closed,  raked  her  on  the  lee  bow,  passed 
to  windward,  pouring  in  a  vigorous  fire  at  very  short  range, 
wore,  and  renewed  the  attack  on  her  lee  quarter.     The  Spaniards, 

'  Troude,  ii.  225 ;  Chevalier,  452. 

*  BeatBon,  v.  568  ;  Troude,  ii.  107  ;  Gazette  de  Fiance,  1782,  300. 
»  Troude,  ii.  203 ;  Beateon,  v.  569. 

•  Gazette  de  France,  185  ;  Troude,  i.  212-219 ;  C.  M.,  59. 

^  The  Vernon  did  not  belong  to  the  Navy.  Her  master's  name  was  John 
Falconer.— W.  L.  C. 

"  Lond.  Gazette,  Mar.  30th;  Gazette  de  France,  173  ;  Log  of  Success. 


78  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792.  [1782. 

who  had  expected  the  British  ship  to  engage  broadside  to  broad- 
side, were  taken  aback  by  this  manoeuvre  and  fell  into  confusion. 
According  to  the  Spani-sh  accounts  the  British  ships  had  made 
their  approach  under  the  Dutch  flag/  and  just  as  a  Spanish  officer 
was  about  to  speak  them,  hauled  down  the  false  colours  and  sent 
the  true  ones,  opening  fire  simultaneously.  The  I'cnion  gave  the 
Sticcess  good  support,  and  at  about  8.20  a.m.  the  enemy  struck.    She 


SIK    CHARLES    MOfilCE    POI.K,    BART.,    ADMIRAL   OF   THE    FLEET. 
(.From  n.  11.  Cook's  cnyraviiig  a.fter  the  portrait  bij  J.  Nurtheotc,  It.A.) 

proved  to  be  the  Sanfa  CataUna,  34,  Captain  Don  Miguel  Jacon.- 
He  had  been  especially  ordered  to  look  out  for  the  Success,  and  had 
already  chased  her  twice.  He  complained  no  httle  of  the  behaviour 
of  his  crew.  The  details  of  the  ships  were  as  follows— for  though 
the  Spaniards  made  the  Success  out  a  24-pr.  38-gun  frigate,  there 

'  This  is  corroborated  by  the  log. 

'  Tlie  log  calls  him  Joron ;  Schomberg,  Jacen,  and  the  Gazette,  Jacon. 


1782.] 


CAPTURE    OF   THE   SANTA    CATALINA. 


79 


were   then   none   such   in   the   Navy,   and   their   estimate   was  an 
exaggeration.' 


Tom. 

I      Guns. 

Men. 

Broadside. 

KUIed. 

liVounded. 

Total. 

i  Success     . 

683 

1 

40" 

290n 

Lbs. 
246' 

1 

4 

5 

\  Vernon    , 

? 

22 

100? 

66 

0 

1 

1 

Sta.  Catalina 

? 

34 

339 

180 

25-30 

8 

33-38 

'  Canvuatles  iucluded. 


The  Sta.  Catalina  was  a  much  larger  and  finer  ship  than  the 
Success,  as  the  following  figures  will  show : — 


Length  of  Deck. 

Beam. 

Success 

126  ft. 

35  ft.  2  in 

Sta.  Catalina 

151  ft. 

39  ft.  4  in 

but  she  was  palpahlj'  under-armed.  Her  hull  was  tenibly  shattered, 
being,  according  to  Captain  Pole's  letter,  "like  a  sieve,  the  shot 
going  thro'  both  sides."  Her  mizenmast  fell  before  she  struck,  and 
her  mainmast  afterwards.  So  damaged  was  she  that  when,  on  the 
18th,  other  supposed  hostile  sail  were  seen,  Captain  Pole  decided 
to  set  her  on  fire.  This  was  accordingly  done,  after  the  prize  crew 
and  prisoners  had  been  removed.  The  strange  sail,  however, 
proved  to  be  the  British  ships  Apollo,  32,  and  Cerberus,  28,  with 
a  convoy.  The  Success  underwent  some  danger  on  her  voyage 
home  in  consequence  of  the  great  number  of  prisoners  whom  she 
had  on  hoard. 

In  the  winter  of  1871,  and  spring  of  1782,  the  Leander,  50, 
Captain  Thomas  Shirley,  and  the  Alligator,  14,  Commander  John 
Frodsham,  were  engaged  in  operations  against  the  Dutch  forts  on  the 
Gold  Coast. ^  Between  February  16th  and  21st  unsuccessful  attacks 
were  made  on  Elmina.  Aided  by  troops  who  were  disembarked 
from  his  ships  Captain  Shirley  took  Mouree  (March  2nd),  Com- 
mendah  (March  6th),  Apam  (March  16th),  Barracoe  (March  23rd), 
and  Accra  (March  30th)  .^ 

■  The  38-gun  frigates  of  the  time  mounted  18,  not  24-pr8. 

'  Lond.  Oazdte,  July  9th  ;  Log  of  Leander. 

'  Mouree,  near  Cajx;  Coast  Castle ;  Commendah  or  Cormantyne,  some  miles  to  the 
west ;  Apam,  east  of  Cape  Coast  Castle ;  Barracoe,  between  Apam  and  Accra  further 
to  the  east  again.  They  will  all  be  found  on  an  old  map  of  West  Africa  :  Brit. 
Museum,  63690. 


80 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792. 


[1782 


On  April  8th,  the  General  Monk,  18,  Commander  Josias  Eogers, 
whilst  operating  in  Delaware  Bay,  was  \mfortunate  enough  to  be 
captured.  Aided  by  a  16-gun  privateer  she  had  driven  a  16-gun 
American  ship  on  shore,  and  had  taken  a  brig  of  14  guns,  when 
she  was  engaged  by  the  Pennsylvanian  ship  Hijdcr  All,  18.'  The 
General  Monk  was  armed  almost  entirely  with  9-pr.  carronades,  and 
those,   at  the   range   the   Hijder  All   selected,  were   quite  useless. 


CO.MMEMUliATIVE    MKDAL    OF    THE    DEKEN(  E    LiF    Gllill ALTAI!,    1779-y3. 
(_From  an  original  lent  bij  Qijjt.  H.S.B.  Priiwc  Laiiis  of  BalUnboy,  It.X.) 

Moreover  they  were  badly  mounted  and  upset  on  being  fired.     The 
British  ship  was  compelled  to  strike. 


— 

Tuns. 

GUDS. 

Hen. 

Broadside. 

KilleJ. 

\Vouuiied. 

Total. 

Byder  AH     . 

9 

18 

130 

Lbs. 

78 

4 

11 

15 

General  Monk- 

• 

18  > 

110 

7S 

8 

20 

o7 

I  .Sixteen  9-pr.  carrouades,  two  G-pr.  cauuous. 

On  April  11th,  the  armed  cutter  Jackal,  20,  Lieutenant  Gustavus 
Logie,  was  captured  in  the  West  Indies  by  the  American  Deane,  32, 
otherwise  known  as  the  Hague. 

On  April  20th,  Vice- Admiral  the  Hon.  Samuel  Barrington,  who 
was  cruising  off  Brest  with  twelve  sail  of  the  line  and  three  frigates, 

'  Beatson,  v.  555. 


1782.]  THE  FOVDROYANT  AM)   PEQASE.  81 

watching  for  a  French  convoy  which  was  to  sail  for  the  East  Indies, 
came  within  sight  of  a  hostile  squadron  and  signalled  a  general  chase.' 
The  80-gun  ship  Foudroijant,  which  had  the  honour  of  being  the 
largest  two-decked  vessel  in  the  British  Navy,  and  which  was  com- 
manded by  Captain  John  Jervis,  quickly  outstripped  the  rest  of 
her  consorts.  By  nightfall  she  got  sufficiently  close  to  discover 
that  the  French  squadron  consisted  of  "  three  or  four  warships, 
besides  eighteen  vessels  under  convoy."  The  warships  were  the  74's 
Pegasc  and  Protcctcur ;  the  32-gun  frigate  A  ndromaque ;  and  another 
frigate  and  the  Actionnaire,  64,  equipped  as  storeships.  The  other 
vessels  of  the  British  fleet  were  almost  out  of  sight,  when  Captain 
Jervis  made  up  his  mind  to  pursue  the  Pegase,  the  largest  of  the 
French  ships.  He  cleared  for  action,  and,  as  the  night  was  dark 
and  it  was  diflicult  to  keep  the  chase  in  sight,  ordered  Midshipman 
Kichard  Bowen^  to  the  forecastle  with  directions  not  to  take  his  eyes 
off  her.  At  midnight  the  Foudroi/ant  wSiS  near  enough  to  her  enemy 
to  make  out  that  she  was  a  ship  of  the  line.  The  other  French  74 — 
the  Protecteur — was  too  far  off  to  give  her  consort  any  support, 
and  the  way  was  open  for  the  Foudroijant.  The  Frenchman  put 
his  hehn  up,  and  endeavoured  at  the  outset  of  the  action  to 
rake  the  British  ship,  but,  owing  to  the  smartness  of  young 
Bowen,  the  Foudroyant  anticipated  this  manoeuvre,  put  her  helm, 
to  port,  passed  under  the  Frenchman's  stern,  and  raked  her  with 
deadly  effect.  The  French  captain,  de  Sillans,  had  failed  to  make 
use  of  his  stem-chasers,  though  for  nearly  foiu- hours  the  Foudroyant 
had  been  within  their  range.  He  had  not  been  able  to  place  small- 
arms'-men  in  the  rigging  and  tops,  nor  to  get  the  grappling-irons 
into  position.  Though  his  crew  had  suffered  hea%'ily  from  the 
British  fire,  and  though  his  ship  had  sustained  considerable 
damage,  he  attempted  to  board  his  antagonist.*  His  attempt  was 
made  without  suSicient  preparation  and  determination ;  everj'one 
was  summoned  on  deck,  the  batteries  between  decks  being  thus 
abandoned;    and    the    result   was   a   repulse.      The   British    then 

'  Tucker's  '  Life  of  St.  Vincent,'  i.  71-7C  ;  '  Dictionary  of  National  Biography,' 
article, 'John  Jervis';  Chevalier,  330-334;  Beatson,  v.  656;  Reiwrt  of  Barrin-jrfon, 
Loml.  Gazette,  Apr.  27tb,  May  4th ;  Gazette  de  France,  189.  This  affair  is  briefly 
alluded  to  in  chap.  xxsi. 

2  Richard  Buwen,  born,  1761  ;  Lieutenant,  1782 ;  Commander  and  Captain,  1701 ; 
won  great  fame  as  a  frigate  captain ;  fell  at  Santa  Cruz,  July  24th,  1797.— W.  L.  C. 

'  One  of  the  jud<;e8  at  the  court-martial  held  JI.  de  Sillans's  manccuvrcs  to  be  so 
bold,  that  with  a  better  crew  he  would  infallibly  have  captured  his  enemy.  Chevalier, 
i.  333. 

VOL.   IV.  G 


82 


MIKOn    OPEIiATlONS,   17G3-1792. 


[1782. 


boarded,  laying  the  Fuudroijant  along  the  French  ship's  port  side, 
and,  headed  by  Bowen,  carried  her  easily,  a  little  after  one  o'clock. 

The  action  was  in  manj'  ways  surprising.  The  Foudroyant  was, 
it  is  true,  of  superior  metal,  having  an  advantage  of  about  one-eighth 
in  weight  of  broadside,  but  that  advantage  would  not  be  expected 
to  give  her  the  victoiy  with  such  trifling  loss  as  she  actually 
sustained.  No  one  was  killed  on  board  her ;  and  the  wounded, 
amongst  whom  was  Captain  Jervis,  were  only  five.  A  desperate 
resistance  was  to  be  looked  for  from  a  French  line-of-battle  ship, 
at  a  time  when  France  had,  in  single-ship  actions,  fairly  held  her 
own.  But  the  truth  w^as  that  the  Fegase  had  been  built  and  sent 
to  sea  in  the  extremest  haste.'  She  had  only  been  launched  on 
April  11th ;  on  the  13th  M.  de  Sillans  had  taken  command  ;  on 
the  19th  she  had  left  Brest.  She  was  very  heavily  laden  and  could 
not  open  her  lower-deck  ports.  As  a  fm-ther  disadvantage  her 
personnel  was  exceedingly  bad.  A  young  sub-lieutenant  of  nineteen 
commanded  her  lower-deck  battery,  and  her  men  were  raw  landsmen, 
as  sailors  could  not  be  found.  AVhen  she  fought  the  Foudroyant 
her  quarters'  bill  had  not  been  drawn  up.  Her  captain  had 
doubtless  made  mistakes,  but,  though  he  was  suspended  from 
•command  by  the  sentence  of  the  French  court-martial,  his  superiors, 
who  sent  him  out,  must  bear  some  part  of  the  blame  for  the  loss 
of  the  ship.  A  vessel  sent  to  sea  in  war-time  should  be  in  a  state 
to  uphold  the  honour  of  her  flag  when  she  puts  out,  and  should 
certainly  not  be  manned  by  landsmen. 

The  comparative  force  of  the  two  ships  was  as  follows  : — 


Tons. 


Guns. 


Broadside. 


Killed.       Wounded.  !      Total. 


Foudroyant 
Fegase 


1,979 

1,778 


88 
74 


Lbs. 
1,020' 

8382 


719 
700 


0 

80 


40 


o 
120 


Time,  45  minutes.^ 

1  'I be  Foudroyant  is  assumed  to  liavo  oairiel  tlie  ordinary  armnmeHt  for  80-gnn  ships,  viz.,  thirty  32'8 
thlrty-twf)  'il's,  and  elgljteen  li's.     She  liad  probaUy,  in  addition,  four  12-i)r.  raiTonades. 

2  Frc-ucli  shot  were  also  one  twcluh  heavier  than  tlieir  nominal  weight,  which  would  bring  the  broadside  of 
the  I'ci/ute  to  alHjut  yoo  lbs.    See  James,  *  Naval  History,*  i.  45. 

3 ;  According  to  Chevalier  (i.  330)  and  II.  de  Sillans  (^CazMt  de  Frame,  189)  the  PJyase  did  not  strike  till  3  a.h. 
in  which  case  Ihi'  action  lasted  three  hours.    Banlngtou's  letter  gives  the  time  as  45  minutes. 


'  The  Pcgase  was  laid  down,  built,  completed,  and  at  sea  iu  three  months  and  five 
<lays ;  thus  surpassing  the  record  of  the  Couronne,  which  was  laid  down  on  May  17, 
1781,  and  was  cruising  with  de  Guiehen  in  December.     See  '  Parliamentary  History, 


1782.]  THE  STA.   MAnOAIilTA   ASD   AMAZONE.  83 

Aftei'  the  action  the  Peijase's  rnizen  mast  and  fore  topmast 
went  overboard.  On  the  morning  of  the  '21st,  other  ships  of  the 
squadron  came  np,  and  Captain  Jervis  was  able  to  jrat  eighty  men 
into  his  prize,  and  to  withdraw  forty  from  her.  More  he  could 
not  take  on  board  owing  to  the  heavy  sea.  The  Queen,  however, 
came  to  the  assistance  of  the  Pcfjase,  took  three  hundi-ed  prisoners 
on  board,  and  placed  forty  more  men  on  the  prize.  Next  morning  a 
fresh  sail  was  seen  and  chased  by  the  Queen.  After  some  hours  the 
British  ship  came  up  with  the  stranger,  which  proved  to  be  the  store- 
ship  Actionnaire.  She  received  a  broadside,  and  then  stnick,  with 
thirt}'-four  men  killed  or  wounded.  She  was  boimd  for  Mauritius 
with  masts,  sails,  rigging,  and  stores  for  the  French  squadron  in  the 
East  Indies,  and  with  five  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers.  Of  the 
convoj',  ten  were  taken  and  sent  safely  into  British  ports. ^  In  this 
ignominious  rout  ended  the  second  attempt  of  the  French  to  de- 
spatch a  convoy  to  India ;  the  Protectcur  only,  with  three  or  four 
ships,  succeeding  in  evading  the  vigilance  of  the  British  observing 
squadron. 

For  his  victory  Captain  Jervis  was  rewarded  with  a  K.B.,  and 
permitted  to  bear  on  his  coat-of-arms  a  winged  horse. 

On  May  8th,  the  British  governor  of  the  Bahamas  was  obliged 
to  capitulate  to  an  overwhelming  Spanish  force,  which  was  aided 
also  bj^  a  considerable  number  of  Americans. 

On  June  26th,  the  Alligator,  14,  Commander  John  Frodsham, 
whilst  canying  dispatches  home  from  West  Africa,  was  chased  off 
the  Lizard  by  the  French  frigate  Fee,  32,  and  taken.-  The  AUigatur 
defended  herself  with  great  courage  and  held  out  to  the  last.  She 
lost  three  killed  and  sixteen  wounded. 

On  July  29th,  whilst  cruising  on  the  American  coast,  the 
Santa  Margarita,  30,  Captain  Elliot  Salter,  was  chased  by  the 
French  frigate  Amazone,  3(5.     The  British  frigate  made  all  sail  away, 


xxii.  902.  At  Brest  France  had  three  thousand  shipwrights  at  that  time,  whilst 
Portsmouth  only  employed  eiglit  luiiidred,  and  Bntisli  ships  were  often  three  or  four 
years  on  the  stocks. 

'  The  names  were  Lion,  Grand  Sarpedon,  JleUonc,  Fidelitc,  Dtic  dc  Clmrtres, 
Superbe,  llonore.  Villa  Xoia,  Amphion  and  Chalnutir.  'I'he  Marquis  of  Castries, 
which  is  included  in  some  lists,  was  not  taken  with  this  convoy,  but  later:  ses 
Beatson,  v.  (559.  Lapeyrouse,  iii.  259,  gives  the  trausjiorts  captured  as  twelve  in 
number. 

'  Gazelle  dc  France,  265  ;  Land.  Gazette,  July  9th  ;  C.  M.,  59,  Aug.  7th.  According 
to  evidence  there  given  the  Fee  carried  four  18-pr.  carronadcs. 

G    2 


84 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792. 


[1782. 


for  astern  of  the  Frenchman  several  other  warships  could  be  made 
out.  About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  these  other  ships  were  lost 
to  sight ;  and  at  the  request  of  the  crew,  Captain  Salter  tacked  and 
stood  to  meet  the  Amazone,  which  did  not  dechne  the  fight.  The 
battle  opened  at  five,  the  two  ships  closing  gradually  to  within 
pistol  shot.  At  that  range  thej'  fought  for  an  hour  and  a  quarter 
before  the  Amazone  struck,  with  her  captain  killed,  half  her  men 
killed  or  wounded,  four  feet  of  water  in  the  hold,  and  her  masts  and 
rigging  very  much  cut  up.  The  main  and  mizen  masts  fell  just 
as  the  flag  was  hauled  down.  The  force  of  the  two  ships  was  as 
follows  : — 


Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

KUled. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Santa  Marga-v, 
rifa^     .      .  j 

Amazone  . 

992 

44 
36 

Lbs. 
258 

186 

247 
301 

5 
70 

17 

70-80 

22 
150 

1  Troude  gives  the  Sta.  Margarita,  33  guns  and  10  carronades  and  calis  her  an  18-pr.  frigate.  This  is  a 
ridicnlous  exaggeration,  as  the  List  Book. shows  her  to  have  been  a  36-gnn  ship,  and  James,  i.  366,  pivves 
her  a  12-pr.  frigate.  At  the  seme  time  Troude  proliably  understates  the  armament  of  the  Amazone.  He  gives 
her  no  e-prs.  and  oniy  twenty-six  12's.  Capt.  .Waiter's  letter  gives  her  ten  e's,  and  these  I  have  allowed  in  the 
table.    The  Sta,  Mtri/arita  probably  carried  eight  18-pr.  carronades. 

The  British  frigate  was  severely  wounded  in  masts  and  rigging, 
but  otherwise  suffered  little  injury.  A  lieutenant  and  sixty-eight 
men  were  sent  to  take  possession  of  the  prize,  which  was  taken  in 
tow.  Although  all  possible  sail  had  been  made.  Captain  Salter  was 
chagrined  next  morning  to  discover  the  enemy's  fleet  in  sight. 
In  these  circumstances  he  had  no  alternative  but  to  recall  his  men 
from  the  prize  and  abandon  her  to  the  enemy.  This  was  done,  and 
he  safely  effected  his  retreat. 

On  July  30th,  the  Cormorant,  16,  Commander  John  Melcomb, 
captured  the  French  sloop  TcmSraire,  10,  some  days  out  from  Brest 
with  dispatches.' 

At  the  end  of  May  a  French  expedition  imder  M.  de  La  Perouse 
sailed  from  Hayti  for  Hudson's  Bay,  which  it  entered,  after 
sustaining  some  damage  and  being  in  imminent  danger  in  the  ice, 
on  July  17th. ^  It  was  composed  of  the  Sceptre,  74,  Astree,  36, 
and  Engageante,  36,  with  290  soldiers  on  board.     On  August  8th, 

'  Beatson,  v.  675. 

'  Oazctte  de  France,  413  ;  Beatson,  v.  510;  Troude,  ii.  Ii20  ;  Annual  Register,  1783, 
116  ff. 


1782.]  THE  FRENCH  IN  HUDSON'S  BAY.  85 

it  arrived  off  Fort  Churchill.  The  governor  of  the  fort,  panic-stricken, 
surrendered  without  sending  information  of  the  coming  of  the 
French  to  the  other  stations.  Having  destroyed  the  fort,  the 
French  sailed  for  Fort  York  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nelson,  which 
they  surprised  and  captured  in  the  same  way.  There,  too,  the 
governor,  who  might  have  made  a  successful  resistance,  displayed 
only  discreditable  cowardice,  and  sui-rendered  at  the  first  parley. 
The  French  landing  party  had  to  wade  ashore  through  nearly  a  mile 
of  soft  mud,  far  out  of  the  reach  of  the  covering  squadron.  They 
had  then  to  enter  the  trackless  forests  and  to  cross  a  marsh  six 
miles  wide.  The  fort  was  hm-nt,  and  the  troops  re-embarked. 
M.  de  La  Perouse,  with  a  kindness  and  humanity  rare  in  the  annals 
of  war,  left  a  certain  quantity  of  ammunition  and  provisions  for 
some  of  the  British,  who  had  fled  to  the  woods.  A  Hudson's  Bay 
Company's  ship  in  those  lonely  waters  was  all  but  taken  by  the 
French,  but  succeeded  in  making  her  escape. 

On  August  11th,  the  British  sloops  Sivift  and  Speedy  were 
captm-ed  by  the  French  frigates  Friponne  and  Resohie,^  according 
to  Troude.  British  authorities  do  not  notice  this,  and  the  Speedy 
appeared  in  the  Navy  List  for  long  afterwards. 

On  August  12th,  the  British  frigate  Coventry,  28,  Captain 
Andrew  Mitchell  (1),  whilst  on  her  way  from  Bombay  to  join 
Hughes's  squadron  of  Ceylon,  fell  in  with  the  French  Bellonc  of 
32  gims.  Captain  de  Piervert.^  The  two  closed  and  fought  a 
desperate  but  indecisive  action  for  two  or  two  and  a  half  hours, 
early  in  which  the  French  captain  fell.  The  second  and  third 
officers  of  the  BcUone  disputed  as  to  the  command,  and  meanwhile 
the  French  ship  was  paralysed.  Each  side  accuses  the  other  of 
retiring;  the  British  Captain  alleging  that  the  Bellone  was  only 
saved  by  the  arrival  of  the  main  French  fleet.  Both  ships  sustained 
severe  damage  and  heavy  loss. 


>  Trouilc  calls  bor  «  30-guil  ship  anj  gives  her  twenty-six  IJ's  unci  four  6's.  He  gives  bcr  uo  i«rrun«de». 
But  our  28'6  were  usnally  O-pr.  ships  and  with  carroua  Jes  the  broadside  would  be  174  lbs. :  without,  120  lbs.  Brlltoh 
accouuts  give  Bellone  48  guns;  Troude,  twenty-six  I2's  and  six  6*3. 

'  Troude,  ii.  205.  '  li- ;  Beatson,  v.  590. 


86 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792. 


[1782. 


On  September  1st,  the  ]>ntish  18-gun  sloop  Buc  de  Chartres, 
Commander  John  Child  Purvis  (1),'  captured  the  22-gun  Aigle, 
described  as  a  corvette  in  the  French  navy,  off  the  American 
coast.  As  the  only  Aigle  in  the  French  navy  which  the  author 
can  trace  was  a  40-gun  frigate,  it  is  probable  that  this  sloop 
was  a  hired  craft. 

On  September  4th,  the  British  ship  Bainbow,  44,  Captain  Henry 
Trollope,  cruising  off  the  He  de  Bas,  sighted  and  chased  a  large 
French  frigate,  the  Hebe,  40,  Captain  de  Vigny-  The  liainbow 
opened  on  her  with  her  bow-chasers.  The  enemy  responded  from 
her  stern-chasers,  but  as  the  Bainbow  closed,  the  Hebe  luffed, 
fired  a  broadside,  and,  to  the  great  surprise  of  Caj)tain  Trollope, 
struck.  It  appeared  that  the  32-lb.  shot  from  the  Bainbow's  bow- 
chaser  carronades  had  fallen  on  board  the  HebS,  and  that  their  size 
led  Captain  de  Vigny  to  suppose  he  was  dealing  with  a  vessel  of  the 
hne.  The  Bainboic  was  armed  entirely  with  carronades,  of  which 
she  had  twenty  68-prs.,  twenty-two  42-prs.,  and  six  o2-prs.,  against 
the  Hebe's  twenty-eight  long  18-prs.  and  twelve  long  8-prs.  At 
close  quarters,  therefore,  the  Bainboic  would  have  had  an  enormous 
advantage. 


Tons. 

Gmis. 

1 
Brcadside. 

Men. 

KiUeJ. 

1 
^\'uun(le^. 

TuUI. 

Rainbow  . 

831 

50 

Lbs. 
1,238 

297  n 

1> 

0 

1 

Hebe  .      .      . 

1,063 

40-' 

835 

360 

5 

1 

■ 

5? 

•  KjUeJ  by  accident. 

2  Troude,  38  guns,  as  also  Charnock.    The  dimensions  of  the  two  i-bips  were- 


JiainJ  ow 
nebe 


Length. 

133  ft. 

too  ft. 


zi  ft.  im  iu. 

39  ft.  1 1  in. 


Depth. 

IGft. 
12  ft.  10  in. 


Captain  de  Vigny  was  court  -  martialled  for  misbehaviour, 
and  cashiered  and  sentenced  to  fifteen  years'  imprisonment  for  his 
conduct.  The  Hebe's  only  injury  was  a  woimd  to  her  foremast 
and  some  damage  to  her  wheel. 

At  the  end  of  July,  Eear-Admiral  Graves,  with  the  BamiUies, 
Canada,  and  Centaur,  all  74's,  and  the  Pallas,  32, •'  left  Jamaica  with 
a   large   convoy,   consisting   of   the   sail    of    the   line   captiu-ed   on 

'  Capt.  Purvis  was,  in  consequence,  posted  as  from  Sept.  1. — W.  L.  C. 
*  Beatson,  v.  G75,  vi.  379  ;  James,  i.  40 ;  Tiomle,  206  ;  Log  of  Itni-nhow. 
'  Annual  Ecgister,  1783,  [121 ;  llood's  Letters,  138 ;  Beatson,  v.  -195-525  ;  Gazette 
de  France,  429 ;  Troude,  ii.  207. 


1782.] 


DEFENCE   OF   THE  UECTOB. 


87 


April  12th  from  the  French  fleet  by  Eodney — Ville  de  Paris,  110, 
Glorietix,  74,  Hector,  74,  Jason,  Caton,  and  Ardent,  all  64's  — 
and  of  some  180  homeward  bound  merchantmen.  Both  the 
Ardent  and  Jason  had  ahuost  at  once  to  put  back  owing  to 
their  very  leaky  condition.  The  others  joined  Eodney 's  fleet 
off  Havana  on  August  14th,  and  lost  it  during  the  night.  Part 
of  the  convoy  was  bound  for  New  York,  the  rest  for  England,  and 
so  the  course  steered  was  a  northerly  one.  On  August  22nd,  the 
Hector,  Captain  John  Bourchier,  being  in  a  miserable  state, 
shattered,  leaky,  and  with  a  crew  of  but  223  men,  of  whom  many 
were  sickly,  dropped  asteni.  On  September  4th,  she  was  sighted 
by  two  veiy  powerful  French  frigates,  the  Aigle,  40,  Captain 
La  Touche-Treville,  and  Gloire,  32,  Captain  de  VaUongue.  They 
chased  her  during  the  night,  and,  noting  that  she  only  mounted 
fifty-two  guns  aud  that,  from  the  want  of  men,  she  was  very  feebly 
handled,  brought  her  to  close  action  at  about  2  a.m.,  one  on  the  bow 
and  the  other  on  the  quarter.  A  three  or  four  hours'  engagement 
followed,  in  which  the  Hector,  in  spite  of  her  weakness,  showed 
herself  a  formidable  antagonist.  Captain  La  Touche-Treville  made 
one  attempt  to  board,  but  was  repulsed.  The  resistance  of  the 
Hector  was  almost  as  creditable  as  was,  years  later,  that  of  the 
Leander.  Both  ships  were  manned  by  seamen  from  a  victorious 
fleet.  At  last  the  two  French  ships  retired,  leaving  the  Hector  in 
a  very  battered  condition,  with  all  the  masts  womided  and  the  hull 
very  leaky.  The  excuse  for  their  retreat  was  that  other  British 
sails  could  be  seen  on  the  horizon.     This,  however,  was  incorrect. 


— 

■IuU5. 

Guus. 

BrcacUUc. 

3lcn. 

KiUeJ. 

WonndeJ. 

Tutal. 

Bedor 

52 

Lbs. 

40U? 

223 

9 

33 

12 

Aigle.     .     . 

1,002 

40' 

381 

500     ) 

5 

11 

Hi 

Gloire 

'V* 

171 

2.-5  n  1 

Time,  3  hums. 

I  TwcntJ--eght  2l's  and  twelve  8'8.     Shs  was  the  finest  frigste  in  the  French  navy.     Both  frigates  had  n:any 
truopa  uu  board. 

Amongst  the  severely  wounded  was  the  British  captain, 
Bourchier.  After  the  action  the  water  gained  so  on  the  pumps 
that  the  hold  filled  and  the  provisions  spoiled.  A  temble  scene 
followed.     The  officers  with  swords   and   pistols   kept   the   faiUng 


S8  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792.  [1782. 

seamen  to  the  pumps,  at  which  several  men  dropped  dead.  After 
incredible  sufferings  the  remnant  of  this  licroic  crew  was  rescued  by 
a  gallant  privateersman,  Hill  of  the  Hawke,  a  Dartmouth  snow. 
At  imminent  risk  to  his  own  small  craft,  he  embarked  the  Hector's 
men,  and  reached  St.  John's  in  safety  with  them. 

The  other  warships  of  Graves's  squadron  were  equally  un- 
fortunate. In  a  gale  on  September  8th  the  Caton  sprang  a  leak, 
and,  with  the  Pallas,  was  ordered  to  put  back  to  Halifax,  where 
both  arrived.  On  September  16th,  the  fleet  and  convoy,  then 
ninety  sail  strong,  were  off  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  when  a 
terrific  E.S.E.  gale  caught  them,  rising  steadily  during  the  evening 
and  night,  till,  early  in  the  morning,  a  furious  N.N.W.  squall 
succeeded.  The  sudden  shift  of  the  wind  was  disastrous  to  the 
fleet.  The  Eamillies  lost  her  main,  mizen,  and  foretop  masts. 
A  perfect  deluge  of  water  descended ;  the  seas  swept  the  deck ; 
on  all  sides  signals  of  distress  were  flying ;  and  there  was  scarcely 
a  man-of-war  which  was  not  dismasted  and  fomidering.  At  10  A  M. 
of  the  9th,  the  BamiUies,  with  fifteen  feet  of  water  in  her  hold, 
was  abandoned  and  set  on  fire,  her  crew  taking  to  the  boats.  The 
Ville  de  Paris  and  Glorieux  were  never  seen  again.  A  seaman, 
floating  on  a  mass  of  wreckage,  was  picked  up  by  a  Danish 
merchant  ship.  He  had  been  in  the  ViUe  de  Paris,  had  seen  the 
Glorieux  sink,  and  could  tell  nothing  more.  Memory  had  left 
him.  The  Centaur  lost  all  her  masts  and  her  rudder.  When  she 
heeled  in  the  squall,  the  water  in  the  hold  burst  up  between  decks, 
and  the  ship  became  a  water-logged  hulk,  setthng  slowly.  The 
tale  of  those  who  survived  is  one  of  the  most  piteous  records  of 
human  agony— mental  and  physical.  Her  captain,  John  Nicholson 
Inglefield,  untrue  to  the  greatest  traditions  of  our  Navy,  which 
ordain  that  the  Captain  shall  be  the  last  to  quit  his  ship,  at  what- 
soever peril  to  himself,  left  her  in  a  pinnace  with  eleven  others, 
and,  after  enduring  incredible  tortiires,  reached  the  Azores  sixteen 
days  later.  The  Canada— owe  suspects  very  skilfully  handled  by 
such  a  captain  as  Corn wallis— lost  her  mizenmast,  but  reached 
Great  Britain,  though  leaking  heavily.  The  Jason  arrived  in  a 
similar  condition. 

That  the  men-of-war  must  have  been  in  a  dilapidated  condition 
is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  losses  of  the  convoy  were  by  no 
means  so  heavy.  The  captured  vessels  would  naturally  be  in  bad 
order.     The  liamillies  was   an  old  craft— built   in    1763— and   had 


1782.]  CAPTUBE   OF  THE  AIGLE.  89 

been  some  time  on  the  station  ;  the  Centaur,  built  in  1759,  was 
even  worse.  But  such  was  our  want  of  ships  that  these  vessels 
had  to  be  employed. 

On  September  9th,  foiu-  East  Indiamen  and  "country  ships" 
beat  off  the  French  frigate  Pourvoijeuse,  40,  in  the  Straits  of  Malacca. 

On  September  12th,  the  French  frigates  Aigle  and  Gloire  chased 
and  captured  the  British  14-gun  brig  Racoon,  Lieut.  Edmimd 
Nagle.'  On  the  same  day  they  were  chased  by  a  British  squadron 
under  Captain  the  Hon.  George  Keith  Elphinstone,  composed  of 
the  Warwick,  50,  Lion,  64,  Vestal,  28,  and  Bonetta,  14.  On  the 
13th,  the  two  Frenchmen  entered  the  Delaware  by  a  shallow  and 
difficult  channel,  whither  Captain  Elphinstone  followed  them.  On 
the  14th,  after  a  desperate  pm-suit,  the  Aigle  ran  aground  in  shallow 
water.  The  Vestal  and  Bonetta  placed  themselves  on  her  quarter, 
the  Sophie,  a  prize  captured  from  the  French,  took  station  imder 
her  stem;  and,  unable  to  make  any  reply,  the  Aigle  struck, 
not,  however,  without  Captain  La  Touche-Treville  having  cut 
away  his  masts  and  bored  through  the  bottom  of  his  ship.  She 
was  got  off  and  repaired  by  her  captors.  The  Gloire,  of  lighter 
draught,  escaped  up  the  river.  La  Touche-Treville  was  made 
prisoner  and  taken  to  Great  Britain. 

On  October  14th,  Captain  George  William  Augustus  Courtenay 
of  the  Eurijdice,  24,  captured  the  French  14-gun  brig  Sainea  (sic), 
of  one  hundred  and  six  men.  At  about  the  same  time  the 
Jackal,  14,  captured  the  French  lugger  Sylph. ^ 

On  October  17th,  the  London,  98,  Captain  James  Kempthorne, 
Torhaij,  74,  Captain  John  Lewis  Gidoin,  and  the  sloop  Badger,  14, 
sighted  and  chased  two  strange  sail  off  San  Domingo.^  These 
were  the  Scipion,  74,  Captain  de  Grimoard,  and  the  40-gun  frigate 
Sibylle,  both  French  vessels.  The  London,  in  the  course  of 
the  afternoon,  drew  up  with  the  Scipion,  and  a  running  fight  began, 
both  ships  using  their  chasers,  and  the  London  yawing  from 
time  to  time  to  bring  her  broadside  to  bear.  The  Sibylle  kept  on 
the  London's  bows,  and  maintained  a  galling  fire.  At  8.30  p.m. 
the  London  got  close  enough  to  use  her  broadside  with  effect.  For 
twenty  minutes  the  two  fought,  and  then  fell  on  board  one  another, 

'  Beatson,  v.  548  ff. ;  Troude,  ii.  209  ;  Lond.  Gazette,  Nov.  12th. 

"  Lond.  Gazette,  Oct.  19th.  Not  in  Troude ;  probabl.v  the  Samea  and  Sylj^h  were 
privateers  or  amied  ships.   This  Jackal  was  a  cutter,  commanded  by  Lieut.  Daniel  Dobree. 

'  Beatson,  v.  526  ff. ;  Gazette  de  France,  489  ;  Troude,  ii.  210;  C.  M.,  60,  Nov.  26th, 
which  also  gives  extracts  from  logs. 


90 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792. 


[1782. 


the  Sciplon's  larboard  cathead  being  abreast  of  the  London's  star- 
board gangway.  "When  the  Scipion  got  clear,  the  small-arms'  fire 
of  both  ships  had,  in  the  few  minutes  duiing  which  the  ships  were 
locked  together,  wrought  terrible  ravages  amongst  the  men  at  the 
upper  deck  guns.  The  Scij)ion  passed  astern  of  the  London  and 
raked  her,  shooting  away  her  weather  tiller-rope  and  fore-yard  arm, 
and  wounding  her  mizenmast.  Thus  disabled,  the  London  all  but 
fell  on  board  the  Torhaij,  which  had  come  up  on  the  French 
ship's  larboard  quarter  and  opened  fire.  Both  ships  were  much 
delayed,  and  the  Scipion  was  given  a  start.  The  Torbay  and 
the  London,  as  soon  as  it  was  possible  to  wear  her,  resumed  the 
pursuit,  and  exchanged  some  shots  with  her  and  with  the  Sibylle 
during  the  night,  but  the  two-decker  was  able  to  get  away.  Closely 
pui-sued,  she  entered  Samana  Bay  on  the  morning  of  the  18th,  and 
was  just  anchoring  there  when  she  struck  a  rock  and  sank.  Her 
behaviour  in  the  action  with,  and  her  escape  from,  two  such 
powerful  ships  as  the  London  and  Torbay  were  most  creditable 
to  her.     The  Sibylle  easily  effected  her  escape. 


Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Jlen. 

KUled. 

■Woun-led. 

Total. 

j  London    . 

1,894 

98' 

Lbs. 

1018 

743  d. 

11 

72 

83 

1  Torhay 

1,572 

82 

828 

594  n. 

? 

•) 

') 

{Scipion 

74 

828 

734  n. 

15 

43 

58 

{Sihtjlh     .      . 

32 

174 

275  n. 

? 

? 

0 

1  The  I.omloii  is  described  as  a  90-giiii  sbip,  but  (  liamoik,  Sttel,  and  the  French  autliorities  call  her  a  93. 
Here  she  has  been  recki-ueJ  as  a  98  with  10  carronades. 

A  court  of  inquiiy  into  Captain  Kempthome's  behaviour  acquitted 
him  houom-ably. 

Troude  mentions  the  capture,  dm-ing  October,  of  the  Molly,  18, 
off  jNIadeira,  by  the  French  corvette  Scinillante,  18. 

On  December  6th,  Eear-Admiral  Sir  Eichard  Hughes  (3)  fell  in 
with  a  small  French  squadron  off  Barbados ;  and  the  Buby,  64, 
Captain  John  Collins,  succeeded  in  bringing  the  Solitaire,  64, 
Captain  Chevalier  de  Borda,  to  close  action  at  about  1.30  p.m.* 
After  a  stout  fight,  the  French  ship  struck,  as  a  second  vessel  of 
the  line  was  coming  up  to  the  help  of  the  Ruby. 


'  Trouae,!211 ;  Beatson,  v.  480. 


1782-83.] 


CAPTURE   OF   THE  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


91 


Tons. 

Guns. 

BroaUsitie. 

y\m. 

Killr.l. 

Wounded. 

■lotal. 

Ruby  .      .      . 

1,369 

72 

Lbs. 
648 

401  n. 

.  , 

2 

2 

Solitaire  , 

1,521 

Gl 

."-.lo 

oSHii. 

over  '.'0 

35 

55 

At  the  same  time,  the  Erench  18-guu  bloop  Anipliitritc  was 
captured.^  The  Solitaire  was  pm-chased  for  the  Navy,  and  kept 
her  old  name. 

On  December  12th,  Captain  the  Hon.  John  Luttrell,  in  the 
Mediator,  44,  sighted  five  French  and  American  vessels,  mostly 
storeships  or  vessels  armed  en  flute,  and  bound  for  the  West  Indies. 
They  shortened  sail  and  waited  for  him,  on  whicli  he  bore  down, 
captured  the  Alexandre,  mounting  twenty-four  9-prs. ;  then,  resuming 
the  chase,  got  possession  of  two  more  large  ships,  the  Eiujbne  and 
Menagb-e,  without  the  loss  of  a  man  in  the  Mediator.  The 
Alexandre's  captain,  when  a  prisoner  in  the  Mediator,  attempted 
to  foment  a  mutiny,  for  which  he  was  placed  in  irons. 

On  December  '20th,  a  British  squadron,  consisting  of  the 
Diomede,  44,  Captain  Thomas  Lenox  Frederick,  Quebec,  32,  and 
Astrcea,  32,  off  the  Delaware,  fell  in  with  the  South  Carolinan  frigate 
South  Carolina.^  After  an  eighteen  hours'  chase,  the  Diomede, 
seconded  by  the  Quebec,  closed  the  American,  which  fought  for  two 
hours,  and  then,  as  the  Astrcea  was  coming  up  fast,  struck.  The 
South  Carolina  carried  an  extraordinarily  heavy  battery  for  a 
frigate — twenty-eight  32-prs.,  and  twelve  12-prs. 


— 

■]"iis. 

Guns. 

Broadbiile. 

Men. 

Kill.HL 

Wuunded. 

Total. 

(Diomede  . 

891 

54 

Lbs. 

438 

297  n. 

? 

? 

1 

( Quebec 

GOD 

40 

24G 

217  u. 

? 

? 

? 

Soiifh  Ciirdlinn 

•10 

520 

450 

'> 

•3 

G 

On  January  2nd,  1783,  the  British  ships  Endijviion,  44,  and 
Magicienne,  36,  Captain  Thomas  Graves  (3),  chased  a  French 
convoy,  in  charge  of  the  Sibylle,  32,  Captain  Kcrgariou  Locmaria, 

'  Possibly  a  piivatcer,  as  another  Amphilrlle  appears  iu  the  Kieiieh  uavy  a  few 
weeks  later. 

'^  Bcatson,  551.  He  gives  the  South  Carolina,  42-pr6.,  not  32-prs.  She  was  160  ft. 
long.     Logs  of  Diomede  and  Quebec. 


92 


MINOS    OPEBATIONS,   1763-1792. 


[1783. 


and  Bailleur,  14,  off  San  Domingo.^  The  Magicienne  quickly  out- 
stripped her  consort  and  overhauled  the  two  French  ships.  She 
gave  the  Bailleur  two  broadsides,  and  then  closed  with  the  Sibylle, 
at  about  2  p.m.  Almost  at  once  she  lost  her  foremast.  The  two 
frigates  laj'  so  close  together  that  their  sides  touched,  and  the  men 
fought  from  their  ports  with  pikes  and  rammers.  At  2.30  the 
Magicienne  s  remaining  masts  followed  her  foremast,  and  she  was 
left  helpless.  At  about  the  same  time  Captain  Kergariou  was 
wounded.  The  Sibylle  drew  ahead  and  made  off,  as  the  Endymion 
was  fast  coming  up.  She  succeeded  in  escaping.  The  Railleur 
got  away  for  the  time,  but  was  taken  on  Januarj'  11th  by  the 
Cyclops,  28,  on  the  American  coast.  The  aimament  of  the  Sibylle 
is  disputed.  British  authorities  describe  her  as  a  36-gun  ship,^ 
Prench,  as  a  32.  Accepting  the  French  version  her  defence  was 
exceedingly  creditable. 


Magicienne 


Broadside. 

.Mcu. 

KUleJ. 

WuuuiiLtl. 

Lbs. 

174 

275  n. 

13 

38 

258 

270  n. 

18 

.SI 

51 

49 


Time,  90  minutes. 

On  January  19th,  in  the  West  Indies,  the  Leander,  50,  Captain 
John  Willett  Payne,  with  a  convoy  in  charge,  fell  in  with  a 
hostile  74-gun  ship.^  Iii  spite  of  the  weakness  of  his  command, 
with  a  temerity  that  merits  the  epithet  of  glorious.  Captain  Payne 
pursued  his  enemy  and  closed  with  her  early  in  the  morning  of 
the  19th.  A  desperate  action  of  two  hours'  duration  followed,  in 
which  the  Leander  was,  as  might  be  expected,  reduced  to  a  wreck, 
her  rigging  in  particular  being  terribly  cut  up.  Her  crew,  how- 
ever, repulsed  all  attempts  to  board.  The  Leander  was  three 
times  set  on  fire  by  burning  wads  from  the  stranger,  but  each  time 
the  fires  were   extinguished.     Finally   the   two   separated,    and    at 

'  Troude,  ii.  257 ;  Beatson,  v.  531. 

'^  Admiral  Digby's  letter  describes  her  as  a  3G-gun  sliip,  with  350  mfen.  The 
Hussar's  log  malies  her  a  38. 

'  Beatson,  V.  482 ;  Log  of  Leander.  No  notice  in  French  authorities.  James,  ii. 
2C8,  calls  the  French  ship  the  Phdon,  Ca])t.  de  Itions,  a  74,  and  gives  the  French  loss  as 
five  killed  and  eleven  wounded.  He  states  that  the  riuton  was  partially  disabled.  My 
own  belief  is  that  the  hostile  ship  of  the  line  was,  as  asserted  in  the  Leander's  log, 
a  Spaniard.  Beatson  gives  no  authority  for  his  statement  that  she  was  the  Cuuronne. 
French  gunnery  was  capable  of  indicting  mucli  more  damage. 


1783.] 


THE  nUSSAli   AND   SIBYLLE. 


93 


daybreak   neither    could   discover    the  other.      Beatson   calls    the 
stranger  the  Courontie. 


I'CIIS. 

Guns. 

Broadside.          lien. 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Leander  . 

. 

1,044 

60' 

Lbs. 

534      ,     350      1 

7 

12  » 

19 

Stranger  . 

•> 

80? 

fiOO?        010? 

? 

? 

? 

Time, 

2  hours  20  minutes. 

1  Carronades 

iucU 

deJ.     The  S 

tranger's  bi*oadsiile  is  calculated  as  that  of  au  IS-p 

r.  ship.     lu 

Ibr 

lAandtr's 

log  the  enemy  is  said  tu  have  been  a  Spanish  74. 
2  Several  mortally. 

Most  of  the  Leander's  wounded  died  of  their  injuries. 

On  January  6th,  as  soon  as  the  Sihylle  had  completed  her  repairs 
after  her  action  with  the  Magicienne,  she  was  caught  by  a  storm 
and  totally  dismantled.'  Jury  masts  had  been  rigged,  and  she  was 
beating  up  the  American  coast,  when,  on  January  22nd,  the  British 
frigate  Hussar,  28,  Captain  Thomas  Macuamara  Kussell,  sighted  her 
off  the  Chesapeake.  Twelve  of  the  SibijUe's  guns  had  been  thrown 
overboard,  so  that  she  was  in  no  situation  to  resist  her  antagonist. 
She  tried  to  escape  by  hoisting  British  over  French  colours,  and 
also,  it  is  alleged,  by  a  misuse  of  the  signals  of  distress.  The  Hussar 
closed  her,  supposing  her  disabled,  when  suddenly  the  Sihylle  fired 
a  broadside  at  the  British  frigate,  and  ran  on  board  her.  Before 
the  French  could  board,  however,  the  Hussar  drew  clear  and  opened 
fire.  After  an  hom-'s  action  the  Sihylle  tried  to  make  off,  but  was 
hotly  pursued  and  again  brought  to  action.  Her  magazine  was 
flooded  by  shot-wounds  below  the  water-line,  so  that  further  re- 
sistance became  impossible,  and  she  was  forced  to  strike.  Owing 
to  Captain  Kergariou's  very  questionable  behaviour,  Captain  Russell 
broke  his  sword  and  placed  him  in  close  confinement.  The  British 
ships  Centurion,  50,  and  Harrier,  18,  were  close  at  hand  when  the 
Sihylle  surrendered ;  and  the  Centurion  actually  gave  her  a  broad- 
side. Twelve  guns  were  thrown  overboard  during  the  chase,  so 
that  when  she  struck  she  had  only  eight  pieces  left. 


Hussar 
Sibylh 


586 


Sren. 


34 

20 


Ll.s. 
1(>8 


200  n. 

200? 


Killed.        Wounded.        TotaL 


Tioude,  238 ;  Beatson,  v.  553,  vi.  34'J ;  GazHte  de  Fan's,  177  ;  Log  of  Hussar. 


94 


MINOS    OPERATIONS,    ITG3-1792. 


[1783. 


On  January  30th,  the  Dutch  50-gun  East  Indiaman  Vrijheid  was 
captured  under  the  guns  of  Cuddalore,  on  the  Indian  coast,  by  the 
boats  of  the  Medea,  28,  Captain  Erasmus  Gower.^  The  Vrijheid 
was  unfortunately  wrecked  soon  after  her  capture. 

On  February  16th,  the  Argo,  44,  Captain  John  Butchart,  was 
tmfortunate  enough  to  be  discovered  and  chased  by  the  French 
frigates  Nijmphr,  36,  Captain  Vicomte  de  Mortemart,  and  Amphi- 
trite,  32,  Captain  de  St.  Ours,  whilst  attempting  to  replace  a  sprung 
main  topmast.-  At  10.30  a.m.  the  Amphitrite  opened  the  action, 
and,  a  little  later,  gained  a  position  on  the  Argo's  starboard  quarter. 
The  Argo's  lower  deck  ports  could  not  be  opened,  owing  to  the  sea 
that  was  nmning  and  to  their  small  height  above  the  water-line ;  and 
she  was  hard  pressed.  The  Amphitrite  next  gained  a  position  on 
her  larboard  quarter,  and  a  steady  fight  continued  until  5  p.m., 
when  the  Nijmphe  came  up  and  the  Argo  struck.  Her  main  top- 
mast— a  new  one,  it  would  appear — had  been  shot  away,  her  rigging 
much  cut  up,  and  she  had  been  badly  hulled  between  wind  and 
water.  On  February  19th,  she  was  chased  and  recaptured  by  the 
Invincihle,  74,  Captain  Charles  Saxton,  the  Ampliitrite  and  Nymphe 
effecting  their  escape.  In  the  British  accounts  the  Concorde,  40,  is 
substituted  for  the  Amphitrite. 


Tons. 

Guns. 

liroadside. 

JUu. 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

■llitill. 

Amphitrite    . 

?i2 

X.bs. 
174 

255  u 

0 

0       i 

0 

Nymphe  . 

3G 

186? 

301  n 

•> 

? 

? 

Argo  .      .      . 

870 

54 

405 

297  n 

13 

• 

13? 

On  Februaiy  1.5th,  the  French  frigate  Concorde,  32,^  Captain  de 
Clesmeur,  whilst  in  company  with  the  Triton,  64,  and  Amphion, 
60,  was  chased  by  a  British  squadron  in  the  West  Indies.  The 
other  two  escaped,  but  the  Concorde  was  overhauled  and  captured 
by  the  St.  Albans,  64,  Captain  Charles  Inglis  (1). 

On  March  2nd,  the  Resistance,  44,  Captain  James  King,  and 
Dugucnj  Troiiin,  14,  Captain  John  Fish,  overtook  and  captured  the 

'  Beatson,  v.  GOG. 

'  Troudc,  i).  240;  Beatson,  v.  483.  The  Log  of  tlie  An/o  was  split  to  pieces  bj-  a 
shot,  but  a  copy  remains.     C.  M.  missing. 

'  Troude,  242 ;  Schomberg,  ii.  13G  ;  Log  of  St.  Albans  gives  lier  41  guns  and 
399  men. 


1783.]  CAPTURE    OF   THE   NAIADE.  95 

French  frigate  Coquette,  28,'  Captain  the  Marquis  de  Grasse- 
Brian^on.^  Learning  from  his  prisoners  that  the  French  had  seized 
and  occupied  Turk's  Island,  Captain  King  informed  Captain  Horatio 
Nelson  of  the  Albemarle,  28.  Eeiuforced  by  the  Drake,  14,  the  ships 
landed  one  hundred  and  sixtj'-scven  men  on  the  island  under  Com- 
mander Charles  Dixon  of  the  Drake,  but  the  attack  was  repulsed, 
and  the  ships  lost  eight  wounded. 

On  April  14th,  the  French  corvette  Na'iade,  20,  Captain  do  A^illaret- 
Joyeuse,  was  chased  in  the  East  Indies  by  the  British  64-gun  ship 
Sceptre,  Captain  Samuel  Graves  (2),  and  captured  after  two  hours' 
desperate  resistance.^  She  lost  two  topmasts,  her  wheel  shot  away, 
and  seven  guns  dismounted.  According  to  Villaret-Joyeuse's  report, 
the  Sceptre  had  her  mainmast  damaged,  her  main  topmast  shot 
away,  and  twenty-foiir  of&cers  and  men  killed  or  womided,  whereas 
the  Nalade  lost  not  a  man.  The  Sceptre's  log,  however,  shows  that 
only  the  mizenmast  was  woimded.  This  was  a  most  honourable 
and  creditable  defence  on  the  part  of  the  French. 

There  is  great  difficulty  in  obtaining  accurate  and  detailed 
information  of  many  of  the  minor  actions  in  the  period  of  the 
American  War.  The  Captains'  letters,  givmg  the  official  version, 
were  usually  published  in  the  Gazette,  and  were  thence  transcribed 
almost  literally  by  the  writers  Beatson  and  Schomberg.  But  these 
letters  are  often  curiously  unreliable,  and  almost  invariably  ex- 
aggerate the  enemy's  force.  Both  in  letters  and  in  ships'  logs  the 
number  of  men  killed  and  wounded  is,  for  the  most  part,  omitted. 
We  hear  in  the  log  if  a  topmast  is  woimded,  or  if  a  cask  of  pork  is 
opened,  but  the  loss  of  human  life  makes  little  or  no  impression.'' 
Again,  logs  and  letters  frequently  contradict  one  another,  and  it  is  a 
nice  question  which  to  believe.  Courts-martial  only  took  place 
when  the  British  ship  was  beaten  and  sm-rendered,  or  when  some 
officer  behaved  badly  ;  but  the  full  evidence  recorded  in  them  gives 
a  most  valuable  and  interesting  picture.  The  French  authority, 
Troude,  is  not,  on  the  whole,  much  more  trustworthy  than  Schom- 

'  Twenty-three  mounted. 

^  St'hoMiberg,  ii.  137  ;  Kicolas,  'Nelson  Dispatches,'  i.  73  ;  Beatson,  v.  534. 

'  Chevalier,  459;  Beatson,  v.  G08 ;  Uughes's  letter  describes  the  Kdiadc  as  of 
30  guns  and  160  men  ;  Log  of  Sceptre. 

*  "  I  do  not  think  that  log-books,  which  are  kept  in  the  manner  in  which  ships' 
log-books  are,  ought  to  be  implicitly  taken  as  evidence,"  said  Capt.  Alex.  A.  Hood  at 
the  C.  M.  on  Kepjiel  in  1779. 


96  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792.  [1763-83. 

berg.  He  often  misdates  actions  by  days  or  weeks ;  he  always 
exaggerates  the  force  of  the  French  ship,  and  depreciates  that  of 
the  British  ship ;  and  it  is  difficult  to  suppose  that  he  drew  upon 
original  French  sources  of  information.  Chevalier  scarcely  touches 
minor  actions.  The  French  Gazette  gives  the  French  captains' 
letters,  and  is  usually  as  trustworthy  as  the  London  Gazette. 

The  armament  of  ships  is  a  veiy  puzzhng  subject  during  both 
this  and  the  next  war.  The  trouble  is  caused  by  the  carronade, 
which  appears,  at  first  permissorily,  in  a  few  British  ships  in  1779, 
and  quickly  spreads.  But  it  is  always  uncertain  whether  a  par- 
ticular British  ship  did  or  did  not  carry  carronades.  Many  Captains 
had  a  great  prejudice  against  them  ;^  others  wanted,  and  obtained, 
more  than  they  were  properly  allowed.  In  regard  to  foreign  ships, 
there  is  even  more  uncertainty.  It  appears,  however,  from  a  casual 
mention  or  two,  that  towards  the  close  of  the  war,  French  ships 
may  occasionally  have  carried  caronnades.  For  example,  if  we 
can  believe  evidence  given  at  the  court-martial  on  Commander  John 
Frodsham,-  the  French  Fee,  32,  carried  four  18-pr.  carronades  in 
1782.  Still,  we  captured  no  prize  that  included  carronades  in  her 
armament.^ 

A  fact  which  does  seem  to  emerge  from  the  ship  actions  of  this 
period  is  the  extreme  importance  of  weight  of  metal.  Otherwise, 
why  should  each  side  endeavour  to  diminish  its  own  weight  of 
broadside,  and  exaggerate  that  of  the  enemy  ?  In  this  war,  the 
quality  of  both  French  officers  and  seamen  was  excellent.  There 
was  little  to  choose  between  them  and  our  men  for  valour  and  skill ; 
and  if  their  operations  on  a  grand  scale  so  often  miscarried,  it  was 
the  faulty  strategy  imposed  by  the  French  Government  that  was  in 
the  main  to  blame.  Instructed  to  avoid  fighting,  their  action  was 
timid.  Even  in  ship  to  ship  encounters  we  find  this  fatal  plan  of 
campaign  exercising  its  paralysing  effect.  Discipline  in  the  French 
fleet  had  not  as  yet  been  subjected  to  the  rude  shocks  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. There  were  no  such  actions  as  we  find  in  the  next  war,  when 
British  frigates  repeatedly  captured  enemies  of  equal  force,  suffering 

'  Tims  the  Endi/mion's  Captain  wants  to  get  rid  of  his  forecastle  18-prs.  Capt. 
Tovey  (Ordnance  Board  Letters,  1778-1783,  MS.,  Record  Office)  reports  against 
carronades  ;  the  wads  blow  bacli  and  set  the  ship  on  fire ;  the  guns  jump  about  and 
break  tlie  breeching. 

^  C.  M.,  50,  Aug.  7th. 

'  Except,  of  course,  vessels  that  had  been  British,  such  as  the  Licorne.  There 
seems  to  be  no  positively  trustworthy  evidence  that  any  foreign  warships  had 
carronades  until  after  1783. — W.  L.  C. 


1763-83.]  IMPORTANCE   OF   WEIGHT   OF  METAL.  97 

little  or  no  loss  themselves,  but  inflicting  terrific  slaughter.  Hence, 
with  men  equal  in  quality  on  both  sides,  and  with,  as  was  usually  the 
case,  the  better  built  ship  on  the  French  side,  weight  of  metal  won 
with  a  singular  constancy  in  the  actions  between  British  and  French 
ships.  In  fifteen  cases,  superior  broadside  gave  a  British  ship  the 
victory — omitting  many  instances  where  there  was  a  great  ad- 
vantage on  our  side.  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  discover  a  case 
of  a  French  warship  striking  to  a  British  ship  of  inferior  broadside.' 
There  may  be  error  in  the  figm-es  given  in  the  text  in  one  of  two 
directions :  (1) ,  overstatement  of  the  British  ships'  force  through 
wrong  inclusion  of  carronades;  (2),  understatement  of  French  ships' 
force  through  usually  accepting  the  French  version.  Still,  I  am 
disposed  to  think  my  figiu-es  the  most  accurate  that  can  now  be 
obtained,  and  in  general  correct. 

Taking  eight  typical  instances  of  British  ships  captured  or 
destroyed  by  the  French,  in  four  cases  {Sj}hi?ix,~  Unicorn,  Bover, 
and  Jack),  the  French  force  was  so  very  superior  that  we  can  feel 
no  surprise  at  the  result.  The  other  four  cases  are  of  larger  and 
more  important  ships — the  Minerva,  Fox,  Quebec,  and  Argo.  The 
Minerva's  and  Quebec's  loss  was  due,  in  part,  to  accident.  In  the 
first  there  was  an  explosion  of  powder,  in  circumstances  that  remind 
us  of  that  in  the  Serapis  in  her  action  with  the  Bonhomme  Eichard : 
the  second  was  so  unlucky  as  to  catch  fire.  In  each  instance,  the 
British  ship  was  the  weaker  in  broadside — the  Minerva  slightly 
(allowing  for  the  extra  weight  of  the  French  pound,  which  was  one- 
tweKth  heavier  than  the  English),  the  Quebec  very  much  so.  The 
Minerva  also  was  weakly  manned,  and  was  taken  by  surprise.  The 
Fox  was  much  inferior  in  weight  of  metal  to  the  Junon,  which  beat 
her.  The  Argo  was  superior  in  broadside  to  the  pair  of  French 
frigates  that  attacked  her ;  but  she  was  one  of  our  wretched  class  of 
44-gun  ships  with  lower-deck  ports  only  a  few  inches  above  the 
water,  and  was,  owing  to  the  swell,  imable  to  open  those  ports,  or  to 
use  her  heavj-  guns.  Her  case,  however,  is  all  in  favom-  of  a  heavy 
broadside  perfectly  mounted. 

In  actions  with  United  States'  ships,  we  lost  seven  ships  and 
took  six  under  conditions  that  illustrate  the  value  of  broadside. 
Two   American   vessels,    the   Lexington    and    the    Trumbull,   were 

'  The  Lion,  taken  in  1778  by  the  Maidstone,  a  British  ship  of  inferior  broadside,  was 
a  privateer  ;  and  so  of  many  other  cases,  which  are  apparent  exceptions. 
'  See  index  for  references  to  these  actions. 

VOL.    IV.  H 


98  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792.  [1763-83. 

captured  by  British  ships  of  inferior  force.  The  Lexington  was 
surprised :  the  Trumbull  is  said  to  have  been  miserably  manned. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  British  brigs  Trepasseij  and  Atalanta  were 
captured  by  an  American  frigate  whose  force  was  just  equal  to  theirs 
combined  ;  and  the  General  Monk  was  taken  by  a  Yankee  privateer 
of  equal  force.  The  Trepasseij  and  Atalanta,  however,  were  two 
weak  ships  against  one  strong  one.  The  General  Monk  was  aiined 
almost  entirely  with  carronades,  and  was  attacked  at  ranges  where 
these  weapons  were  inefficient :  moreover,  the  carronades  were  badly 
mounted.  There  remains  the  case  of  the  Scrap  is,  which  was  taken 
by  Paul  Jones  in  a  ship  nominally  her  superior  in  force,  but  actually, 
through  the  defective  artillery  carried,  her  infericr.  Jones,  how- 
ever, was  such  an  exceptionally  able  and  skilful  captain  that,  pitted 
against  a  commonplace,  if  brave,  man,  his  victory  was  almost  certain. 
The  case  illustrates  the  value  of  leadership,  but  it  does  not  destroy 
the  argument  for  a  heavy  broadside.  Moreover,  accidents  played  a 
certain  part.  A  gun  burst  in  the  American,  but  there  was  also  a  serious 
explosion  of  powder  in  the  Serapis  with  the  most  disastrous  results. 
A  featm'e  of  these  minor  actions  is  that  such  an  explosion  usiially 
decides  the  fate  of  the  day  against  the  ship  in  which  it  occurs.  This 
is  natural  when  the  shock  to  the  confidence  of  the  crew  caused  by 
such  an  incident  is  remembered.  In  the  battle  of  Santiago  (1898) 
the  bad  shooting  of  the  Spaniards  was  probably  due  in  part  to  the 
accidents  which  occurred  when  firing-pins  were  blown  out  of  the 
gun-breeches. 

In  actions  with  Spanish  ships,  we  took  six  and  lost  not  one  ship. 
But  all  through  this  century  the  Spanish  navy  was  almost  worthless 
as  a  fighting  force.  "  A  Spanish  ship  chased  is  a  Spanish  ship 
captured,"  was  a  French  proverb  of  the  time.  The  Spanish  ships 
were  wretchedly  manned  and  officered.  Of  the  six  ships  we  took, 
two  were  of  superior  force  to  their  captors,  but  in  each  case  there 
were  other  British  ships  close  at  hand. 

There  were  two  actions  with  Dutch  ships,  both  at  the  same  time 
and  place.  The  result  is  very  instructive.  The  heavier  broadside 
won  in  each  case — a  British  ship  winning  one  action  and  losing 
the  other. 

A  few  instances  may  next  be  examined  where  a  veiy  inferior  ship 
fought  a  very  superior  one.  In  these  cases  it  will  generally  be  foimd 
that,  unless  the  superior  ship  is  crippled  in  some  way,  by  loss  of 
her  rudder  or  masts,  she  inflicts   very  heavy  punishment   on   her 


] 763-83.]  ANOMALOUS    ACTIONS.  99 

antagonist ;  though  there  are  some  ver}-  sti-iking  exceptions.  Thus 
the  British  Notisueh,  64,  in  an  action  with  the  French  Actif,  74, 
loses  90  men  to  the  enemy's  53,  though  she  is  not  taken.  The 
British  Flora  meets  the  French  Nymphe,  of  half  her  weight  of 
metal,  and  takes  her,  inflicting  a  loss  of  136  to  her  own  26  incurred. 
The  French  Capricieuse,  in  action  with  two  ships  of  more  than 
twice  her  weight  of  broadside,  loses  100  men  against  the  loss  of  58 
which  she  inflicts.  The  Belle  Poule  and  Magicieune,  French  3'2's, 
meet,  the  first,  a  64,  suffering  a  loss  of  68,  and  inflicting  a  loss  of  13 ; 
the  second,  a  50,  suffering  a  loss  of  86,  and  inflicting  a  loss  of  only  2. 
Both  were  taken.  Their  fate  shows  the  very  great  risk  which  is 
incurred  by  a  ship  if  she  assails  a  vessel  of  superior  class.  The 
Leander,  a  British  50,  engaged  a  Spanish  74,  and  though  her  loss 
was  not  heavy,  she  was  reduced  to  a  wreck. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  four  or  five  instances  where  the 
weaker  ship  inflicts  disproportionate  loss  on  the  stronger.  The 
French  Belle  Poule,  of  168  lbs.  broadside,  loses  102  men  against  the 
44  men  of  the  British  Arethusa,  of  114  lbs.  No  explanation  can  be 
given,  except  that  the  British  gunnery  was  better,  and  that  the 
French  fired  to  dismast.  The  British  Isis,  of  414  lbs.  broadside,  is 
said  to  have  inflicted  on  the  French  Cesar,  of  828  lbs.,  a  loss  of  50 
men,  as  against  her  own  loss  of  16.  Special  circumstances,  such  as 
the  clearing  for  action  of  the  Frenchman  on  only  one  side,  may 
account  for  this.  Then  there  is  the  case  of  the  French  Scijnon,  of 
828  lbs.  broadside,  engaged  with  the  London,  of  1018  lbs.,  or  perhaps 
even  more.  The  Scipion  loses  58,  and  the  Londan  83  men.  Each 
ship  had  some  assistance — the  Scipion  from  a  32-gun  frigate,  and 
the  London  from  a  74.  Possibly  the  French  74,  Scipion,  was  a 
stronger  and  stouter  ship  than  the  British  90,  London. 

Superior  nautical  qualities  and  size  in  ships,  strangely  enough, 
seem  to  go  for  very  little  in  action.  Again  and  again,  short, 
small,  heavily-aimed  British  ships  capture  longer,  larger,  but  less 
heavily-armed  enemies.  The  Spaniards  seem  to  have  been  the 
worst  offenders  in  undergunning  their  ships.  Thus  the  Gratia, 
of  528  tons,  carries  thirty  6-  and  4-pounders.  Her  captor,  the 
Cerberus,  of  593  tons,  carries  twenty-eight  9-pounders.  So,  again, 
the  Sfa.  Catalina,  though  far  lai'ger  than  her  captor,  has  an 
annament  inferior  by  25  per  cent. 

Actions  with  privateers  were  very  niunerous,  but  have,  for  the 
most  part,  been   omitted.     The  want   of  discipline  in   those  craft 

H  2 


100  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792.  [1763-83. 

rendered  them  usually  an  easy  prey  to  far  smaller  men-of-war. 
There  were  exceptions,  however,  when  privateers  captm-ed  British 
men-of-war.  For  instance,  the  Eginont,  Savage,  and  General  Monk, 
all  three  small  vessels,  were  taken  by  American  privateers.  In  the 
first  the  powder  was  wet ;  in  the  second  the  British  crew  was  too 
small,  and  the  ship  too  weak  to  stand  up  against  her  opponent. 
The  loss  of  the  General  Monk  has  akeady  been  explained. 

French,  Dutch  and  American  privateers  swarmed  in  British  seas. 
In  May,  1777,  there  were  five  American  privateers  lying  off  Water- 
ford,  waiting  for  the  Newfoundland  fleet.  In  the  same  year,  two 
privateers  anchored  in  Solway  Firth ;  off  KintjTe  there  were  two 
more,  and  others  cruised  between  Jersey  and  Guernsey.  "  Fall,  the 
Pirate,"  one  of  the  most  notorious,  was  chased,  unsuccessfully,  by 
Nelson,  in  1781.^  He  had  harried  the  coast  of  Scotland.  The 
letters  of  Captain  the  Hon.  Charles  Napier  (1)  show  the  Firth  of 
Forth  to  have  been  much  troubled  by  such  freebooters.-  The 
Jackal,  which  had  been  carried  off  by  her  crew  from  Sheerness, 
under  one  Luke  Ej'an,  an  Irish  outlaw,  was  particularly  active.  As 
the  Navy,  owing  to  the  immense  biu'deus  which  were  imposed  upon 
it,  was  unable  to  afford  adequate  protection  against  the  inroads  of 
these  gentry,  shipowners  generally  armed  their  ships  ;  and  several 
privateers  discovered  that  an  aimed  merchantman  was  quite  capable 
of  giving  very  nasty  knocks.  In  the  course  of  the  war,  Dubhn, 
Penzance,  Banff,  Wbitehaven,  Aberbrothick,  Leith,  and  Newcastle, 
were  either  actually  attacked,  or  threatened  by  American  privateers. 
There  were  practically  no  fixed  defences  at  those  places ;  but  there 
usually  were  Navy  tenders  at  Dublin  and  Leith  on  the  impress 
service.  Liverpool,  however,  had  "two  grand  batteries  of  twenty- 
seven  18-pdrs." 

Thi-ee  actions  illustrate  the  danger  of  sending  ships  to  sea  with 
raw  crews  when  there  is  a  chance  of  their  falling  in  with  the  enem}\ 
The  cases  are  those  of  the  Ardent,  captured  by  the  French,  of  the 
Isis,  badly  fought  in  an  action  with  a  Dutch  ship,  and  of  the 
P^gase,  captm-ed  with  ridiculous  ease  by  Jervis  in  the  Fouclroijant. 

Two  instances  show  a  very  un-British  respect  for  neutrals,  the 
explanation  being  that  the  Navy  was  weak  in  this  war,  and  miequal 
to  all  its  work.     A  hostile  privateer,  the  Stanislas,  runs  aground  in 

'  Nicolas,  i.  50. 

=  Captains'  Letters,  N.  1780,  1781,  Record  OfTice  ;  Cf.  also  G.  Williams,  'Liverpool 
Privateers,'  p.  200  S.,  where  many  curious  and  interesting  details  are  given. 


1763-83.] 


NEUTRALS. 


101 


territorial  waters  off  Ostend,  and  is  not  touched.  A  French  frigate 
and  a  convoy,  in  Algerine  waters,  are  spared.  As  against  this,  a 
Dutch  convoy  is  fired  upon  on  resistance  being  offered  to  an  attempt 
to  search  it. 

If,  generally  speaking,  the  minor  actions  issued  favom-ably  to 
England,  it  was  because  her  ships  were  better  armed,  and  because 
she  had  a  plentiful  supply  of  officers  and   seamen.     In  quality,  it 


^ ,     ^^Zytrm^i^, 


CAPT.    EDWARD   THOMPSON,    R.N.,    AnTHOR   OF    '  A   SEAMAN'S   LETTERS,'   ETC." 
(From  Bidlei/s  engraving  after  a  miniature  once  in  the  possession  of  the  Popham  family.) 

does  not  appear  that  her  officers  were  better  than   those  of  the 
French. 

The  events  of  the  peace,  which  lasted  from  1783  to  1793,  do  not 
call  for  long  description  here. 

'  Capt.  Thompson  died  Commodore  on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa,  in  1786. 


102  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792.  [1787. 

In  the  course  of  1787,  the  interference  of  France  in  the  affairs  of 
Hollaud  ahnost  precipitated  a  fresh  war  between  England  and  her 
old  adversary.  But  as  Fredexnck  William  II.  of  Prussia,  whose 
sister  was  the  wife  of  the  Dutch  Stadtholder,  the  Prince  of  Orange, 
supported  the  policy  of  Britain,  France  withdrew  her  assistance 
from  the  rebels,  or  "  patriots  "  as  they  called  themselves  in  Holland, 
and  the  crisis  ended  peacefully.  Britain  had  given  to  Prussia  an 
undertaking  to  place  forty  ships  of  the  line  in  commission,  and  had 
commissioned  in  October  a  powerful  squadi-on  which  included,  with 
the  guardships  at  the  naval  ports,  thirty  sail  of  the  line  and  eleven 
frigates  or  44-gun  ships.  As  an  answer  to  this,  France  equipped 
sixteen  sail  of  the  line  at  Brest,  and  recalled  an  evolutionary 
squadron  from  the  coast  of  Portugal.  On  October  '27th,  however,  a 
joint  declaration  was  signed  in  Paris  by  which  England  and  France 
agreed  to  disarm ;  and  towards  the  close  of  the  year  a  great  part  of 
the  British  squadron  was  paid  off.^ 

On  December  23rd,  1787,  the  Bounty,  Lieutenant  William  Bhgh, 

left  Spithead  on  a  voyage  to  the  South  Seas,"  for  the  purpose  of 

collecting  bread-fruit  plants,  which  were  to  be  introduced  into  the 

West  Indies.     She  was  an  armed  transport  of   two  hundred  and 

fifteen  tons,  with  a  crew  of  forty-four  officers  and  men,  and  two 

gardeners  for  the  care  of  the  plants.     Her  chief  officers  were,  besides 

Bhgh,  John  Fryer,  Master ;  William  Elphinstone,  Master's  Mate  ; 

Fletcher  Christian,  Lieutenant  (actg.) ;  and  John  Hallett,  Thomas 

Hayward,  Eobert  Tinkler,  Peter  Heywood,  Edward  Young,  George 

Stewart,   Midshipmen.     Unfortunately  the  offices  of   Captain   and 

Purser  were  combined  in  Bligh's  person.     He  himself  was  a  harsh 

and  tyrannical  officer,  as  his  subsequent  behaviour  when  governor 

of  New  South  Wales  proved.^    From  the  very  outset  he  behaved 

vdth  great  violence  and  brutality  to  his  crew.     The  provisions  issued 

were  hght   in  weight   and   defective  in    quality.      At   Tenerife  he 

accused  his  men  of  steaHng  cheese,  and  stopped  the  rations  of  both 

officers   and  men   till  the  deficiencj'  was   made  good.      When  the 

crew   remonstrated   mildly  he   told   them,    "You  damned  infernal 

scoundrels,  I'll  make  you  eat  grass  or  anything  you  can  catch  before 

I've  done  with  you."     On  further  complaints  he  threatened  to  flog 

'  Ann.  Reg.  1787,  192  flf.]  ;  Malmesbury,  'Memoirs';  Stanhoiie,  'Pitt,'  i.  344. 

'  Bligh, 'Narrative  of  tlie  Mutiny  ou  board  H.M.S  Bounty';  Marshall,  'Naval 
Biography,'  ii.  747,  Sujiplement,  i.  98 ;  '  Courts-Martial,'  vol.  70. 

'  He  was  deposed  and  dei)orted  for  "  harsh  and  despotic  conduct "  in  that  capacity, 
in  1806. 


1788.]  MUTINY  IN   THE  BOUNTY.  '  103 

the  first  man  who  said  a  word.  What  with  hard  duty  in  the  in- 
temperate weather  of  the  Southern  Atlantic,  confinement  in  a  small 
ship  usually  battened  down,  and  bad  food,  many  of  the  crew  fell  ill. 
But  the  service  was  perfonned  with  alacrity,  and  all  went  well 
between  the  Cape  and  Tasmania,  where  the  Bounty  anchored  in 
Adventure  Bay  on  August  20th,  1788.  There  Bligh  confined  his 
Carpenter,  WiUiam  Purcell.  Leaving  Adventure  Bay  the  Bounty 
anchored  in  Matavie  Bay,  Tahiti,  on  October  26th.  Bligh's  conduct 
now  became  more  arbitrary  than  ever.'     We  read  that — 

"  Lieutenant  Bligh  seized  on  all  hogs  that  came  to  the  ship,  whether  large  or  small, 
dead  or  alive,  claiming  them  as  his  property,  and  serving  them  out  as  the  ship's 
allowance  in  the  proportion  of  one  pound  per  diem.  He  also  seized  on  those  belonging 
to  the  Master,  and  slaughtered  them  for  the  use  of  the  crew,  although  he  had  more 
than  40  of  his  own  on  board  .  .  .  When  the  Master  remonstrated  with  him  on  the 
subject,  he  replied  that  he  would  convince  him  that  everything  became  his  as  soon  as 
it  was  brought  on  board ;  that  he  would  take  nine-tenths  of  any  man's  property."  ^ 

On  various  pretexts  the  crew's  allowance  of  spirits  was  curtailed ; 
Christian  was  bullied  and  abused  ;  and  a  Midshipman  who  was  on 
watch  when  three  seamen  deserted  was  put  in  irons  and  kept  there 
for  the  greater  part  of  three  months,  because  he  had  slept  on  watch. 
To  the  natives  Bligh  behaved  with  most  undiplomatic  severity.  On 
April  26th,  1789,  the  Bounty  weighed  for  her  homeward  voyage. 
Next  day  Bligh  pretended  to  miss  some  cocoanuts,  and  accused 
Christian  of  stealing  them,  abusing  him  in  the  presence  of  the  other 
officers,  and  calling  him  a  "  damned  hound,"  and  them  "  scoundrels," 
"thieves,"  and  "rascals."  On  the  night  of  the  28th,  Christian, 
exasperated,  determined  to  leave  the  ship  and  swim  ashore,  but 
suddenly  conceived  the  idea  of  seizing  the  vessel.  He  took  into  his 
confidence  four  seamen  who  had  been  flogged  by  Bhgh,  distributed 

'■  Johu  Adams,  the  sole  survivor  of  the  mutineers  who  tied  to  Pitcairn  Island, 
spoke  to  Capt.  Tliomas  Staiaes,  in  1814,  of  Bligh's  "  harsh  and  severe  treatment  in 
terms  of  strong  feeling."     Marshall,  Suppl.,  i.  103.     He  was  living  in  1820. 

"  From  the  diary  of  James  Morrison,  Boatswain's  Mate  in  the  Bounty.  Marshall's 
account  of  the  mutiny  (loc.  cit.)  is  based  on  this  and  not  on  Bligh's  own  version,  which 
is  a  masterpiece  of  suppression  and  innuendo.  The  diary  has  never  been  published  in 
full.  Morrison  was  a  man  of  good  character.  He  was  not  one  of  the  mutineers ;  and, 
though  he  was  sentenced  to  death,  was  immediately  pardoned  and  promoted.  He 
served  under  Troubridge,  as  Gunner  in  the  unhappy  Blenheim,  and  was  lost  in  her 
in  1807.  He  is  therefore  a  witness  who  can  be  trusted.  Bligh  had  obvious  reasons 
for  concealing  the  truth  about  his  own  brutalities  and  arbitrariness.  He  served 
afterwards  with  credit  at  Copenhagen,  where  he  won  Lord  Nelson's  praise,  and  apiiears 
to  have  been  brave  and  capable  as  an  officer.  But  he  was  a  type  of  the  worst  kind  of 
naval  officer,  such  as  we  find  gibbeted  in  Marryat  and  Smollett,  and  appearing  from 
time  to  time  in  the  records  of  the  courts-martial,  a  man  intoxicated  with  ]iuwer. 


104  MINOn    OPERATIONS,   1763-1792.  [1788-89. 

alius  to  them  from  the  anns'-chest,  at  which  he  got  bj'  stratagem, 
and  then  seized  and  secm-ed  BHgh,  the  Master,  the  Gminer  (WiUiam 
Peckover),  and  the  botanist  (David  Nelson).  BHgh  offered  little  or 
no  resistance,  and  not  one  of  his  officers  raised  a  hand  ;  which  is  not, 
perhaps,  to  be  wondered  at  in  the  circumstances.  Other  seamen 
joined  Christian's  party,  either  willingly  or  by  compulsion.  Bhgh 
and  eighteen  officers  and  men  were  placed  in  the  cutter.  They  were 
given  food,  spirits,  tools,  a  sextant  and  charts,  and  tm-ned  adrift. 
The  boat  laj'  very  low  in  the  water,  and  this  circimistance  prevented 
thi-ee  or  four  of  the  officers  and  men  who  were  loyal  to  Bligh  from 
going  in  her.  There  w^ere  left  in  the  Bounty  at  the  Friendly  Islands, 
Christian,  three  Midshipmen,^  and  twenty-five  other  officers  and  men. 

Enduring  great  hardships  in  his  crowded  boat,  Bligh  steered  for 
Timor.  Being  unanned — for  the  only  weapons  in  the  boat  were  four 
cutlasses — he  did  not  venture  to  toiich  at  any  of  the  New  Hebrides. 
His  party  landed  on  islands  near  the  Australian  coast,  where  they 
obtained  quantities  of  oysters  and  much-needed  rest  after  their 
sufferings.  Leaving  these  islands  on  June  2nd,  1789,  they  pro- 
ceeded towards  Timor,  which  they  reached  on  June  14th.  Through- 
out this  long  and  painful  voyage  in  an  open,  undecked  boat,  Bligh's 
conduct  and  management  were  admirable.  He  showed  firmness  and 
character,  and  he  succeeded  in  bringing  his  party  to  Timor  without 
the  loss  of  a  life.     From  Timor  he  went  to  Batavia,  and  so  home. 

On  his  return  the  Pandora,  24,  Captaiia  Edward  Edwards, 
was  despatched  in  1790  to  search  for  and  capture  the  mutineers. 
BUgh  seems  to  have  made  no  distinction  between  the  innocent  and 
the  guilty,  and  naturally  had  suppressed  all  evidence  of  his  own 
bad  conduct.  Edwards,  who  was  entrusted  with  the  task  of 
avenging  him,  was,  as  subsequent  events  showed,  a  cruel  and 
merciless  man. 

When  the  boat  left  the  Bounty,  the  ship  was  steering  W.N.W. 
She  soon  altered  course  and  put  into  Tahiti,  whence  she  pro- 
ceeded to  the  small  island  of  Toobouai,  where  a  fort  was  built. 
Christian  maintained  strict  discipline  and  placed  offenders  in  irons. 
On  September  11th,  1789,  the  Bounty  returned  to  Tahiti,  where 
sixteen  of  her  crew  wished  to  remain.  Christian,  with  the  other 
eight,  who,  we  may  suppose,  were  the  really  guilty,  dreading 
vengeance,    decided    to    retire    to   some    unknown    island.      They 

'  Heywood,  Stewart  and  Young.     Stewart  was  drowned  iu  irons  when  the  Pandora 
was  wrecked ;  Youn"  died  at  T,ihiti. 


1790-92.]  THE    VOYAGE   OF   THE  PANDORA.  105 

sailed,  therefore,  from  Tahiti,  and  nothing  more  was  heard  of  them 
for  many  years. 

Of  the  sixteen  men  left  at  Tahiti,  two  were  murdered.  On 
March  23rd,  1791,  the  Pandora  arrived  at  the  island,  and  Mid- 
shipmen Heywood  and  Stewart  came  off  and  gave  themselves  up. 
The  other  twelve  men  surrendered  or  were  captured.  All  were 
confined  as  "  piratical  villains,"  with  both  legs  in  irons,  in  a  small 
box,  eleven  feet  long,  on  the  Pandora's  deck.  The  only  ventilation 
was  through  two  gratings  nine  inches  square.  "The  heat  of  the 
prison  during  calm  weather  was  so  intense  that  the  perspiration  ran 
in  streams  from  their  bodies."  Every  torture  that  Edwards  could 
invent  was  applied.  These  men,  most  or  all  of  them  innocent  of 
mutiny,  were  confined  in  this  diminutive  space  until  the}'  were 
covered  with  filth.  Their  bedding  was  vermin-infested,  and  their 
food  wretched.  On  August  '28th,  1791,  the  Pandora  struck  a  reef 
in  Torres  Strait  and  foundered.  It  will  scarcely  be  believed  that 
Edwards  refused,  though  entreated  by  Heywood,  to  release  his 
wretched  prisoners.  Fortunately  for  them  there  were  more  merciful 
hearts  in  the  crew.  As  the  Pandora  sank  the  Master-at-Arms 
dropped  the  keys  of  the  irons  into  the  dreadful  box.  William 
Moulter,  a  boatswain's  mate,  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life,  opened 
the  small  scuttle  in  the  roof,  which  was  the  only  means  of  entrance 
or  exit,  and  ten  of  the  fourteen  escaped,  though  all  had  their  wrists 
handcuffed.  The  other  four  were  drowned.  The  survivors  were 
landed  on  a  small  island,  where  Edwards  left  them  without  clothing 
or  shelter  under  the  scorching  sun  by  day  and  the  icy  dew  at  night.' 
Finally,  they  were  sent  to  the  Cape  in  Dutch  vessels  and  fed,  by 
Edwards's  orders,  in  this  way  :  each  man  was  to  have  3  lbs.  of  bad 
meat,  1^  lbs.  of  stock  fish,  1^  lbs.  of  tamarinds  and  sugar,  i  pint 
each  of  ghee  and  rancid  oil,  and  1  pint  of  vinegar  a  fortnight, 
with  2  drams  of  arrack  and  a  scanty  allowance  of  the  very  worst 
rice  a  daJ^ 

On  June  19th,  1792,  the  so-called  mutineers  reached  England 
and  were  tried  by  court-martial.  Eemembering  the  rigours  of  the 
tribiinals  which  punished  offences  against  discipUne,  it  is  not 
wonderful  to  learn  that  six  of  the  ten  survivors  w^ere  foimd  guilty, 
though  it  is  probable  that  not  one  was  really  guilty,  and  though 
two  of  the  men  so  condemned  had  taken  up  arms  to  rescue  the  ship 

'  It  need  scarcely  be  said  that  Edwards's  own  account  of  his  voyage  says  nothing  of 
all  this  quite  unnecessary  cruelty. 


106  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1763-1792.  [1789. 

in  Bligh's  interest,  whilst  two  more  were  mere  boys  when  the 
mutiny  occuiTed.  Bligh  had  promised  to  make  a  distinction 
between  the  innocent  and  guilty,  and  had  broken  his  promise. 
He  was  absent  from  England  on  a  second  voyage  during  the 
com-t-niartial,  but  it  is  evident  that  he  had  condemned  all  alike 
in  his  reports  to  the  Admiralty.  The  six  were  sentenced  to  death, 
and  three  were  executed  at  Spithead,  amongst  them  being  two  men 
who  were  undoubtedly  innocent.  Midshipman  Heywood  and  Boat- 
swain's Mate  Morrison  were  pardoned,  and  a  third  man  was  re- 
spited. Heywood  was  employed  in  the  subsequent  war  in  Howe's 
flagship,  and  great  interest  was  taken  in  him  by  both  Howe  and 
Hood.     He  served  with  marked  distinction  throughout  the  war. 

It  is  strange  that  such  men  as  Bligh  and  Edwards  were  in 
no  way  censured  or  punished.  Both  died  after  having  attained 
flag-rank. 

Nothing  more  was  heard  of  Christian  and  the  other  mutineers 
till  1813,  when  the  Admiralty  was  informed  by  an  American  trader, 
who  had  touched  at  the  small  and  remote  Pitcairn's  Island  in  the 
Southern  Pacific,  that  he  had  found  it,  to  his  great  surprise,  in- 
habited by  survivors  or  descendants  of  the  mutineers.  On  September 
17th,  1814,  Captain  Thomas  Staines,  of  the  Briton,  independently 
discovered  the  island  and  its  inhabitants.  After  this  lapse  of  time, 
John  Adams,  the  sole  survivor  of  the  Bounty  mutineers,  was  not 
molested.^ 

On  December  24th,  1789,  whilst  on  a  voyage  from  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  to  Australia,  the  Guardian,  armed  en  fli'de.  Lieutenant 
Edward  Eiou,  being  in  want  of  water,  approached  an  immense 
iceberg,  a  little  to  the  north-east  of  the  (then  unknown)  Marion 
Isles,  to  obtain  blocks  of  ice.  Boats  were  lowered  and  a  quantity 
of  ice  was  collected ;  but  on  the  ship  attempting  to  stand  off  from 
the  berg  she  was  embayed  by  an  indraught,  and  struck  violently 
upon  a  submerged  hummock,  damaging  her  stern  and  rudder.  With 
gi'eat  difficulty  she  got  off,  after  striking  a  second  time  abreast  of  the 
main  chains.  It  was  then  found  that  the  water  in  her  well  was 
rising  fast.  All  hands  manned  the  pumps,  but  at  midnight  of  the 
25th  the  water  in  the  hold  was  4  feet  6  inches  ;  at  6  a.m.  of  the  26th, 
7  feet  deep.  A  furious  sea  was  running,  and  this  further  em- 
barrassed the  crew.     There  were  many  convicts  on  board,  and  to 

'  The  Pitcairn  islanders  have  since  been  removed,  at  their  own  wish,  to  Norfolk 
Island,  in  the  South  Pacific. 


1789-91.]  WRECK   OF  THE   GUARDIAN.  107 

keep  order  amongst  them  was  by  no  means  easy.  Riou  gave 
permission  to  his  officers  and  crew  to  take  to  the  boats,  but  for 
himself  announced  his  absolute  determination  to  remain  in  the  ship. 
From  this  resolve  he  could  not  be  moved  by  any  entreaties.  The 
launch,  the  large  cutter  and  the  jolly-boat  were  got  out,  and  a 
certain  number  of  officers  and  men  jumped  into  them  or  swam 
to  them  when  they  put  off,  leaving  Riou  and  sixty-one  souls  in  the 
Guardian,  as  it  seemed,  to  hopeless  destruction.  The  jolly-boat, 
however,  had  not  gone  far  when  she  foundered.  The  launch  was 
picked  up  by  a  French  merchantman  on  January  3rd,  1790,  after 
her  crew  had  suffered  terrible  privations.  The  cutter  appears  to 
have  been  lost. 

Wonderful  to  relate,  the  Guardian  did  not  founder.  Her  hold  was 
full  of  casks  which  buoyed  her  up,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  ballast 
washed  out  through  the  gaps  in  her  bottom  and  lightened  her.  She 
drove  before  the  wind  and  sea  till,  on  February  21st,  1790,  the  coast 
of  Cape  Colony  was  sighted.  She  was  beached  in  Table  Bay,  and 
all  those  who  had  remained  on  board  her  were  saved.  Eiou,  whose 
conduct  rose  to  a  height  of  courage  above  all  praise,  met  an  early 
and  glorious  death  eleven  years  later  in  the  battle  of  Copenhagen. 
His  example  will  inspire  men  to  heroic  devotion  and  self-sacrifice  so 
long  as  the  annals  of  om*  Navy  are  read  and  studied. 

The  years  1790  and  1791  were  chiefly  famous  for  the  Spanish 
and  Russian  armaments.'  Spain  had  laid  claim  to  Nootka  Sound  on 
the  west  coast  of  A'ancouver,  and  had  despatched  a  force  to  eject  the 
British  traders  there  estabhshed.  Following  the  precedent  of  1770, 
the  British  Government  at  once  demanded  restitution,  and  com- 
missioned a  powerful  fleet  under  Admiral  Lord  Howe  (W.).  It 
included  no  fewer  than  twenty-nine  ships  of  the  Hue,  with  nine 
frigates,  two  sloops,  four  cutters,  and  two  fireships.  Under  Howe 
were  the  flag-officers.  Admiral  the  Hon.  Samuel  Barrington  (B.), 
Vice-Admiral  Sir  Alexander  Arthur  Hood  (W.),  Rear- Admiral 
William  Hotham  (1)  (R.),  Eear-Admiral  Sir  John  Jervis  (B.),  and 
Rear- Admiral  Sir  Richard  Bickerton  (B.).  This  great  fleet, 
perhaps  the  most  powerful  ever  assembled  by  England  up  to  that 
time,  cruised  at  sea  dm-ing  Avigust  and  September.  In  October,  Rear- 
Admiral  Samuel  Cornish  (B.)  w^as  detached  to  the  West  Indies  with 
six  ships  of  the  hue.  On  the  28th  of  the  same  month  Spain  came 
to  terms  and  agreed  to  surrender  Nootka  Sound  and  compensate  the 
'  Schomberg,  ii.  217-210,  iv.  428 ;  Stanhope,  'Pitt,'  ii.  4'J. 


108 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,    17G3-1792. 


[1791. 


dispossessed  settlers  and  merchants.     The  specially  commissioned 
ships  were  then  paid  off. 

In  1791,  difficulties  with  Russia,  marking  an  important  change 
in  British  policj',  hut  hardly  falling  within  the  scope  of  a  history  of 
the  British  Navy,  led  to  the  commissioning  of  a  squadron  even  more 
powerful.'  This  was  composed  of  thirty-six  ships  of  the  hne,  one 
50-gun  ship,  and  nine  frigates.  The  officers  in  command  were  Vice- 
Admirals  Lord  Hood  (B.),  the  most  able  and  capable  flag-officer  then 
serving  in  the  Navy,  and  William  Hotham  (1)  (B.),  and  Eear- 
Admirals  Sir  Eichard  King  (1)  (E.),  Jonathan  Faulknor  (1)  (E.), 
Phillips  Cosby  (W.),  the  Hon.  John  Leveson  Gower  (W.),  and 
Samuel  Granston  Goodall  (B.).  In  August  the  differences  were 
settled,  whereupon  most  of  the  ships  were  put  out  of  commission. 

■  Stanhope,  '  Pitt,'  ii.  113  ff. ;  Schomberg,  iv.  437. 


A    THREE-DECKER   OP   THE    EIGHTEENTH    CENTURY. 


(      109     ) 


APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTEES  XXXI.  AND  XXXII. 


NAVAL  LOSSES  OP  THE  BELLIGERENT  POWERS,  1775-1783. 

-Vessels  of  H.M.  Navy,  or  employed  under  Naval  Officers,  Taken, 
DESTitojED,  Burnt,  Foundered  or  Wrecked,  1775-1783. 


Year. 

Date. 

Name 

. 

1 

Commander. 
•  Lost  his  life. 

1775 

.. 

Pomona  .... 

18 

Com.  Thomas  Eastwood.* 

1775 

Stimiie    . 

8 

,,      Hugli  Bromeiige. 

1775 

July  16. 

Diligtut.    8 

chooner 

Lieut.  Jolin  Kiiinlit  (2). 

1776 

Itoltou,  brig 

. 

12 

,.       Edward  Suryd. 

I77G 

June   29 

Artaon   . 

28 

Capt.  Christopher  Atlcins. 

17-0 

Aug. 

l-'erret     . 

14 

Com.  James  Rodney.* 

1776 

Dec. 

Hacehnrse,  a 

cbooner 

12 

Lieut.  James  Jones. 

1777 

.. 

Repulse  . 

. 

32 

Capt.  Henry  Daviea.* 

1777 

Liverpool 

28 

„     Henry  ISellew. 

1777 

jEarlo/Bute 
\     Ebip     . 

.armed 

26 

Com.  Benjamin  Hill. 

1777 

Pejasus  . 

16 

„    J —  Hamilton  Gore.* 

1777 

Spriijhtly,  c 

itter    '. 

12 

Lieut.         Hills.* 

1777 

Cruiser  . 

8 

Com.  Francis  Parry  (2). 

1777 

.. 

r«(<i(     . 

20 

Capt.  James  Shirley.* 

1777 

Jtme     7 

fhx    .     . 

28 

f    „     Patrick     Fothering- 
\             ham. 

1777 

Oct.     23 

Merlin     . 

IS 

Com.  Samuel  Reeve. 

1777 

„       23 

Auijusta 

64 

Capt.  Francis  Reynolds. 

1777 

Nov.   10 

Syren      . 

20 

„    Tobias  Fumeaux. 

1778 

(Gr<impttSt 
I    transp. 
Mertnaid 

armed 

32 

Com.  John  Frod&ham. 

1778 

•  • 

28 

Capt.  James  Hawker. 

177<j 

Mercury 

24 

„    James  Montagu  (1). 

1778 

SwalUiw 

16 

Com.  C—  Warre.* 

1778 

Swift      .     . 

16 

„    Joseph  Tathwell. 

1778 

Cupid      .      . 

16 

„     ^\'iUiam  Carlyon. 

1778 

Ifispatch.     . 

14 

.,    J—  Itotham.* 

1778 

York,  tender     .     . 

12 

Lieut.  Thomas  Walbeoff. 

1778 

Spy    .     .     ■     .     . 

12 

/    ,,          Thomas      Lenox 
I              Frederick. 

1778 

illiuchinbroke,    1 
I    armed  vesael .      1 

12 

1778 

Helena    .... 

12 

„    Thomas  Hicks. 

1778 

OlUr 

10 

,,    John  Wright. 

1778 

i'liferjimc,  tender . 

10 

1778 

Apr.    24 

Drake     .... 

14 

Com.  George  Burden.* 

1773 

June   24 

Folkestone   .     .     . 

8 

Lieut.  W— Smith  (I). 

1778 

.Inly     9 

Lively     .... 

22 

Capt.  Ilolwrt  Riggs. 

1778 

17 

Alert,  cutter      .     . 

'2 

(Lieut.    William     George  i 
[            Fairfax.                 i 

177S 

„       30 

Ki?ii/fisker  . 

16 

1778 

Aug. 

Stanley  .... 

10 

1778 

7 

Jutw 

32 

Capt.  Hugh  Dalrymple. 

1778 

7 

Lark       .... 

32 

„     Richard  Smith. 

1778 

7 

Orpheus  .... 

32 

„     Charles  Hudson. 

1778 

7 

Flora       .... 

32 

„    John  Brisbane. 

1778 

7 

Cerberus,     .     .     . 

28 

,,    John  Symons. 

1773 

7 

^Icon    .... 

16 

Com.  Harry  Harmood. 

1773 

..       14 

Senegal.ix  liacehone 

18 

„    John  Inglls  (1). 

1778 

„       17 

Thunder,  bomb.     . 

8 

„    James  Gambler  (2). 

Remarks. 


Foundered  in  the  West  Indies. 

Lost  near  Louit-buorg. 
Tttken  at  Macbias. 
Taken  by  the  Americans. 
Abandoned  and  destroyed  at  Charleston. 
Foundered  in  tlif  Wvst  Indies. 
Taken  liy  the  Andrea  Dorian  14. 
Foundered  off  Bermuda. 
"Wrecked  off  Long  Island. 

I  Foundered  in  the  Cnlf  of  Florida. 

Fnundereii  off  Ncwfuun<llaud. 
,  Capsized  off  (iuenisey. 
'  liurut  off  S.  Carolina. 
j  Foundered  off  Newfoundland. 
v(  I'aken  by  the  Ilanaick.  32,  and  Boston 
]  I     24.     Retaken,  17V7. 
I  Abandoned  and  burnt  at  Mud  Island. 

Accidentally  burnt  at  Mud  Island. 
j  Wrecked  off  Rhode  Island. 

Foundered  off  Newfoundland. 

:  Driven  ashore  by  d'Estaing's  fleet. 
Wrecked  near  New  York. 
I  Foundered  coming  from  the  Cape   of 
'     Good  Hope. 

Wrecked  off  Cape  Henry,  and  burnt. 
Foundered  off  Newfoun<lland. 
I  Capsized  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 
'   Taken  off  the  American  coast. 

[    Wrecked  off  Newfoundland. 

I   Taken  by  American  privateers. 

Taken  by  the  Sensible.  Retaken,  1779. 

Wrecked  off  Florida. 
'    I'akcu  by  the  Americans,  and  burnt. 

Taken  by  thefiaw'/t^r,  IS.near  Itelfast. 
I  (Taken  by  the  French,  off  the  French 
(     coast. 

Taken  by  Iphiij,'nic,  etc.    RetakeQ. 

[    Taken  by  the  Jumm. 

I  Abandoned  and  burnt  at  Rhode  Island. 
I  Taken  by  fcsar,  74. 
I  Abandoned  and  biinitat  Rhode  Island. 
Abandoned  and  bunitat  Rhode  Island. 
I  Abandoned  and  bumtat  Rhode  Island. 
I  Sunk  at  Rhode  Island. 
Abandoueti  and  bunitnt  Rhode  Island. 
(  Hunit  at  Rhode  Island  ;  weighe-1,  and 
\     was  lost. 

rTaken   by  d'Estalng:    retaken.  1780. 
i     and  blown  up. 
Taken  by  d'il^ing,  in  America. 


110 


APPENDIX. 


Year.       Date. 


Commander. 
•  Lost  his  life. 


Remarks. 


I 

17(3      Aug.   32 


1J78 


H78 
1773 
1778 

1778 

1779 

1779 
1779 
1779 

1779 

1779 
1779 
1779 


„  23 

Sept.  1 

..  to 

Oct. 

Dec.  17 


1779 

1779  I 
1779     Jan. 

1779     JIai. 


1779 

1779 
1779 

1779 

17T9 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 
1779 
1779 
1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 
17S0 
1780 
1780 

1730 

1780 

1780 

1780 
1780 


1780 

1780 

1780 
1780 
I7S0 
1780 
1780 

1780 


May  1 

June  19 

July  U 

..  16 


Aug. 

Sept 

!!  10 

»  23 

1.  23 

.>  24 

Oct.  6 

Nov.  27 


Feb. 
Oct. 


Apr. 
Sept. 


Sept.  13 

Oct.' " 

Oct.' '  4 

„  5 

Oct.  6 


Afinerva 
Zephyr    , 


fbr    .... 
Somerset .     . 
Zebra      .     .     . 

Ceres       .     .     . 
Supply,  etoreship 

Tortoise,         anned 
.    transp.      .     . 
North,  armed  ship 

Thorn     .     .     . 

Tapageur,  cutter 

Hope  .... 
West  Florida     . 
Tork.     .     .     . 
tLeriatftan,  ex  NoT' 

thumberland. 
Penelope.  .  . 
Weazel    .     .     . 

Arethusa      .     . 

Montreal 

Diligent  .     .     . 
Glasgow .     .     . 

Hgmont,  schooner 

Haarlem      .     . 

HoltUrnesse,  cutter 

Active,  cutter 

Ardent   .     . 

Sphinx   . 


Jtose  .... 

Savannah,  brig 

Ariel.     .     .     . 

Serapis  .     . 
(Countess   of  Scar-\ 
I    borough    .     . 

Experiment.  . 
Quebec  .  .  . 
Jackal,  cutter  . 
Hussar  .  .  . 
True  Briton,  brig 
Active  .  .  . 
Dejiance .     .     . 

Viper      .     .     . 

Scorpion .     .     . 

Coureur,  schooner 

Cormorant  .     . 
Fortune  .     . 


Vigilant,  armed  ship 
Rover     .     . 

Bellona,  anned  ship 
Endeavour,  brig 
Nimble,  cutter  . 
Phcenix  .     .     . 
Victor,  brig . 

Incendiary,  fireshlp 
Scarborough     .     . 


32 
14 

28    {' 


Capt.  Jobu  Stott.» 
Com.  Thomas  West. 


Capt.  WUliam  AVil-j 

liams.  / 

„    Hon.  Thomas  Windsor.' 
„    George  Ourry.  | 

Com.  Heury  Colins.  i 

(    „    James  Uichardil 
\  Dacres(i).  jj 

f    „    John  Lockhart  Na-ll 
{  smyth.  J 

,,    Jahleel  Brenton  (1).    j 

„     George  Selby.* 

„    William  Wardlaw. 

f  Lieut.  Lord  Charles  Fitz-V 
I  gerald.  ] 

„      ]^licbael  Hiudman.     i 

„      John  Willett  I'ayne. 

„      Daniel  Dobree. 
fCapt.  Robert      Alesanderi 
\  Lambert.  / 

„    James  Jones.* 
Com.  Lewis  Robertson.        < 
/Capt.  CharlesHolmesil 
I  Everitt.  i\ 

,,    Stair  Douglas  (1). 
Lieut.  Thomas  "WalbeofF.      ! 
Capt.  Thomas  Lloyd  (  ).      I 

Lieut.  John  Gardiner. 
,,     Josias  Rogers. 


fTaken  by  the  French  in  the  West 

I     Indies.     Retaken,  I7dl. 

(Taken  by  the  French.    Retaken,  1780, 

I    and  bomt. 

(Taken  by  the  French  in   the  West 

I     Indies. 

Taken  by  the  Junoit. 

Wreeked  near  Cape  Cod. 

A\'recked  at  Egg  Island  Harbour. 

Taken  by  the  French.    Retaken,  1782. 
Accidentally  burnt  at  St.  Kitts. 

Foimdered  off  Newfoundland. 

Wrecked  off  Nova  Scotia. 

[Taken  by  an  American  frigate.    Re- 

I     taken. 


Capt.  Philip  Boteler. 

f    ,,    Robert  Manners  .Snt-) 
I  ton  J 

,,    John  Brown. 
Lieut.  Richard  Fisher. 
Capt.  Thomas  ilackenzie. 
„    Richard  Pearson. 

Com.  Thomas  Piercy. 
fCapt.  Sir  James  A\'allace,i 
I  Kt.  J: 

„    George  Farmer.* 

Lieut.  John  Gibson.  ! 

Capt  Charles  Maurice  Pole. 
Lieut.  Hon.  Patrick  Napier. 

,,      'William  Quarme. 
Capt.  Maximilian  Jacobs. 

„    John  Augustus,  Lord"! 
Hervey.  J 


Lieut.  C —  -Major. 

Robert  .M'Evoy. 
Com.  Lewis  l;obertson. 
fCapt.  Thomas  Lenox^ 
I  Frederick.  j 

Com.      Thomas      Goldes-] 
brough.  J 

„    Henry  Savage. 

„  Francis  Tinsley. 
Lieut.  Francis  Wooldridge. 

,,  W.  Fumival.* 
Capt.  Sir  Hyde  Parker  (2). 

/Com.  William      Augostusi 
I  :\Ierrick.  ] 

Capt.        Samuel       Hoodl 
Walker.*  ] 


^V^ecked  in  the  W.  Indies. 

Taken  by  an  A  merican  privateer. 
Taken  at  Pensacola  by  the  Americans. 
Taken  by  d'Estaiug  at  Grenaila. 

Foundered  returning  from  Jamaica. 

Lost  in  the  A\'.  Indies. 

Taken  by  Boudeuse  in  W.  Indies. 

Wrecked  off  Ushant. 

( Taken    bj'   two   French    vessels     In 

I    Mediterranean. 

;  Taken  by  the  Providence. 

I  Accidentally  burnt  at  Jamaica. 
(Taken  by  Wild  Cat,  14,off  Kewfound- 
»     land. 

Taken  by  American  privateers. 
(Taken    by    the   allied   fleets   in    the 

I I  Channel. 

Taken  by  the  Mutine  in  the  Channel. 
'/Taken  by  the  allied  fleets.  Retaken 
1     ns2. 

Taken  by  AmpkitHte.    Retaken. 

Sunk  to  block  Savannah  Bar. 
Simk  at  Savannah  to  block  the  Bar. 
Taken  by  Amozone  off  Carolina. 
Taken  by  Htmhomme  JiicJiard. 

Taken  by  squadron  of  Paxil  Jones. 

Taken  by  d'Estaing  off  Georgia. 

Blown  up  engaging  StirveiUante. 
(Carried  to  France  by  mutineers.    Re- 
\     tal^en  in  1781. 

Wrecked  near  Hell  Gate,  New  York. 

Taken  by  the  French.     Retaken. 

Taken  by  Americans,  near  New  York. 

Wrecked  on  Savannah  Bar. 

Wrecked  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 

Wrecked  in  N.  America. 
/Taken  by  the   Americans  off   New- 
foimdland. 

Taken  by  de  Grasse  off  Charleston. 

Taken  by  the  French  in  the  W.  Indies. 
/Taken  by  the  French  in  the  W.  Indies. 
{     Retaken  as  the  Licorne.  in  1781. 

Burnt  at  Beaufort,  S.  Carolina. 

/Taken  by  the  French  in  the  W.  Indies. 
I     Retaken  in  1781,  but  lost. 

Wrecked  in  the  mouth  of  the  Elbe. 

lA)bt  in  the  hurricane.  W .  Indies. 

SVrecked  in  Mount's  liay. 

Lost  in  the  hurricane,  W.  Indies. 

Lost  in  the  hurricane,  W.  Indies. 

Wrecked  off  the  Isle  of  Wight. 
Lost  in  the  hurricane,  W.  Indies. 


LOSSES    OF   THE  BRITISH  NAVY,    1775-1783. 


Ill 


Year.  I  Date. 


1?80 
17lj0 


1780 


1780 

1780 
1780 
1780 
1780 
1780 
17S0 
1780 

1780 
1781 
1781 


1781 
1731 
1781 


1781 
1781 
1781 


1781 

17ttl 
1781 
1781 
1781 

1781 

1781 
1781 

1781 

1781 
1781 

1781 

1781 
1781 
1781 
1781 
17.-<1 
1781 

1781 

1781 
1781 


1781 

1781 
1781 
1781 
1781 
1781 
1781 
1781 

1781 

1781 

1781 

1781 
1781 
1181 


Oct. 


Oct.      11 

..       11 

11 
11 


Dec. 
Jon. 


Name. 


Feb. 
May 


May 

May    : 

June 
July 

Aug. 
Sjept. 


Stirlitvi  CastU 
Barbados 


Tkuttderer 


Comxoall 

Laurel  .  . 
Slulrk  .  . 
Aiidrom&tij  . 
Deal  rastle  . 
<'ameloj7i 
lilanche  . 

Beaver's  Prize 

Sartine  . 
Hiiri)      ,     . 
Cttlhjden.     . 

Terrihle  .     . 

llomuhts 
Mentor    .     . 
MoH'j,  armed  ship 
Qtnnaine,      anued) 

ship     .     . 
Rhu  ... 
Minorra^  xebec. 
Port  Royal . 

St.  Pirmin  . 

Atalanta 

Trepa$sey    . 
Bope,  cutter. 
Antigua . 
Pbjt  armed  cutt 

lionetta  .     . 

Rnnke     .     . 
Castor    .     . 


Loyalist ,     . 
Iiatttcsna!:e. 

Pigmy,  cutter 

Hover 

Gihraltar.&TTai 
Thuwler,  bomb 
Pelican  . 
Sandwich,  tjrmed 
Vormorant 


1 

{' 

1 

Sept.' 
Oct. 

11 
11 
10 

. 

J 

J 

. 

Oct. 

10 

Oct. 

10 

Oct.' 

10 

{ 

Savage    .     . 

Swallow .     . 
Hope  .      ,      . 

Skelanagig  . 

I  Duchess  of  Camber 
land    .     , 

Delight   .     , 

JiaceJiorse 

Pheasantt  cutter 

Jris    .     . 

Richmond 

Fonxy 

&irulu;icA,anued6bip 

Syren 

Guadaloupe 

Greyhound  , 

Charon   . 

Thetis 

Firebrnti'l,  fireship 
Vukait,  fireship     . 
Conjlagratii/Ut  tlre-'» 
ship     .     .     .     ./ 


ledbiig 


ship 


Commander. 
*  Lo6t  bis  life. 


Remarks. 


Capt.  Iti.bert  Carkett.* 
Com.  Ralph  Mllbank.* 

iComuKKl.      lluu.     Robert  I 
lloyleWalBiugham.* 
Capt.  Robert       Boyle 
Nicholas." 

„    Timothy  Edwards. 

,,    Thomas  Llovd  (1).* 
.,     Howell  Lluyd.* 
„     Heury  Uoiie.* 
„    James  Iliiwkin:^. 
Com.  James  Jiihusume.* 
Capt.  Samuel  Uppleby.* 
(Com.  John  Auriol   Drum-l 
\  mond.*  J 

,,    Robert  Slmoutou. 
Com.  Jiweph  Hrowuc. 
Capt.  (George  llalfour. 
f    „    Hou.      William^ 
1  Clement  Fiuch.      j 

„    George  Gayton. 
„    Robert  I)eau8(l). 
Com.  ^Villiam  Long.* 
(    ,,    George        AugtititU6\ 
I  Keppel.  i 

„    John  .Mauley  (l). 
Lieut.  U.        Lawsou. 

Kelly. 
Com.  Jonathan    Faulknori 
t2).  / 

„    Sampson  Edwards. 

,,    James  Smyth.* 
Lieut.  L.         Vickere.* 

,,      John  Hutt. 
Com.  Jlilbam  Fousonby. 

,,    Ralph  Dimdas. 

Lieut.  William  Jackson. 

•    „      John      Bligh    (l).-» 
actg.  i 

Com.  Morgan  Laugbame. 
„    I'hilip  d'Auvorgue. 

Lieut.  Thomas  Dyson. 

„     J.        Duncan. 

„      W.        Anderson. 
Com.  John  Wallace.* 
Capt.  Cuthbert  Collingwood. 
Com.  William  Bctt. 

„    Robert  M'Evoy. 

„    Charles  Stirling. 

„    Thomas  Wells  (I). 
„     William  Thomas. 

,,    James  Keith  Shepard. 

Lieut.  Edward  Marsh. 

/Com.  Francis    Thomas  i 
I  Drake.*  j 

Lieut.  Georg'  Brisac. 

„      George  Matthews.* 
Capt.  George  Dawsun. 
„    Charlrs  Iludsuu. 
„    Peter  Aplin. 
„     William  Holt. 
,,    Isaac  Vaillaut. 

„    Hugh  liobinson. 

,,     William  Fox. 

„    Thomas  Symonds. 

I      „    Rubort  Llnztie. 
I  Com.  Richard  Hill. 
George  Palmer. 

J.        Duncan. 


Lost  In  the  hurricane,  W.  Imlies. 
Lost  in  the  hurricane,  W.  Indies. 


Lost  in  the  hurricane,  W.  Indies. 

Sunk,   being    unserviceable,    at    St. 
1     Lucta. 

Lost  in  the  hurricane,  W.  Indies. 
Wrecked  in  North  America. 
Lost  in  the  hurricane,  W.  Indies. 
L<>st  in  the  hui  ricauf,  W.  Indies. 
Lust  lu  the  hurricane,  W.  Imlles 
Lost  in  the  hurricane.  \V.  Indies 

Ijost  in  the  hurricane,  W.  Indies. 

Wrecked  in  the  E.  Indies. 
Taken  by  the  French.    Retaken. 
Wrecked  off  Long  Island. 

BuiTit  in  America  as  unserviceable. 

'I'akeu  by  tht?  Freucb. 
Burnt  at  I'ensacola. 
Aceiik'Utally  burnt. 

Taken  by  the  /Vmericans. 

Wrecked  in  i'lymonth  Sound. 

Sunk  at  Mahon  to  save  from  capture. 

Taken  by  the  Simnianis  at  Pensacola. 

Taken  by  the  Spanlanls  off  Gibraltar. 

(Takon    by   the    American    Alliaitce. 
\     Retaken. 

Taken  by  the  American  Alliance. 

'I'aken  by  the  French  in  America. 

Taken  by  the  French  in  the  W.  Indies. 

Taken  by  the  French  in  America. 
rTaken  by  the  Freucli  In  the  Chesa- 
{    peak*-.    Retaken  3. 1 .8-2. 

Taken  by  American  privateers. 

Taken  by  Gloire  and  Frijiunne. 

Taken  by  Gloire  and  Pi-iponne. 

Taken  by  the  French  in  theChesapeake. 
Lost  in  the  E.  Indies. 

I  Driven   ashore    and    taken   at    Dan- 
(    querque. 

Wrecked  in  Amrrica. 

Taken  by  the  Spaniards  off  Gibraltar. 

Foundered  m  the  Channel. 

I,#ost  in  a  hurricane  at  .famaica. 

Taken  by  de  Grasse's  Uoet. 

I'aken  by  de  Grasse's  fleet. 
ijTakeu  by  the  privateer  Congress,  24, 
I     Retaken  by  SoUhay. 
!   Wrecked  off  "Long  Island. 

Wrecked  otr  Savannah. 
fTaken    by   the    French    in     the   W. 

I I  Indies. 

I  Wrecked  off  Newfoundland. 

Foundered  going  to  N.  America. 

Wrecked  off  Beachy  Head. 
I  Capsized  in  the  Chauuei. 
!    J'aken  by  de  Grasse. 

I'aken  by  de  Grassc. 

Sunk  in  the  Chesai>eakc. 

Taken  by  the  AmericansoffCharlestOD. 

I  Wrerkeii  on  the  coast  of  Su.-isex. 

I J  Sunk  iu  the  Chesapeake  to  save  firom 

I I  atpture. 

I  Wrecked  on  .South  Sand  Head. 

I I  Burnt  in  the  Chesapeake  to  save  from 
\    captiue. 

Wrecked  «.ff  St.  Lucia. 
Aa'ideuuUy  burnt  near  Falmouth. 
Burnt  in  tht,-  Chesapeake. 

Lost  in  N.  America. 


112 


APPENDIX. 


Ye«r. 


1783 
1?82 
1782 

1762 

1782  I 

1782 
1782 
1782 
1782 
1782 

1782 

1782 

1782 
1782 
1782 

1782 

1762 
1782 


Date. 


Name. 


Commander. 
•  Loft  bis  life. 


Hemarks. 


Jan 

Jan.    25  I  Solebay  . 


21  Sannibal  . 
Santa  Monica 
Blonde    . 


Feb. 


Apr.     8 


June   26 


1VS2      .\ug    29 


Sept. 


1782 
1782 

1782 

1782 
1782 
1782 
1782 

1782 

1782 

1782 

1782 

1782 
1782 

1782 


1783 

1783 

1783 
1783 

1783 
1783 
17B3 


Feb.    16 


Nov.     5 


Coventry      .     . 

ninchinbroke  . 

Oronoque     .  . 

Sylph      .     .  . 

Barbuda      .  , 

Stormont      .  , 

Rodney,  brig     . 
Chaser    .     .     . 

General  Monk  . 

JacTcal,  armed  ship 
(Britannia,  arm&l 
I    Bbip     .     .     . 

Alligator     .     . 

Jiejiulse,  cntter . 
Swan      .     .     . 

Boyal  George    . 


HamilUes  . 
Sector  .  , 
Glorieux 

Centaur .     . 

rule  de  Paris  , 
Racoon,  brig 
Polecat,  brig 
Allegiance    . 

Lively,  brig. 

Prince  Edwa  rd,  brig 
^Resolution,    amied 
I    transp.      .     , 

7?(7  (7:e5.  armed  transp. 

Flying  Fish,  cutter 

Placentia,  brig . 
^Cornwallis,   armed 
L    ship     .     .     . 

Argo.     .     .     . 


Suferb  . 

Cato  .  . 

Pallas  . 
Cerberus . 

Raven  . 

Mentor  . 

TicTcler  . 


Taken  by  tlie  Fttnch  off  Sumatra. 
■\\'recked  off  Tortola. 
M'recked  on  Nantucket  Shoals. 


Capt.  Alexander  Christie. 
I,    John  Liuzee. 
„    Eii\\ard  i  hombrough. 

'.    "    '^E^erUt'"''^"''']   ^Vrecked  and  burnt  at  Xevis. 

rTaken  by  the  French  in  the  Bay  of 
I    Bengal. 

Founiiered  off  Jamaica. 
Taken  at  capitulatiuu  uf  Deraerara. 
'lakeu  at  capitulatiuu  of  bemerara. 
Taken  at  capitulation  of  Demerara. 
Taken  at  lapitulatiou  of  Demerara. 

{"Se!'"''"  ^"^^  ^'^}  T^k^"  »'  "■«  "Pi'"l*««  "I  Demerara. 
("Taken  by  the  French  in  the  Bay  of 
I     Bengal. 

(Taken    by  the  Pennsiylvanian    ship, 
I     Uyder  All,  10. 
Taken  by  the  1/eane  in  the  ^^'.  Indies. 

AV recked  ou  the  Kentish  Knock. 


„    MilUam  Wolseley. 

Com.  William  Tahourdin. 
„    Lawrence  Grseme. 
„    Frauds  Pender, 
(.'hristmas  Paol. 


Com.  Thomas  Parr. 


Josias  Kogere. 
Gustavus  Logie. 
M.  Davis.* 


John  Frodsham. 


("Taken  by  the  French  at  the  month  of 
I    the  Chanuel. 

Wrecked  off  Yarmouth. 

Capsized  off  W'aterford. 


Capsized  at  Spithead. 


Burnt  as  unserviceable. 


I  Sunk  on  tLe  Banks  of  Newfoundland. 
Foundered  returning  from  Jamaica. 


Lieut.  J.  Atkinson.* 

Com.  Lewis  Eobertson. 
iRear-Adm.  Kichard  Kem-l 
^    penfelt.*  ' 

(Capt.  Martin  "Waghora.      | 
|Rear-Adm.  ThomasGraves 
{     (2). 
ICapt.  Sylverius  :\Ioriarty.  \ 

„    John  Bourchier. 
f    „    Hon.        Thomasi 
I  Cadogan.*  j 

|Capt.  J  ^^l^g^JJ^;^  «^  ^«"}    Foundered  returning  from  Jamaica. 

,,    ('Oorge  \\'ilbinson.*      Foundered  returning  from  Jamaica. 
Lieut.  Edmund  Kagle.         j  Taken  by  Gloire  and  Ait/le. 

Hon.  Patrick  Napier.i  Taken  by  the  French  iu  N.  America. 
"■'■■"  I  Taken  by  the  Americans. 

(Captured  by  prisoners  and  taken  to 
I,     Havana. 
I  Captured  by  her  American  prisoners. 

I  Taken  by  the  French  iu  the  E.  Indies. 

Norris  Thompson.      I  Taken  by  the  French  iu  the  E.  Indies. 
Charles  Craven.  I  Wrecked  near  Calais. 

Charles  Anderson.*    i  Wrecked  off  Newfoundland. 


Com.  David  Pbips. 
Lieut.  M.  Stanhope. 

„      Richard  Simmonds. 

„      R.  F.  Hassard. 


„     R.  T.  Appleby.* 

Capt.  John  Butchart. 

iVice-Adm.    Sir    Edwardi ' 
<     Hughes.  V 

I  Capt.  Henry  Xewcome.      ]' 
iVice-Adm.       Sir      Hydei' 
I'arker  (.1),  Kt*  ] 

[Capt.  James  Clark.* 
[     „    Chribttipher    Parker^ 

„    Sir  Jacob  Wheate,  Bt. 

Com.  John  '\\''ells. 

„    E.  TuUidge. 

r    „    William        O'Brien) 


Foundered  in  the  Atlantic. 

[Taken  by  the  yi/niphe,  3G,aiidJmphi- 
■j  trite,  32.  Retaken,  19.2.83,  by 
(    Invincible^  V4. 

^Vrecked  off  Tellicherry,  E.  Indies. 


Lost  going  to  the  E.  Indies. 

Run  ashore  on  St.  George's  Isle. 

Wrecked  near  Bermuda. 
(Taken  by  two  French  frigates  in  W. 
\    Indies. 

Wrecked  near  Bermuda. 
(Taken  by  a  French    frigate   iu  W. 


y{     Indies. 


LOSSES   OF   THE   UNITED    STATES  NAVr,    1777-1782. 


113 


B. — Vkssels  ok  the  United  States  Navv,  and  ok  the  1{euulaii  Colonial 
Marines  Taken,  Destkoyed,  Buknt,  Founiikiikd  ok  Wkelkei)  i)ritiN(i  the 
War  ok  American  Revolution. 


1777  Mar. 
1777  .May 
1777     July 

1777  j   „ 

1777  I 

1777  I  Sept. 
1777    ., 

I77»  Oct. 

nrr 

1777'  Kov. 
1777 
1777 
1777 

1777    „ 
1777  '   „ 

1777  j   „ 

1778  Mar.   7 

1778    „    9 
1778 

1778  Mar. 

1778  .Sept. 
1770  Aug. 

1779  i   „ 

1779 
1779 

1779 

1779  Sept. 

1780  May 

1780 

1780 

1780    ,, 

1780 

1780 


May 


1780 

1780 

1781 
1781 

1781 
178'.' 


Ap.-. 
Aug. 

Dec. 


Caliot '  .  . 
Surprise. 
Hancock  •     . 

Fox   . 

An-lrti  IHirta 

Lexington    . 
Velawdre '   . 

Cbiiffress . 

iltntijomery 

Wnshington 
mffinyham    . 
Hachem    . 
Independence 
Ifttfphin  . 
Wasp      .     . 
Mosqilitu. 

Ranlulph     . 

Alfred     .      . 
lieprisal. 

Virtjinia  >    . 

Raleiijh^       . 

Warren. 

Diligent .     . 

Providence  i 

Hazard  (Massa. 

Tyrannicide  (Ma:$sa. 
Honh'imme  Itichard 
Queen  of  France 

I'rocidence  . 

Hoston  J  .      .      . 

Ringer*.     .      . 
Protector^  (Ma'<sa 
Rricole  (S.  Car.) 

(Grneral      ifoultr 
(S  Car.)  .     . 

I  yotre  Dame  (S.  Car. 

I  Siratoga 
f\tn/ederacy 

Trnmbull     . 

f.^nth  Carolina  (S. 

(     Car.)    . 


t  iimmuudcr. 
*  I.u^l  hid  life. 


16 
10 
32 

28 

14 

1« 
•H 

28 
24 

32 

28 
10 
10 
10 
8 
4 

32 

•24 
16 

28 
32 
32 
14 
1-2 
16 


Joseph  Oiuey. 
Gu^^tavus  Couyughara. 
Juhn  Mauly. 


11.  JuhnsWu. 
Charles  .-Vlexauiler. 


)    '* 
40 

28 

28 

1 

'   24 

I  18 

f      26 

44 


Xivhjias  HidtJle.* 

j  KIit>lia  Il.iiuiati. 
Lamlwrt  Wiikes.* 

'  J;imes  Nicholsun. 

.Inh«  liarry. 
,  Duilley  SalWustall. 

lUou'ii. 

I 

,  lla.ker. 

iJolm      Fu:?ter      William^) 
\    (Mass.)-  i 

C'athcart  (Mass.)* 
Juhu  Paul  Juues. 
Kathbunie. 

Abraham  Whipple. 

Tucker. 

Simpson. 


}    20 

)    16 
16 

3; 

28 


.lohu  Yoiintt. 
Setb  HardiiiK. 
Jamed  Nicbutsuu. 

.I.-yiicr  (S.  CaT.^ 


(Chase  I  asbure,  Ukeu.  aiut  Kut  ufT  by 
\     Milfi.nl,  'IS.  rapt.  .Jnbii  Kor.l. 

Seize!  by  the  French,  as  a  pirate. 
/'I'aken    by    /iainhinv,    44,    C'^pt.    Sir 
(    (ie»rne  Collier. 

( Retaken  by  Flora,  32,  Capt.  Jubu 
\     hrisbiiic. 

/Hiinit  t:i!>ave  her  frum  capture  in  the 
I     Delaware. 

i  I'akeu  by    .1  Int.    1 0.    Lieut.    .John 
I     Pazely  (I),  in  Channel. 
;SurrenlereU  tu  British  truops  in  tlie 
{     IVlaware. 

f  l>e>tn'yeil  to  save  h;r  from  capture  in 
(     the  llu.lsuu. 

I)c--*tn.)ye,i  in  the  lliiUson. 

l)estn)yet  in  the  I)elaware. 

Pestroyeii  in  tlie  Iielaware. 

Itestroye.I  in  the  Delaware. 

De?truye-1  in  the  Delaware. 

Destroyed  in  the  Delaware. 

Destroyed  in  the  Delaware. 

Destroyed  in  tlie  Delaware, 
j  lilew  up  in  action  with  the  Yarmouth, 
(     ij4.  Capt.  N'icli.  Vincent. 

I'akeu  by  tiie  .4?'i(n/n;,24,  and  flcrc.»,lb. 

Kouudereii  at  sea. 

i<Jrounded,  and  was  taken  lu  theChesa- 
\     i>eake. 

(I'akeu  by  ExperimenU  50»  aud  Cni- 
\      riirti,  VO. 

i  Ittinit  1 1  .save  her  from  capture,  iu  the 
[     i'enubscot. 

I  Hurnt  t^  save  her  from  capture,  in  the 
i     Penobscot. 

I  Taken  by  Sir  George  Collier  iu  the 
\     Penobsc4it. 

I  liumt  to  save  her  from  capture,  iu  the 
(     i'euobs^ot. 

iMUinit  to  .save  her  frcm  capture,  iu  the 
\     Penobscot. 

Sauk  after  action  with  the  Serapif,  44. 
I  Taken  at  i.'liailestun,  by  Vice-Adm. 
I      Arbutbuot. 

I  Taken  at  Charleston,  by  Vice-Adm. 
(      .\rbuthnut. 

(Taken  at  t'harlestju,  by  Vi"e-Aitui. 
I      Arbutlniut. 

f'Taken  at  Charleston,  by  Vi.^^e-Adm. 
{     Arbutbuot. 

Taken  l)y  U'te'mck;  44,  an  i  ifc/ei,  '.8. 
)  De>troye  I  at  Charlest.jn,  by  Vice-Adm. 
)      Arbiithnot. 

,  De.Htixye  i  at  Charlestnu,  by  Vice-Adm. 
(      .\rbuthnot. 

1  Destroyed  at  Charleston,  by  Vice-Adm. 
i      ,\rbuthnot. 

Su)>pose  i  lot^t  at  Bea. 

I'aken  by  (frfiluns.  32.  and  Hnebuck,  44, 
(Taken  by  the  Iris,  'i2,  and  General 
I     Mmk,  18. 

t'TaUen  by  liiomc^le,AA,  ^t«(r<7fl.  33,  and 
(     i^uebec,  32. 


I  Added  to  the  Royal  Navy  under  tame  name.  »  AdJei  to  the  Royal  Navy  as  rluirlesUm,  28. 

=  Added  to  the  Royal  Navy  as  Iris.  *  Addwl  to  the  R4.yal  Navy  as  IJali/ttx. 

»  Added  to  the  Royal  Navy  a^  irttstar,  28. 


VOL.    IV. 


114 


APPESDIX. 


-Vessels  of  the  Frenxh  Navy,  Taken,  Destroyed,  or  Burnt  ry  II. M. 
Ships,  and  also,  so  far  as  can  be  Ascertained,  Similar  A'essels  Lost  or 
Wrecked  during  the  War,  1778-1783. 


Year. 


1778  I  June  17 


1778 

1778 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779  I 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1779 

1780 

1780 

1780 

1780 
1780 


1780 
1780 


1780 

1780 
1780 
1780 
1780 

1780 

1781 
1781 
1781 

1781 


1781 

1781 
1782 
1783 
1782 
17B2 
1782 
1782 
1782 
178i 
1782 
1782 

1782 

1182 

1782  I 


Dec. 


M  19 

Aug.  25 

Jan.  31 

May  13 

„  13 

May    13 

May    13 

June  2 
22 

Aug. 

Oct.  2 
.»  2 
„  20 
21 
22 
22 

Feb.    24 

June  26 

JiUy     1 

5 


Aug.   10 
Ott. 

Oct 
Nov.     2 

Jan.      4 
F.b. 


Remarks. 


Apr. 

July 

S?pt. 

Oct. 
Apr. 


Apr. 


^.„.,.„  ,  -,.    (Taken   by  the  Mett,  cutter,  10,  Liout.  \Vm.  Geo.  Fairf^ 

"""*"'  ' ^*    I    Uhaunel. 


Licorne^ 32 

Pallas^    .... 


Siirtint^   .      . 
Oiseo  K  1    . 
Vfifeur 
Echise. 
Sphinx 
Dieppe,  cutter 
Fendtm     . 
Ifanai-^ 
Pnuhnte ' 
BeUne 

Cffittpas,  flrlte 
Pilote  >  .  - 
Hiittnei  .  . 
Alcmeiie  i 
Blanche  i  .  . 
Fortuntfe  ^ 
Elise   .     .     . 


Protei^  .  .  .  . 
San$  Pai'eit,  cutter. 
.4r(oi*sl     .      .      .      . 

Hussard  .     .     .     . 

Capricietise    . 

Perle 


Belle  Poule »  . 
L^gere. 
Renaril '  . 


yympJie  i  . 

Intrepide  . 
Palmier  . 
Magnififpte 
Junon . 


Senegal^  ex  Racehorse  . 

Minerve ' 

^uer  Ox-Pritish)    .     . 


Alerte  . 


20  !  Licorne  i 
26     Lively.     . 


2     Magidenne ' 


Keeker,'^  armed  ship 
Ville  de  Parish  .     . 
Glorieux  i 
Hector  I     .      . 

Cesar 

Ardent  i  .  .  .  . 
Caton "  .  .  .  . 
Bizarre  .... 
Jason  1  .  .  .  . 
Aimable^  .... 
Ceres  * 


Apr.    23 


Pdgaxe  i 

Orient 

Actionnairt,  flute  (24)  . 


Taken  by  the  fleet  under  Lord  Keppel,  Channel. 
(Taken  by  the  fle:*!  under  Lord  Keppel,  Channel.     Renamed 
I     Conceit. 

Taken  by  the  squadron  of  Vice-Adra.  Sir  E.  Vernon,  E.  Indies. 

Taken  by  the  Ap>,llo,  32,  Capt.  Philemon  J'ownall.  (."hanuel. 

Destroyed  by  the  squadron  of  Sir  James  Wallace.  Cancale  Ray. 

Destroyed  by  tlie  squadron  of  Sir  .Tames  Wallace,  Cancale  Ray. 

Ta'ien  by  the  Proserpine,  2S,  Capt.  tieorge  Anson  RjTon. 

Destroyed  by  the  sqiunlron  of  Sir  James  \\'aUace.  Cancale  liay. 

Taken  by  the  Bnttlesnake,  cutter,  10.  Lieut.  William  Ivnell. 

Taken  by  the  Experiment ,  5'i,  Capt.  Sir  Jas.  AVallace. 

Taken  by  the  litdnj,  04,  Capt.  aiichael  Jubn  Everitt.* 

Taken  by  the  Amlmscade,  32,  Capt   Hon.  Cliarles  Phipps 

Taken  l)y  the  H'ne'is,  28,  Capt.  (  harles  Thompson  (1). 

Taken  by  the  Jupiter.  50,  and  ci  nsorts,  Ch  innel. 

Taken  by  tlie  Apollo,  32,  and  consorts,  Channel. 

'lakeii  by  the  Pmserpine,  32,  Capt.  George  Anson  Byron. 

Taken  bv  the  Miignijicctit,  74. 

Taken  by  the  Snff»lf.-,  74. 

1'aken  by  the  JJagniJirent,  74,  and  Stirling  Castle,  64. 
(Taken  by  thesquadfou  of  Rear-Adm.  Hon.  Robt.  Digby,  Fay 
I.    of  liiscay. 

Taken  in  W.  Indies  by  Phcenix,  44,  etc. 

(Taken   by  the   Romney,  50,  Capt.    Roddom   Home,  coast  of 
\     I'urtugal. 

Token  ofl"  Ushaut  by  Nonsuch,  64,  Capt.  .*=ir  Jym^s  Wall.iC3. 

Ta'Ncn  and  burnt  by  the  Prudent*;  36.  and  Licm-ne,  32. 
paken   by  the  R'fmneg,   50,  Capt.  Roildam  Home,  coast  of 
I     Port  n  fill  I. 

(Taken  by  the  Xonsuch,  64,  Capt.  Sir  Jas.  Wallace,  coast  of 
1     France. 

Diiveu  ashore  and  desiroyed  by  the  Xonsuch,  64. 
(Taken  by  the  Brune,  32,  Capt.  Fras.  John  Hartwell,   W. 
I     Indies. 

(Taken  by  the  Hora,  36,  Capt.  William  Peere  Williams,  off 
\     Ushant. 

Lost  iu  the  hurrica?  e,  AV.  Indies. 

L..st. 

Lost. 

Lost  in  th"  hurricane,  W.  Indies. 

(Taken  by  the  Zej  hyr,  14,  Com.  John  Inglis  (1\  coast  of 
I    Africa. 

(Ex  3f:nerra.     Taken  by  the  Cmirai.euT,  74,  Capt.  Lord  Mul- 
1     grave,  etc.     Renamed  Hei-uvery. 

Taken  by  a  privateer,  but  lost  at  se». 

(Taken  by  the  Persecerance.Z^,  Capt.  Skeffington  Lutwidge, 
l     N.  America. 

(Taken  by  the  Resmirce,  28,  Capt.  Bar.  Samuel  Rowley,  W. 
\     In  lies. 

Taken  by  the  Perseverance,  Capt.  S.  Lutwidpe,  Channel. 
('I'akeii  by  the  (liatham,  50,  Capt.  And.  Snape  Douglas,  N. 
\     Am-riea. 

Taken  by  the  IJnnnihal,  50,  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

Taken  in  Lord  Rodney's  victory. 

'Jaken  in  Lord  Rodney's  victory. 

Taken  in  Lord  Rodney's  victory. 

Ruvnt  iiftiT  Lord  K<Miney's  victoiy. 

Taken  hi  Lord  Rodney's  victory. 

'Jaken  by  Lord  Ho<Mi  in  the  Mona  Passage. 

Wrecked  near  Trini'omale. 

'Jaken  by  Lord  IbHxl  in  the  Mona  Passage. 

Taken  by  Lord  Hotxi  in  the  Mona  Passag?. 

Taken  by  Lord  Hoo<l  in  the  Mona  Passage. 
flaken   by  the  fhudi-oyant,  80,  Capt.  John  Jervis,  Pay  of 
I     Riscay. 

\N  recked  near  'J'rincomale. 

(Taken  by  the  Queen,  98,  Capt.  Hon.  Fred.  Lewis  Mainland, 
\     l!ay  of  Ris.ay. 


1  Added  to  U.M  X&vy. 


LOSSES   OF   THE   SVASlslI   NAVY,    1779-1782. 


115 


Tetr.       Date. 


Name. 


RemarkB. 


1782 

1782 

1782 

1782 

1782 
1782 

1782 

Jnly 

Sept. 
Sepi.' 

Oct. 
Dec. 

Jan. 

Feb. 
.Mar. 
Apr. 

29 
30 

1 

4 

U 
IS 

t> 

6 

12 
11 
16 

22 

IS 

2 
U 

Dauphin^  flrite 
Amaztjtte  .     . 
Tenu^raiie      . 
Aitjle,  hired  . 
Espinn,  nitter 

/fcfc-l .    .    . 

Aif/le^.     .     . 

(26). 

■      " 
.      36 

10 

.       22 

lU 
4U 

.       40 

74 
04 
.       IS 
.       61 
.       14 
.    1  20 

.      30 

.   ,36 
.    1  28 
.       20 

Takeu  by  the  .Ir./.i,  44, 

rTakeii,  but  ul>aii>ltiiieil, 

I     Sailer.  N.  .\iiierlc«. 
Takeu  by  the  Cm  moral 

(Taken  by  hue  tie  (tiat 

\    Caiw  Henry. 
Taken  by  the  hiznrd,  2 
Tiikcn  by  the  Itaiiiboir, 

(Ta'ten  by  squadron  of  C 

I     the  Delaware. 
Driven  ashore  by  I^milo 
lakeu  by  tlie  Hahi/.  64. 
Tak>n  by  .Sir  U.  Ilughi-t 
Taken  by  Mtdiitlor,  44, 
TakfH  by  the  * 'if,  tops,  * 
Taken  by  the  Jtetlea,  2< 

[Taken    by     Hofsar,   28 

I     N.  Aiiierl.a. 
Taken  by  St.  Allans,  et 
Taken  by  the  Hesistmice 
Taken  by  the  Sreptre,  6 

Cupt  John  llulchart,  \V.  ludirs. 

by  A'un(u  SInrijiiritii,  36,  tapt.  KUiot 

(,  16,  Com.  John  MiUonib^. 

liM,  18,  Capt.  John  I'hlhl  l-urvls,  off 

!,  Capt.  Eilnnni.l  Di>l,  ..IT  St.  Kilts. 
44,  (apt.  ))i-nry  'Iroltopf.  (  bannel. 
apt.  Hon.  tieo.  Keith  Klphiu.stone,  olT 

1782 

;i,  98,  and  Torlniy,  74.  MispauioU. 
("apt.  John  Otdlins,  .Atlantic. 
's  squadron, 
(apt.  Hon.  Joliu  l.uttrill. 

1782 
1782 
178J 
17p3 

solitaire  .     . 
Amjthitritu    . 
M'-iinflere,  fl'"itc 

(m). 

17;3 

,  (.'apt.  Krusiuiis  Gower. 

,    Capt.    'Ihus.    .Macuainara    KU!i6elI, 

1783 

Sibylie 

1783 
1783 
17(S3 

thncoitle* 
Oviucttc    .      . 

c. 

44, Capt. .Tames  King. off  Tnrk '8  Ir'iaud. 

.Capt.  .SamueHIra\es(jt,  Ka.-^t  Indies. 

.\ddedto  H.M.  Navy. 


D. — Vessels  or  the  Spanish  Xavv,  Taken,  Destuoyed,  or  Bukxt  dy  II. M. 
Ships,  and,  so  fab  as  can  be  Ascertained,  Similar  Vessels  Lost  ou 
Wrecked  durinc.  thk  War,  1770-17^*'-'. 


Year. 


Date. 


Keniark^. 


1779 

Sept. 

14 

Satita  Mottica  1   .      . 

28 

1779 

Nov. 

U 

Siiita  Maryaritu^    . 

28 

1780 

Jan. 

10 

Unix  1       .      .      .      . 

80 

1780 

„ 

16 

J/onarcrt  1       .      .      . 

70 

1780 

„ 

16 

I*rineesa  t      .      .      . 

70 

1780 

„ 

16 

mligeiite '  .    .     .     . 

;  70 

1780 

,, 

16 

.S(in  DomintfO 

70 

17sO 

,, 

17 

San  Julia  no  .      .      . 

70 

1780 

,, 

17 

^H  Eugenia .      .      . 

70 

1781 

F.b. 

25 

tirana  i    .     .     .     . 

30 

1781 

May 

2 

Santa  Leocadia  1 

34 

1782 

Mar. 

16 

Santa  Catalina  .     . 

34 

1782 

16 

Santa  Catalina  .      . 

22 

1782 

Sept. 

14 

fattar      .... 

31 

1782 

,, 

14 

/*'Ih/<i  Prima 

31 

1782 

^, 

14 

Talla  Fiedra       .      . 

31 

1782 

„ 

14 

liomrio    .... 

■..!» 

1782 

S\n  illguel  l  .      .      . 

7j 

1782 

Sept. 

14 

.SViit  rristdlHil      .      . 

:» 

17V2 

14 

Principe  Carltnt. 

IS 

1782 

,, 

14 

Paula  Seguwla  .      . 

13 

17S2 

,, 

14 

Sii  n  Jua  11 . 

13 

I7S2 

14 

Siiiitt  Ann     .      .      . 

11 

1>-' 

U 

/''.''.).-.■      ... 

10 

Takeu  by  the  /'eir^,  32,  Capt.  Geo.  ^Iciit^KU,  off  the  Azores. 

'iakeii  by  tbe  Tirtnr.  'IH,  Capt.  Alex,  finini'-.off  Liislxm. 
r'laken  in  Lord  Kmluey's  victorj'  off  St.   Vincent.     Kenamed 
\      tiihniUnr. 

Takpn  in  Lonl  It^nlney's  vict;>ry  off  St.  Viuient. 

'lakeu  in  L<inl  K«Kiney'.s  victory  off  St.  N'lui'CuC. 

laken  In  LonI  KixJneyV  vict«»ry  off  St.  Viu^eut. 

Itlnwii  up  in  action  witb  Lonl  liiNlney's  fleet. 

Prove  a>hore  after  lapture  in  Lonl  K«»thiey's  a-.tlou. 

Drove  ashore  after  capture  in  I..onl  KtHluey's  actiou. 
I  Takeu  by  tbe'er'/^iMx,  3J.<'apt.  Kobert  Man  (3),  I'ay  »*f  J'i'^cay. 
I  Takeu  by  the  fanmln,  "4, Capt.  Sir  tJeo. Collier  Mayof  Hbcay. 
fTakeii  and  bunit  by  the  Success,  32,  Capt.  Charles  .Murice 
(     Tnle.  Ilay  of  Hi.>«:ay. 

Taken  by  the  F  x  32,  Capt.  Geo.  Stoney,  off  Jamaica. 

Ihinit  iu  ai.cion  at  (iibralur. 

Kunit  iu  adlon  at  fiibr.iltar. 

Hunit  IU  action  at  ifibmltar. 

Itunit  in  tiction  at  liibraltir. 

Driven  Of-hore  and  taken  by  garrbM>u  ff  Gibraltar. 

lUinit  in  action  at  <iibraltur. 

Hnnit  in  action  at  liib.altar. 

lUirnt  in  action  at  (iibrullar. 

Burnt  iu  action  at  Gibraltar. 

Humt  in  a-.tioii  at  tiibraltar. 

Hunit  iu  aaiou  at  Gibraltar. 


i  Added  U»  II. M.  Navy. 


I  2 


116 


APPENDIX. 


E. — Vessels  of  the  Dutch  Navy,  Taken,  Desthoyed,  ok  Buunt  by  II. M.  Sllu■^ 
uriiiNG  THE  War,  1780-1  TiS'J. 


Year. 

Date. 

Name. 

s 

Kcmarks. 

1780 
1780 

1781 

1781 

1781 
1781 
1781 
1781 

1782 

Dec.    30 

Jau.      5 
Ftb.      i 

May    30 
Aug.  u 

rriitses  Carolina  '  .     . 
Hollandia      .... 

liotUrdavi  l  .      .      .      . 

Mnrst 

J/(7)-.ll 

SI.  Eiistatia  1      .     .     . 

Castor 

A  dogger  .... 

A  brig 

54 
64 

CO 

eo 

38 
28 
36 
18 

16 

Taken  by  tiip  Jtarlltiirotitili,  74,  (apt.  T.  Penny,  etc.,  C'bauuel. 
t^uuk  afti-r  tbe  battle  of  tlie  JJoggersbank. 
f'Jakeu  by  tbe  Waiwick,  f.u,  C'apt.  Huu.  Geo.  Keith  Klphiu- 

l     stiilie,  et;:. 

(Takeu  by  Lord  Koduey's  fleet,  W.  Indies.    Renamed  I'lime 

\     Klwiiiil. 

Taken  by  Lord  liodiiey's  fleet,  ^^".  Indies. 

Taken  by  Lord  Kmluey's  fleet,  W.  Indies. 

'I'aken  by  Ibe  /•■haa.  36,  Capt.  W.  I'.  Williams,  off  Ceuta. 

Blew  up  in  action  with  Cavieloiu,  14. 

(Taken  by   Ikfwm-e,  armei  ?Iiip,   !8.  Lieut.  Ooriie  Cadnian. 
\     N.  Sea. 

'  Added  to  II. IM.  Navy. 


CAPT.VIN   NICHOLAS   lilDDI.E,    U.S.S. 

Blown  up  in  tho  U.S.S.  Eandolph,  March  7th,  1778.    (Sec  p.  10.> 

(From  an  engraving  hij  D.  Edwin.) 


(     117 


CHAPTEE  XXXIII. 

VOYAGES   AND    DISCOVERIES,    1763-1792. 

Sir  Clements  Markham,  K.C.B.,  F.K.S. 

IJyron  to  the  Pacific — W.illis  and  Carteret  to  tlie  Pacific — Cook's  first  and  t-ecdiul 
voyages — Phipps  and  Lutwidge  to  tlie  Arctic — Abortive  voyages  to  the  Arctic — 
Cook's  third  voyage  and  death — Wilson  at  the  Pelew  Islands — McCluer  at  New 
Guinea— Bligh's  expedition — Voyages  of  Vancouver. 

\  FTEE  the  voyage  of  Anson,  the  British  Government  fully  recog- 
-^^  nised  that  discovery  and  exploration  formed  an  important  part 
of  the  duties  of  the  Navy.  In  the  instructions  to  Captain  Byron, 
the  Lords  Commissioner  of  the  Admiralty  declared  that  "  nothing 


MKD.VL    COMMEMOH.\T1VE    OF   tOOli  S   SECOND    VOYAUE. 
{From  an  tiri'jUial  lent  by  H.SM.  C<i]/t.  Prince  Louis  of  BatUnbcrtj^  li.X.) 

can  redound  more  to  the  honour  of  this  nation  as  a  maritime  power, 
to  the  dignity  of  the  Crown  of  Great  Britain,  and  to  the  advance- 
ment of  the  trade  and  navigation  thereof,  than  to  make  discoveries 
of  countries  hitherto  unknown." 

In  accordance  with  these  views,  an  expedition  was  fitted  out  for 
the  circumnavigation  of  the  globe,  consisting  of  a  sixth  rate,  the 
Dolphin,  of   24   guns,  with   a   complement   of   150   men,  and    the 


118  VOYAGES  ASD   DISCOVERIES,   1763-1792.  [17G4-65. 

Tiunar,  14,  Commander  Patrick  Mount.  It  was  placed  in  command 
of  Captain  the  Hon.  Jolni  Byron,  an  officer  then  aged  forty,  who 
had  been  shipwrecked  in  the  Wager  during  Anson's  expedition, 
and  whose  narrative  of  hardships  and  sufferings  on  the  coast  of 
Chile  is  so  well  known. 

Byron's  expedition  sailed  from  the  Downs  on  the  21st  of 
June,  1764.  Before  enteiing  the  Pacific  Ocean,  Byron  had  orders 
to  examine  the  land  that  had  been  reported  between  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  and  Magellan's  Strait,  and  called  Pepys  Island. 
He  was  also  to  visit  the  Falkland  Islands,  which  had  not  hitherto 
been  sufficiently  surveyed. 

On  leaving  Eio  de  Janeiro  on  the  '22nd  of  October,  Captain 
Byron  turned  the  hands  up,  and  announced  for  the  first  time  that 
thej'  were  on  a  voyage  of  discovery,  and  that  they  would  receive 
double  pa)'  if  their  conduct  was  satisfactory.  They  all  expressed 
gi'eat  joy  at  the  news,  and  declared  that  there  was  no  danger  or 
difficulty  that  they  would  not  cheerfully  face,  in  the  service  of 
their  country.  Byron  encountered  a  furious  "pampero"  off  the 
Patagonian  coast,  and,  after  resting  his  people  at  Port  Desire, 
he  commenced  his  search  for  Pepys  Island  on  the  5th  of  December. 

This  land  was  reported  to  be  in  47"  S.,  and  is  shown  in  that 
parallel  on  Halley's  chart  ;  but  the  only  person  who  pretended  to 
have  seen  it  was  Cowlej',  and,  in  his  narrative,  he  gave  no  longitude. 
The  two  ships  of  Byron's  squadron  spread,  and,  as  the  weather  was 
clear,  they  could  see,  between  them,  over  about  twenty  leagues. 
Having  convinced  himself  that  there  was  no  such  island,  Bj'ron 
shaped  a  coui'se  for  Cape  Virgins,  at  the  entrance  of  Magellan's 
Strait,  anchoring  about  four  or  five  leagues  up  the  Strait  on  the 
north  shore.  There  took  place  the  Commodore's  interview  with  the 
Patagonians,  whose  stature  excited  his  astonishment.  He  did  not 
measure  them,  but  thought  that  the  height  of  the  chief  could  not 
be  much  less  than  seven  feet.  Mr.  James  dimming,  the  first 
lieutenant,  who  was  the  standard  of  measurement,  was  six  feet 
two  inches  in  height.  Byron  then  proceeded  up  the  Strait  for 
wood  and  water,  before  complying  with  his  instructions  relating 
to  the  Falkland  Islands.  For  that  purpose  the  vessels  were  anchored 
first  at  Sandy  Point  and  aftei'wards  at  Port  Famine. 

In  January,  1765,  Captain  Byron  left  the  Strait,  and  took  formal 
possession  of  the  islands  by  the  name  of  the  Falkland  Islands, 
Captain    Strong,  in  1689,  having  given    the  name  of   Falkland    to 


1765-C6.]  BISON  IN   THE  PACIFIC.  119 

the  Strait  which  divides  them.  Byron  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
they  were  identical  with  the  Pepys  Island  of  Cowley.  He  named 
the  bay  in  which  he  anchored  Port  Egmont,  and  another  large 
bay  was  called  Berkeley  Sound.  Having  made  a  cursory  examina- 
tion of  great  part  of  the  group,  the  squadron  proceeded  to  I'ort 
Desire  again,  to  meet  a  store  ship  sent  out  from  England,  which 
duly  arrived  and  was  sent  on  to  Port  Famine.  There  she  filled 
up  the  discovery  ships,  and  sailed  on  her  return  to  England  on 
February  '25th,  1765. 

Byron  passed  Cape  Pilar  and  entered  the  Pacific  Ocean,  running 
at  the  I'ate  of  nine  knots  before  a  slashing,  south-easterly  gale.  As 
yet  all  his  men  were  free  from  scurvy,  which  immunity  he  attributed 
to  the  supply  of  fresh  vegetables  of  various  kinds  obtained  in  the 
Strait.  The  passage  had  occupied  seven  weeks  and  two  days,  the 
vessels  having  encountered  very  severe  weather  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  time.  Wood,  water,  fresh  fish  and  goats  were  obtained 
at  the  island  of  Masafuera  on  the  28th  and  following  days,  and  the 
squadron  proceeded  on  its  voyage  on  jNIay  1st. 

During  his  voyage  across  the  Pacific,  although  he  passed  through 
the  Dangerous  Archipelago  and  not  far  from  the  Society  Islands, 
Byron  succeeded  in  discovering  nothing,  a  most  difficult  feat  on  his 
part.  He  appears  to  have  shaped  a  course  direct  for  Tiniau,  where 
Anson  had  recruited  his  scurvy-stricken  people.  He  sighted  a  coral 
island  on  the  7th  of  June,  and  it  was  unavoidable  that  he  should  see 
several  others,  but  he  appears  to  have  made  no  attempt  at  explora- 
tion. Reaching  Tinian  on  the  30th  of  July,  he  put  up  tents  for  the 
sick,  who  soon  recovered  from  the  scurvy  which  had  afflicted  them 
during  the  voyage.  Byron  remained  nine  weeks  at  Tinian,  and 
touched  at  Pulo  Tiuman  and  Batavia,  proceeding  home  round  the 
Cape.  He  sent  the  Tamar  to  Antigua  to  be  hove  down  and  have 
her  rudder  newly  hung,  proceeding  home  in  the  Dolphin,  and  arriving 
in  the  Downs  on  May  9th,  170(3.  His  voyage  was  not  satisfactory, 
the  results  being  so  small,  and  it  was  decided  to  despatch  another 
expedition  almost  immediately.  Byron  was  Governor  of  Newfound- 
land in  17(59,  commanded  a  squadron  in  North  America  and  the 
West  Indies  against  d'Estaing  in  1779,  with  no  success,  and  died, 
a  Vice-Admiral,  in  178G.  He  was  gi-andfather  of  Lord  Byron, 
the  poet. 

Captain  Samuel  Wallis  was  selected  to  command  the  new 
expedition   on    board    the   Dolphin,   24,    with    Commander  Philip 


120  VOYAOES   AMI   DlSCOVEIilES,    17G3-i:92.  [17G0-G8. 

Carteret  (2),  who  had  served  in  B.yron's  voyage,  under  his  com- 
mand, in  the  Swalloir.  They  left  Plymouth  on  the  2'2nd  of 
August,  1766,  a  little  over  three  months  after  Byron's  return.  Tn 
December,  the  two  ships  anchored  in  the  same  place,  inside  Cape 
Virgins,  where  the  former  expedition  had  been,  and  where  Captain 
Byron  had  roughly  over-estimated  the  stature  of  the  Patagonians. 
Captain  Wallis  made  exact  measurements,  with  the  result  that 
the  tallest  among  them  were  found  to  be  from  six  feet  five  inches 
to  six  feet  seven  inches  in  height  ;  the  average  being  from  five 
feet  ten  to  six  feet. 

On  the  17th  of  December,  1766,  Captain  "Wallis  commenced  the 
passage  of  Magellan's  Strait,  anchoring  at  Port  Famine  on  the  27th, 
where  the  ships  were  refitted,  and  abi;ndance  of  fish  was  caught. 
There  also,  owing  to  the  diet  of  fresh  vegetables,  the  scurvy  entirely 
disappeared.  But  the  expedition  was  detained  in  the  Strait  longer 
than  that  of  Byron.  It  was  not  until  April  llth,  1767,  that  the 
Dolphin  passed  Cape  Pilar,  and  on  the  same  day  the  Swallow 
parted  companj-,  never  again  rejoining  her  consort.  Captain  Wallis 
devoted  a  chapter  of  his  work  to  some  useful  sailing  directions, 
describing  the  best  anchorages  in  the  Strait.  He  made  his  way 
across  the  Pacific,  sighted  land  on  the  4th  of  June,  1767,  and 
passed  several  islands  of  the  Low  Archipelago,  to  which  he  gave 
names.  On  the  19th  he  came  in  sight  of  the  lofty  mountains  of 
Tahiti,  anchoring  in  seventeen  fathoms  on  the  following  day,  and 
thus  making  a  great  and  important  discovery. 

Captain  AVallis  had  a  verj'  difficult  game  to  play  during  his  stay 
at  Tahiti,  especially  in  managing  the  intercourse  of  his  people  with 
the  natives.  On  the  whole  he  displayed  sound  judgment  and  con- 
siderable patience.  Native  encroachments  were  firmly  and  consis- 
tently resisted,  open  attacks  were  duly  but  not  too  severely  punished, 
and  in  the  end  he  estabhshed  friendly  relations  both  with  the  people 
and  with  the  Queen  Oberea.  His  difficulties  were  increased  by 
ignorance  of  the  language,  and  the  absence  of  any  interpreter. 
WaUis  remained  for  seven  weeks  at  Tahiti,  which  enabled  him  to  land 
his  sick  and  restore  health  to  the  crew,  as  well  as  to  obtain  stores  of 
fresh  provisions.  He  gave  the  name  of  George  III.  Island  to  his 
discovery.  Sailing  on  the  27th  of  July  he  shaped  a  westward  course, 
passed  near  the  lovely  island  of  Eimeo,  and  also  discovered  Sir 
Charles  Saunders  Island,  which  has  a  high  hill  in  its  centre. 

But   there   the   discoveries   of   the   Dolphin    ended,    for,    as   an 


1TG7-68.]  VOYAGES    OF    WALLIS   AND    CAUTEliET.  Vl\ 

explorer,  Wallis  was  only  half-hearted.  With  very  little  excuse, 
either  on  the  ground  of  his  vessel  being  unseaworthy,  or  his  people 
being  exhausted,  he  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  Tinian,  and  thence 
home  by  the  Cape,  arriving  at  Plymouth  on  May  20th,  1768. 
Captain  Wallis  was  appointed  a  Commissioner  of  the  Navy  in  1782, 
and  lived  in  Se5Tnour  Street  for  many  years,  where  he  became  the 
friend  of  Major  Eennell  and  other  geographers  of  that  time.  He 
died  in  1795. 

Carteret,  in  the  Swallow,  was  parted  from  his  consort  just 
outside  Magellan's  Strait,  with  no  rendezvous  assigned,  while  the 
principal  stores  were  on  board  the  Dolphin,  to  which  vessel  the 
Swallow  was  httle  more  than  a  tender.  It  required  considerable 
nerve  on  Carteret's  part  to  continue  the  exploring  work  single 
handed;  and,  in  the  circumstances,  he  would  have  been  justified 
in  returning  home.  He  steered  for  Juan  Fernandez  to  take  in 
wood  and  water,  resolving  to  caiTy  out  the  work  entrusted  to  him 
to  the  best  of  his  ability,  with  the  insufficient  means  at  his  disposal. 
He  found  that  Juan  Fernandez  was  no  longer  a  desert  island,  but 
that  it  had  been  fortified  and  occupied  by  Spanish  troops.  He 
beheld  the  fort  and  surrounding  houses  with  astonishment,  for  no 
news  of  this  measure  of  the  Spanish  government,  which  had 
been  adopted  eighteen  years  before,  had  reached  England.  The 
order  was  sent  out  to  occupy  Juan  Fernandez  in  1747,  after  the 
pubhcation  of  Lord  Anson's  voyage  by  his  chaplain :  and  the 
arrangements  were  made  by  the  Conde  de  Superunda,  Viceroy  of 
Peru.  In  1751  a  terrible  earthquake  destroyed  the  settlement,  the 
governor  and  all  his  family  being  submerged  by  a  huge  wave  ; 
but  the  new  Viceroy,  Don  Manuel  Amat,  promptly  sent  another 
governor,  succour  and  reinforcements.  Thus  it  was  that  Carteret 
beheld  guns  pointed  at  him  from  a  fort,  instead  of  the  lonely  beach 
described  by  Anson's  chaplain. 

Disconcerted  by  this  surprise,  Carteret,  who  bad  the  experience 
gained  from  his  voyage  with  Byron,  made  for  the  less  accessible 
island  of  Masafuera.  By  throwing  his  casks  into  the  surf,  and  by 
recourse  to  swimming,  the  boat's  crew  succeeded  in  watering  the 
ship,  but  not  without  some  hairbreadth  escapes  and  enduring 
great  privations  on  the  island.  Three  men  swam  on  shore, 
and  the  weather  became  so  boisterous  that  they  could  not  return. 
Abandoned  and  naked  they  kept  warmth  in  their  bodies  by  each 
one  taking  turns  to  be  sandwiched  between  the  two  others.     Their 


122  VOYAGES  AND   DISCOVERIES,    1703-1792.  [1768-09. 

postures  must  have  been  unlike  those  of  the  Three  Graces  of 
Canova,  remarks  the  Chilian  historian  of  Juan  Fernandez. 

All  the  men  were  got  on  board  by  the  19th  of  May,  1768,  and 
Carteret  then  took  a  northerly  course,  wishing  to  solve  the  question 
of  Davis's  Land  which  had  been  placed  on  the  chart  in  consequence 
of  a  report  from  Davis  the  buccaneer.  He  suggests  that  the  land 
seen  by  Edward  Davis  in  1687,  was  the  small  isles  of  San  Felix  and 
San  Ambrosio  near  the  coast  of  South  America.  The  description, 
in  Wafer's  voyage,  makes  this  impossible,  and  Burney  had  little 
doubt  that  Davis's  Land  is  identical  with  the  Easter  Island  of 
Eoggewein. 

Steering  westward  across  the  ocean,  Carteret  discovered  an 
island  on  July  2nd,  which  was  named  Pitcairn's  Island,  because  it 
was  first  seen  from  the  masthead  of  the  Swallow  by  a  midshipman 
of  that  name.  Carteret  then  sighted  several  coral  islands  to  the 
south  of  the  Low  Archipelago,  and  thus  missed  Tahiti.  In  August 
the  crew  began  to  be  afflicted  bj'  scurvy,  and  land  was  anxiously 
looked  out  for ;  but  none  was  reached  until  they  fell  in  with  an  island 
of  the  Santa  Cruz  group.  The  attacks  of  the  natives  with  poisoned 
arrows  made  it  impossible  to  refit.  Carteret,  who  was  himself  very 
ill  with  scurvy,  could  do  no  more  than  get  in  a  supply  of  water,  and 
the  next  land  he  sighted  was  the  New  Britain  of  Dampier.  There 
he  made  the  important  discovery  that  this  land  consisted  of  two 
islands,  and  he  sailed  between  them.  He  named  the  other  island 
New  Ireland,  and  the  strait  St.  George's  Channel.  At  last  he  was 
able  to  careen  and  caulk  his  vessel,  and  to  get  some  fruit  for  his 
scurvy-stricken  people ;  but  he  was  again  fiercely  attacked  by  the 
savages.  Beaching  Macassar,  he  was  treated  most  inhospitably  by 
the  Dutch,  who  refused  to  allow  him  any  fresh  provisions,  and  he 
was  obhged  to  sail  onwards  to  Batavia.  Carteret  brought  the 
Swalloiu  back  to  Spithead  on  the  20th  of  March,  1769,  ten  months 
after  the  return  of  Captain  Wallis.  He  became  a  Superannuated 
Bear- Admiral  and  died  at  Southampton  in  1796. 

During  the  absence  of  Wallis's  expedition,  the  Boyal  Society 
had  addressed  the  Government  with  a  view  to  a  vessel  being 
despatched  to  the  South  Pacific  to  observe  the  transit  of  Venus 
over  the  sun's  disc,  which  was  to  occur  in  the  year  1769.  The 
enlightened  Government  of  that  day  readily  acceded  to  the  request, 
and  resolved  to  fit  out  and  despatch  an  expedition  mainly  with  the 
object  of  observing  the  transit,  hut  also  for  exploration  and  discovery. 


1708.]  CAPTAIN  JAMES   COOK.  12'3 

The  selection  of  a  leader  for  this  famous  expedition  was  the 
most  fortunate  that  ever  was  made ;  and  the  honour  appears  to 
have  been  due  to  Mr.  Philip  Stephens,  the  Secretaiy  of  the 
Admiralty. 

James  Cook,  the  founder  of  modern  marine  surveying,  possessed 
qualifications  which  are  rarely  combined  in  one  man,  and  which 
place  him  first  in  the  glorious  roll  of  maritime  discoverers,  not  only 
in  his  own  time,  but  for  all  time.  He  has  no  equal,  and  stands  alone. 
He  excelled  all  others  in  resolute  determination,  in  patience  and 
reasonableness,  in  devotion  to  his  work,  and  in  the  power  of  taking 
trouble  and  of  attending  to  minute  details  as  well  as  to  important 
matters.  Others  have  had  one  or  more  of  those  qualifications  in 
equal  degree.  No  other  has  ever  combined  them  so  pre-eminently 
as  Cook  did,  in  a  way  which  amounted  to  genius.  The  son  of  a 
farm  labourer  near  Guisborough,  in  the  North  Hiding  of  Yorkshire, 
James  Cook  was  born  on  October  27th,  1728.  He  was  taught  to  read 
and  cipher  at  a  village  school,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  was  bound 
apprentice  to  a  man  who  kept  a  general  shop  at  the  little  fishing 
village  of  Staiths,  near  Whitby.  At  Staiths,  he  saw  the  sea  for  the 
first  time,  and  before  long  he  got  his  discharge  from  the  shop  and 
bound  himself  apprentice  for  seven  years  to  Messrs.  Walker  of 
Whitby,  who  owned  the  'True  Love  in  the  coal  trade.  After  he  had 
served  his  time,  young  Cook  continued  to  work  as  a  foremast  hand, 
until  at  last  he  was  made  mate  on  board  one  of  Mr.  Walker's  ships. 
In  1755,  Cook  was  in  the  Thames  when  there  was  a  great  demand 
for  seamen  to  man  the  fleet,  and,  to  avoid  being  pressed,  he 
volunteered  as  an  able  seaman  on  board  H.M.S.  Eagle.  She  sailed 
to  North  America  under  Captain  Hugh  Palliser  and  took  part 
in  the  capture  of  Louisboiurg.  It  appears  that  Palliser  was  so 
impressed  with  yomig  Cook's  intelligence  and  abihty,  that  he  used 
all  his  influence  to  get  him  made  an  officer,  and  so  successfully  that 
in  1759  Cook  was  appointed  Master  of  the  Mercury,  24,  which 
ship  was  also  sent  to  North  America,  at  the  time  of  the  expedition 
against  Quebec.  Then  followed  a  series  of  valuable  services  in 
sounding  the  St.  Lawrence  during  the  war,  and  in  surveying  the 
coasts  of  Newfoundland.  Cook's  work  was  so  highly  appreciated 
at  the  Admiralty  that,  when  it  was  resolved  to  send  out  an 
expedition  to  observe  the  transit  of  Venus,  he  was  selected  for 
the  command,  at  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Stephens,  and 
received  a  commission  of  Lieutenant  in  His  Majesty's  Navy.     The 


]'24  VOYAGES   AND   DISCOVKEIES,    17G3-1792.  [17C8. 

transfer  of  a  Master  to  the  executive  line  in  those  daj's  was  most 
unusual,  while  such  a  rise,  from  the  rating  of  ahle  seaman,  was 
almost  unprecedented.  It  reflects  the  highest  credit  on  the  Admiralty 
of  that  day,  for  no  selection  could  have  been  better  in  any  respect. 
Cook  was  by  that  time  an  officer  of  experience,  an  accurate  and 
conscientious  surveyor  ;  and  he  possessed  those  far  higher  qualifica- 
tions which  could  only  be  developed  when  he  was  face  to  face 
with  the  responsibilities  of  his  position,  and  with  the  innumer- 
able difficulties  which  surrounded  the  commander  of  such  an 
expedition. 

Cook  was  allowed  to  select  his  vessel,  and  he  chose  a  strongly 
built  bark  of  370  tons,  and  drawing  little  water,  named  the 
Endeavour.  Built  at  AVhitby,  she  was  purchased  into  the  Navy, 
brought  round  to  the  Thames,  and  fitted  out  at  Deptford  Dockyard. 
Besides  the  Lieutenant-commanding,  her  complement  of  officers  con- 
sisted of  two  Lieutenants  and  a  Master,  three  Master's  Mates,  seven 
Midshipmen,  a  Surgeon  and  Surgeon's  Mate,  a  Clerk,  and  three 
warrant  officers.  Mr.  Joseph  Banks  of  Eevesby  Abbey,  a  scientific 
botanist  as  well  as  a  Lincolnshire  squire  of  large  fortune,  volunteered 
to  accompany  the  expedition,  taking  with  him  a  Swedish  naturalist 
named  Solander,  and  four  artists.  Mr.  Charles  Green,  one  of  the 
assistants  at  Greenwich  Observatory,  was  appointed  astronomer.  It 
was  originally  intended  to  proceed  to  the  Marquesas  Islands  to  observe 
the  transit.  But  Captain  "Wallis  returned  before  the  expedition  sailed 
and  recommended  his  new  discovery  so  strongly  that  Tahiti  was  finally 
selected.  Harrison  had  completed  his  invention  of  the  chronometer, 
but  none  were  supplied  to  the  Endeavour.  The  expedition  had  to  rely 
entirely  upon  the  observations  of  lunars  for  its  longitudes.  This  was 
one  of  the  special  duties  of  the  astronomer,  constantly  assisted  by 
Cook  himself ;  and  the  accuracy  of  these  lunar  observations  is,  as  the 
present  Hydrographer  has  pointed  out,  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
results  of  the  voyage.  The  first  Nautical  Almanac  was  published  by 
Dr.  Nevil  Maskelyne,  the  Astronomer  Koyal,  1767  ;  but  it  then  only 
contained  tables  of  declination,  and  distances  of  the  moon  from  the 
sun  and  fixed  stars,  computed  for  the  meridian  of  Greenwich  and 
expressly  designed  for  finding  the  longitude  at  sea.  It  was  quite  a 
thin  volume. 

Mr.  Banks  and  his  scientific  staff  joined  at  Plymouth,  the  ex- 
pedition finally  saihng  on  the  ■2()th  of  July,  17(58.  Besides  twenty 
officers  and  seven  members  of  the  scientific  staff,  she  had  a  crew  of 


17U8-69.]  COOK'S  I'lIiST   VOYAGE.  125 

sixty-seven  men ;  so  that  the  httle  vessel  must  have  been  very 
closely  packed.  Tliis  of  course  necessitated  constant  attention  to 
the  sanitary  conditions,  and  to  the  diet,  if  the  crew  of  the  Endeavour 
was  not  to  be  decimated  by  scurvy ;  a  fate  which  had  attended  all 
previous  expeditions  of  the  kind. 

Cook  resolved  to  abandon  the  practice  of  his  predecessors,  who 
navigated  through  Magellan's  Strait  during  many  weary  weeks,  in 
the  face  of  strong  adverse  winds.  He  saved  much  time  and  fatigue 
by  rounding  Cape  Horn,  arriving  safely  at  Tahiti  on  the  13th  of 
April,  17()9.  The  Endcuronr  anchored  in  the  "Port  Eoyal "'  of 
Captain  Wallis,  called  by  the  natives  Matavai.  Lieutenant  Cook's 
first  care  was  to  establish  friendly  relations  with  the  people,  and 
with  that  object  he  drew  up  rules  to  be  observed  by  the  ship's 
company,  "  for  the  better  estabhshing  of  a  regular  and  uniform 
trade  for  provisions,  with  the  inhabitants  of  King  George's  Island." 
An  observatoiy  was  established  on  shore,  and  the  transit  of  Venus 
across  the  sun's  disc  was  successfully  observed  by  Captain  Cook, 
Mr.  Green,  and  Dr.  Solander  on  the  4th  of  June,  1769. 

Having  taken  this  important  observation,  the  commander, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Banks,  circumnavigated  the  island  in  the 
pinnace,  with  a  view  of  mapping  the  coasts  and  harbours.  A  very 
full  and  interesting  account  was  drawn  up  of  the  island  of  Tahiti, 
its  physical  aspects  and  products,  the  appearance  of  the  people  and 
their  manners  and  customs,  manufactures,  implements,  language, 
religion,  and  government,  with  detailed  descriptions  of  their  weapons 
and  canoes.  When  Captain  Cook  prepared  for  his  departure,  one  of 
the  most  influential  men  in  the  island,  named  Tupia,  volunteered  to 
accompany  him.  This  was  very  desirable,  chiefly  as  a  means  of 
acquiring  the  language,  and  Tupia  was  received  on  board  with  a 
native  boy  as  his  servant.  The  Endeavour  sailed  on  the  13th  of  July 
after  a  stay  of  three  months,  during  which  time  judicious  measures 
were  adopted  for  maintaining  friendly  relations  with  the  people,  and 
order  was  maintained  in  the  regulation  of  the  traffic,  which  was 
principally  managed  by  Mr.  Banks.  The  northern  extremity  of 
Tahiti  was  named  Point  Venus. 

Tupia  informed  Captain  Cook  of  the  existence  of  several  in- 
habited islands  to  the  westward  of  Tahiti,  which  were  visited  by  the 
Endeavour ;  and  the  excellent  chart  based  on  Cook's  survey  was  the 
only  guide  to  mariners  for  more  than  a  century.  Retaining  the 
native   names  for  the   six   islands,  some  of  which  he  visited   and 


126  VOYAOES   ASD   niSCOVERIES,    170.3-17O2.  [1770. 

surveyed,  Cook  gave  the  name  of  Society  Islands  to  the  whole 
group,  in  honour  of  the  Royal  Society. 

Sailing  from  the  Society  Islands,  Cook  shaped  a  southerly  course 
with  the  object  of  ascertaining  whether  the  alleged  southern  con- 
tinent existed.  He  went  as  far  as  40°  S.,  but,  meeting  with  very 
tempestuous  weather,  he  laid  aside  this  design  and  stood  to  the 
northward.  On  the  7th  of  October  the  laud  of  the  North  Island  of 
New  Zealand  was  sighted  from  the  masthead,  and  on  the  9th  the 
Endeavour  was  anchored  in  the  entrance  of  the  small  river  of 
Tauranga  nui.  On  the  15th,  Cook  was  off  Akuriri  Cliff,  at  the  back 
of  which  now  stands  the  flourishing  town  of  Napier.  On  the  5th  of 
November,  the  Endeavour  anchored  in  what  is  now  known  as  Cook's 
Bay.  Passing  the  harbour  where  Auckland  now  stands,  which  is 
hidden  behind  a  number  of  islands.  Cook  reached  Hauraki  Gulf ; 
and  on  the  27th  he  named  a  cape  after  Sir  Piercy  Brett,  one  of  the 
Lords  of  the  Admiralty,  who  had  served  in  Anson's  expedition.  On 
the  29th  he  anchored  in  the  Bay  of  Islands ;  and  on  the  llth  of 
December  he  reached  the  northern  extremity  of  the  North  Island. 
Cook  then  examined  the  west  side  of  the  island.  On  January  13th, 
1770,  he  was  off  the  lofty -peaked  mountain  which  he  named  Mount 
Egmont,  and  on  the  15th  he  anchored  in  Queen  Charlotte  Sound,  in 
the  north-east  part  of  the  Middle  Island. 

Sir  William  Wharton,  in  annotating  this  part  of  Cook's  journal, 
remarks  on  the  extraordinary  accuracy  of  his  positions,  on  the 
characteristic  tenacity  with  which  he  stuck  to  the  coast  in  order  to 
complete  his  survey,  and  on  the  mingled  audacity  and  caution  of  his 
navigation. 

He  next  proceeded  to  examine  the  coasts  of  the  Middle  Island  of 
New  Zealand.  He  named  the  southernmost  point  of  the  North 
Island  after  his  patron  Sir  Hugh  Palliser,  but  was  not  near  enough 
to  see  the  entrance  to  Port  Nicholson,  within  which  Wellington,  the 
present  capital  of  New  Zealand,  is  situated.  On  the  17th  of 
February,  Banks's  Peninsula,  which  Cook  believed  to  be  an  island, 
was  sighted,  with  its  harbours  of  Lyttleton  and  Akaroa.  On  the 
5th  of  March  the  Endeavour  was  off  the  south  point  of  the  Middle 
Island,  and  on  the  9th  South  or  Stewart  Island  was  sighted.  Cook  be- 
lieved that  it  was  part  of  the  Middle  Island,  and  proceeded  to  examine 
the  mountainous  western  coast.     Sir  William  Wharton  remarks  :  — 

"  The  astonishing  accuracy  of  Cook's  outUiic  of  New  Zealand  must  be  the  ailniira- 
tion  of  all  who  understand   the  difliculties  of  laving  down  a  coast:  and  when  it  is 


1770]  COOICS  FIIiST    VOYAGE.  127 

considered  that  this  coast  line  is  2400  miles  in  extent,  the  magnitude  of  the  task  will 
be  realised  by  everybody.  Never  has  a  coast  been  so  well  laid  down  by  a  first 
explorer,  and  it  must  have  required  unceasing  vigilance  and  continual  observation  in 
fair  weather  and  toul  to  arrive  at  such  a  satisfactory  conclusion;  and  with  such  a  dull 
sailer  as  the  Kiuhnmui;  the  six-and-a-half  months  occupied  in  the  work  must  be 
counted  as  a  short  interval  in  which  to  ilo  it." 

Cook  devotes  a  chapter  to  a  full  and  interesting  account  of  New 
Zealand  and  the  Maoris.  Cook  then  discusses  the  question  of  a 
southern  continent,  the  routes  of  Quiros  and  Roggewein,  and  the 
position  of  the  much  disputed  Davis's  Land.  His  conclusion  is 
that  there  could  he  no  continental  land  to  the  north  of  40'  S. 
between  New  Zealand  and  Cape  Horn. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  Cook  left  New  Zei  and  and  stec'^d  to  the 
westward,  sighting  the  south-east  coast  of  Australia  on  the  19th. 
A  gale  forced  him  to  run  to  the  northward,  and  on  the  29th  the 
Endeavour  was  anchored  in  Botany  Ba}'.  Leaving  it  in  Mav,  he 
passed  a  bay  which  he  named  Port  Jackson,  after  one  of  the 
secretaries  of  the  Admiralty,  on  the  6th,  hut  did  not  detect  the 
existence  of  the  magnificent  harboui"  of  Sydney.  Proceeding  north- 
wards, Cook  steered  the  ship  between  the  land  and  the  Great 
Barrier  Reef,  of  the  existence  of  which  he  was  not  aware.  Soon  he 
got  among  numerous  shoals  and  islands,  "  the  whole  sea  in  his  track 
being  strewn  with  dangers,"  and  on  the  11th  of  June  the  ship  struck 
and  stuck  fast  on  the  Endeavour  reef.  Upwards  of  fifty  tons  of 
guns,  ballast,  and  old  stores  were  thrown  overboard  to  lighten  her, 
and  the  two  bower  anchors  were  laid  out  astern.  Meanwhile  the 
leak  gained  considerably  on  the  pumps.  Nevertheless  Cook  resolved 
to  heave  her  off,  and  at  ten  on  Jmie  12th  she  floated,  the  leak 
still  gaining.  The  commander  fully  expected  that  the  ship  would 
sink.  He  knew  that  the  boats  could  not  convey  all  his  people  to 
the  distant  and  inhospitable  shore.  But  when  the  ship  floated  it 
was  found,  to  his  surprise  and  joy,  that  the  pumps  actually  gained 
upon  the  leak.  Once  more  the  Endearoiir  was  under  sail  and 
standing  for  the  land.  Yet  it  was  impossible  long  to  continue  the 
labour  by  which  the  pumps  were  made  to  hold  their  own  against 
the  leak.  As  its  exact  position  could  not  be  found,  there  was 
no  hope  of  stopping  it  from  inboard.  Cook  determined  to 
t'other  the  ship,  and  as  a  young  midshipman,  named  Monkhouse, 
had  seen  this  done  on  board  a  merchant  ship,  the  operation  was 
entrusted  to  his  superintendence.  Taking  a  lower  studding  sail,  he 
mixed  together  a  large  quantity  of  oakum  and  wool  chopped  pretty 


128  yorAGES  AND   DISCOVERIES,   1763-1702.  [1770. 

small,  and  stitched  it  down  in  handfuls  upon  the  sail,  which,  thus 
prepared,  was  hauled  under  the  ship's  hottom.  "When  it  came  over 
the  leak,  the  suction  which  drew  in  the  water  also  carried  with  it 
the  oakum  and  wool  from  the  sui-face  of  the  sail.  The  leak  was  so 
far  reduced,  by  this  means,  that  it  was  easily  kept  under. 

During  the  whole  of  this  trying  time  every  soul  on  hoard,  having 
I)8rfect  confidence  in  the  commander,  behaved  admirably.  The 
ship  was  brought  into  a  river  on  the  coast,  which  was  named 
Endeavour  Eiver,  where  the  flourishing  port  of  Cook-town  has 
recently  ris3u  into  importance.  A  monument  to  the  memory  of 
Captain  Cook  has  been  erected  on  the  very  spot  where  his  ship  was 
careened.  Here  the  Endeavour  was  thoroughly  refitted;  and  it 
was  here  that  kangaroos  were  first  seen  \>y  Europeans.  The 
name  was  obtained  from  the  natives  by  Mr.  Banks.  Cook  found 
a  safe  passage  through  the  Barrier  Reef,  150  miles  to  the  north, 
which  led  him  into  Torres  Strait,  and  which  he  named  "  Providential 
Channel."  Thus  was  the  whole  coast  of  New  South  Wales  dis- 
covered by  the  great  navigator. 

The  navigation  of  Torres  Strait  is  difficult  and  very  intricate. 
The  passage  discovered  by  Cook,  through  what  he  called  Endeavour 
Strait,  is  now  little  used,  the  difficulty  of  finding  a  narrow  pass 
among  the  reefs,  so  far  from  land,  having  caused  it  to  be  abandoned. 
Cook  estabhshed  the  existence  of  the  strait  between  Australia  and 
New  Guinea,  for  the  fact  that  Luis  Vaez  Torres  passed  through  it 
in  1606  was  unknown,  the  detail  of  that  voyage  having  been 
concealed  by  the  Spanish  Govermnent.  It  was  first  made  known 
by  Dalrymple. 

After  a  short  detention  to  examine  the  coast  of  New  Guinea, 
and  to  effect  a  landing,  on  its  western  side,  Cook  made  the  best  of 
his  way  to  Batavia,  where  he  anchored  on  the  11th  of  October,  1770. 
Among  the  successful  achievements  of  this  gifted  sailor  the  greatest 
was  perhaps  his  preservation  of  his  people  from  scurvy.  The  usual 
r.ntiscorbutics  were  supplied  such  as  saar-kraut,  inspissated  lemon 
juice,  molasses,  portable  soup,  and  malt  to  be  made  into  wort ;  but 
this  had  been  done  before.  Cook's  success  was  due  to  his  constant 
vigilance,  and  close  personal  inspection.  No  opportunity  was  ever 
allowed  to  be  missed  of  procuring  supplies  of  green  food ;  such  as 
the  wild  celery  of  Tierra  del  Fuego.  Wort  was  served  out  as  a 
regular  article  of  diet.  Cold  bathing  was  enforced,  unusual  attention 
was  paid  to  cleanliness,  stoves  were  used  to  keej)  the  decks  dry  even 


1771-2]  COOK'S  SECOND    VOYAGE.  12& 

in  hot  weather,  cand  the  commander  personally  saw  that  all  his 
sanitaiy  regulations  were  carried  out.  Three  slight  cases  of  scorbutic 
disorder  occurred  on  the  voyage  to  Tahiti,  and  were  promptly 
cured  ;  otherwise  there  was  no  scurvy  on  board  during  the  expedi- 
tion ;  a  result  which  was  entirely  due  to  Cook's  vigilance  and  close 
personal  attention  to  the  sanitation  of  the  ship. 

But  two  months  in  the  sickly  climate  of  Batavia,  a  detention 
which  was  unavoidable  in  order  to  refit  and  execute  repairs, 
brought  on  diseases  against  which  the  commander  was  unprepared. 
Dysentery  and  fever  broke  out,  and  the  return  home  was  saddened  by 
the  loss  of  both  the  Lieutenants,  the  Master  and  Surgeon,  two  Mid- 
shipmen, the  Boatswain  and  Carpenter,  Mr.  Green  the  astronomer, 
three  of  Mr.  Banks's  artists,  Tupia  the  Tahitiau,  and  his  boy  ;  while 
the  ship's  company  was  decimated  before  the  Endeavour  reached 
the  Cape.  Out  of  04  persons  who  left  England  in  her,  only  .54  were 
alive  when  she  reached  home  on  the  l"2th  of  June,  1771. 

The  beneficial  effect  of  this  memorable  voyage  on  the  Govern- 
ment and  on  public  opinion  immediately  became  evident.  It  was 
fully  admitted  in  Byron's  instructions  that  one  of  the  duties  of  the 
Navy  was  the  prosecution  of  voyages  of  discovery.  But  now  that- 
important  duty  was  carried  out  with  an  amount  of  alacrity  and 
zeal  which  is  deserving  of  all  praise.  Cook  was  justly  looked  upon 
as  a  genius,  and  as  possessing  unrivalled  qualifications  for  such 
sei^vice.  The  old  Endeavour  was  sold,  and  she  sailed  for  many  years 
as  a  collier  in  the  North  Sea.  But  within  three  months  of  paying 
her  off,  James  Cook  was  appointed  to  command  a  second  expedi- 
tion of  discovery  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  He  again  selected  two  Whitby 
built  colliers,  the  Resolution,  of  462,  and  the  Adventure,  of  33(3  tons. 
Cook  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Commander,'  and  Lieutenant- 
Tobias  Furneaux,  who  had  served  with  Captain  Wallis  in  the 
Dolphin,  was  appointed  to  the  Adventure.  Two  officers  who  had 
been  out  as  Master's  Mates  in  the  first  voyage,  Charles  Clark  and 
Richard  Pickersgill,  were  selected  by  Commander  Cook  as  second  and 
third  Lieutenants  respectively  of  the  Resolution.  There  were  other  old 
Endeavours  among  the  junior  officers  and  men.  Mr.  Wales  sailed 
in  the  Resolntion  and  Mr.  Bagley  in  the  Adventure  as  astronomers, 
and  two  German  naturalists,  father  and  son,  named  Forster,  were 
taken.      There    were   also    Mr.    Hodges  an  artist,  and    a    Swedish 

'  Cook's  CommandeiV  commission  was  dated  Aug.  29tli,  1771,  and  his  coraiuissioa 
as  Captain,  Aug.  dtli,  1775.— W.  L.  C. 

VOL.   IV.  K 


130  VOYAGES   AM)   DISCOVERIES,    1703-1702.  [1772. 

botanist,  shipped  at  the  Capo,  named  Spaiman.  Among  the  Mid- 
shipmen were  George  Vancouver  the  future  commander  of  a  famous 
expedition,  and  James  Bui'ney  (1),^  who  afterwards  wrote  the 
standard  work  on  voyages  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

This  time  the  ships  carried  four  chi'onometers ;  and  close 
attention  was  given  to  the  supply  of  antiscorbutics,  the  vigilant 
Commander  redoubling  his  efforts  to  preserve  his  people  from  the 
scourge  of  scurvy. 

The  chief  object  of  Cook's  second  voyage  was  to  solve  the 
question  of  the  existence  of  a  great  southern  continent ;  a  subject 
which,  during  the  first  expedition,  had  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
accomplished  navigator.  He  was  well  acquainted  with  the  early 
Spanish  and  Dutch  voyages  through  the  translations  of  Dalrymple, 
and  with  the  speculations  of  cartographers ;  and  the  importance  of 
deciding  the  question  was  recognised  alike  by  men  of  science  and 
by  statesmen.  Thus  the  avowed  object  of  Cook's  second  voyage 
was  to  complete  the  discovery  of  the  southern  hemisphere.  He  was 
to  proceed  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  to  sail  thence  in  a 
southerly  direction  in  search  of  Cape  Circumcision,  reported  in  1739 
by  M.  Bouvet,  a  French  commander,  as  having  been  sighted  in 
54°  S.  and  11  20'  E.  If  it  proved  to  be  part  of  a  continent  he  was 
to  use  his  best  endeavours  to  explore  it,  and  he  was  to  continue 
prosecuting  discoveries  in  high  latitudes,  penetrating  as  near  to  the 
south  pole  as  possible.  On  the  13th  of  July,  177"2,  Captain  Cook 
sailed  from  Plymouth,  with  the  Adventure  in  company,  arriving  at 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  on  the  29th  of  October. 

On  the  22nd  of  November,  the  expedition  sailed  from  the  Cape 
and  shaped  a  coiu'se  to  the  alleged  position  of  Bouvet's  Cape 
Circumcision.  On  the  10th  of  December,  they  sighted  one  of  the 
flat-topped  Antarctic  icebergs,  passing  six  on  the  12th,  some  of  them 
near  two  miles  in  circumference ;  and  next  day  there  were  upwards 
of  twenty  in  sight.  On  the  14th,  the  ships  were  stopped  by  the 
great  polar  pack.  Having  ascertained  that  Cape  Circumcision  had 
no  existence.  Commander  Cook  continued  to  examine  the  edge  of 
the  ice,  amidst  very  perilous  navigation,  until  he  had  crossed  the 
Antarctic  Circle,  and  reached  a  latitude  of  67°  15'  S.  He 
then  bore  up,  and,  having   searched  the  Antarctic  seas   from  the 

'  James  Buriicy  (1)  was  made  a  Commander  on  Oct.  2nd,  1780,  and  a  Pust-Captain 
«iu  June  lyth,  17H2.  He  retired  in  1801,  and  died  man}'  years  later,  a  Superannuated 
Ilear-Admiral. — W.  L.  C. 


1773.]  COOK  IN    THE  ANTARCTIC.  131 

meridian  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  that  of  New  Zealand,  he 
anchored  in  Dusky  Bay,  in  the  [Middle  Island,  on  March  "iOth,  177;:!. 
The  Adventure  liad  parted  company,  during  thick  weather,  in 
February.  Commander  Cook  found  her  in  May,  when  the  Resolution 
went  northward  to  Queen  Charlotte  Sound.  Lieutenant  Furneaux 
had  examined  the  east  coast  of  Van  Diemen's  Land.  In  June,  the 
two  vessels  sailed  for  Tahiti,  arriving  there  on  the  16th  of  August. 
Friendly  relations  were  renewed  with  the  amiable  natives  of  that 
lovely  island,  and  with  their  King  Otu,  who  afterwards  took  the 
name  of  Pomare  I.  and  reigned  until  1808.  On  September  1st, 
the  ships  left  Tahiti,  and  proceeded  to  Huaheine,  one  of  the 
Society  Islands,  where  Furneaux  consented  to  take  on  board  his 
ship  a  young  native  named  Omai,  whose  conduct  was  excellent 
throughout  the  voyage,  and  during  his  residence  of  two  years  in 
England.  The  Prince  of  Wales,  in  a  letter  to"A.rchbishop  Markham, 
described  the  visit  of  Omai  to  King  George  III.  at  Kew.  The  ships 
then  visited  Uliatea,  another  of  the  Society  Islands,  and  Commander 
Cook  took  on  board  a  j'outh  named  Uadidi,  who  was  a  native  of 
Bolabola. 

The  expedition  next  shaped  a  course  to  the  Friendly  Islands, 
which  had  not  been  visited  since  their  discovery  by  Tasman. 
Commander  Cook  touched  at  the  islands  of  Tongatabu  and  Eua, 
and  then  returned  to  New  Zealand.  There  very  severe  weather 
was  encoimterod,  gale  succeeded  gale,  and  the  Adcenture  parted 
company  never  again  to  rejoin.  Lieutenant  Furneaux  went  home  by 
Cape  Horn,  and  annved  in  England  a  year  before  his  senior  officer. 
Thus  left  alone,  the  Resolution  proceeded  to  Queen  Charlotte's 
Sound  on  November  2nd,  and  waited  in  vain  for  her  consort 
until  the  25th. 

On  November  25th,  1773,  Commander  Cook  sailed  from  New 
Zealand  on  his  second  attempt  to  penetrate  far  to  the  south. 
The  first  iceberg  was  encoimtered  on  the  12th  of  December  in 
<j2°  10',  eleven  degrees  further  south  than  the  first  ice  they  saw- 
in  the  preceding  year,  after  lea^^ng  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  On 
the  14th,  there  was  loose  ice,  with  many  bergs,  which  rapidly 
increased  in  number  as  the  ship  proceeded  southwards.  The  pack 
ice  appeared  to  be  composed  chiefly  of  calvings  from  the  bergs. 
For  six  weeks  Cook  faced  the  stonny  Antarctic  seas,  and  braved 
the  perils  of  the  ice ;  until,  on  the  29th  of  January,  1774,  he  was 
stopped  by  a  field   of  ice  extending  far   beyond  sight  to  east  and 

K  2 


132  VOYAGES   AND    lUSCOVElUtS,    17t!3-lT92.  [1774. 

west,  with  a  strong  ice  bleak  to  the  south.  This  was  in  70"  23'  S. 
As  many  as  niuetj'-seven  icebergs  were  counted  within  the  ice, 
many  of  them  of  great  size,  besides  those  outside.  The  Commander 
beheved  that  there  must  be  laud  beyond  the  ice-field.  He  had 
reached  71'  10'  S.  before  he  resolved  to  turn  his  ship's  head  north- 
wai'ds.  Cook  had  now  complied  with  his  instructions ;  but,  with  a 
good  ship  and  healthy  crew,  he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  continue  his 
discoveries.  His  plan  was  to  fix  the  position  of  the  Easter  Island  of 
Eoggewein,  and  then  to  go  in  search  of  the  "  Espiritu  Santo  "  of 
Quiros,  finally  retm-uing  by  Cape  Horn,  and  examining  the  southern 
part  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  All  his  officers  heartily  concmTed  in  the 
plans  of  their  leader,  and  were  resolved  zealously  to  carry  out  his 
orders. 

In  the  morning  of  the  11th  of  March,  1774,  land  was  sighted 
and  was  identified  by  Cook  as  Davis's  Land  or  Easter  Island. 
Indeed,  with  the  help  of  a  glass,  he  could  make  out  the  colossal 
stone  statues,  described  by  the  authors  of  Eoggewein's  voyage.  On 
the  13th,  he  anchored  off  the  island,  and  during  the  next  three  days 
he  made  a  thorough  examination  of  the  curious  platforms  and 
statues,  and  noted  the  products  and  the  character  and  appearance 
of  the  inhabitants.  Thence  the  Eesohttion  shaped  a  course  to  the 
Marquesas  Islands,  and  on  the  6th  of  April  a  young  Midship- 
man named  Hood  sighted  land,  which  proved  to  be  an  undis- 
covered island  of  the  Marquesas  gi'oup.  Cook  gave  it  the  name 
of  Hood's  Island.  The  others  discovered  by  Mendana  in  1595 
soon  came  in  sight,  San  Pedro,  San  Dominico  and  Santa  Cristina ; 
and  the  ship  was  anchored  on  the  7th  at  the  entrance  of 
Mendana's  Bay  in  Santa  Cristiua's  Island.  It  was  in  July,  1595, 
that  Alvaro  de  Mendana  had  discovered  the  group,  and  four  of  the 
islands  which  compose  it  were  described  by  his  chief  pilot,  Pedro 
Fernandez  de  Quiros.  On  the  28th,  the  ships  of  Mendana  anchored 
in  a  bay  of  the  island  of  Santa  Cristina,  which  was  named  Puerto 
del  Madre  de  Dios,  and  on  the  5th  they  left  the  group  which  received 
the  name  of  "  Las  Marquesas  de  Mendoza,''  in  honour  of  the 
Marquis  of  Caiiete,  Viceroy  of  Peru,  whose  surname  was  Mendoza. 
The  British  Commander  sought  for  and  anchored  in  Mendana's 
port.  The  Resolution  left  the  Marquesas  on  the  11th  of  April, 
1774,  and  Cook  devotes  a  chapter  of  his  narrative  to  a  description 
of  the  islands  and  an  account  of  the  inhabitants.  On  the  21st  of 
the  same  month  the  Hesolution  was  once  more  anchored  at  Tahiti,. 


1774.]  COBBECTNESS    OF  COOK'S   CHARTS.  133 

ill  Matavai  Bay.  The  chief  object  of  this  second  visit  was  to 
obtain  the  error  and  rate  of  the  chronometers,  and  Mr.  Wales 
landed  at  once  with  his  instruments.  At  that  time  there  was  no 
one  on  the  sick  list.  Once  more  the  friendly  relations  with  King 
Otu  and  his  people  were  renewed.  The  ship  also  underwent 
a  thorough  refit ;  and  the  naturalists  made  a  botanical  excursion 
into  the  mountains  of  the  interior.  In  May,  the  Society  Islands 
were  revisited,  and  young  Uadidi,  an  excellent  and  useful  lad  who 
had  been  nearly  a  year  on  board,  remained  at  Uliatea. 

Continuing  the  voyage  from  the  Society  to  the  Friendly  Islands, 
Commander  Cook  discovered  several  islands  on  the  way,  anchoring  at 
Anamoca  on  the  '27th  of  June,  1774.  Thence  he  shaped  a  course 
to  the  "  Espiritu  Santo,"  discovered  by  Quiros  on  the  80th  of 
April,  1606,  and  supposed  by  him  to  be  the  "Australia"  of  which 
he  was  in  search.  On  the  21st  of  July,  1774,  the  Resolution  was 
anchored  in  a  bay  of  the  island  of  Malicolo,  one  of  the  largest 
of  the  New  Hebrides  group.  Several  other  islands  were  after- 
wards discovered  and  surveyed,  and  on  the  5th  of  August  the 
Resolution  was  anchored  in  a  bay  of  the  island  of  Tanna.  Cook 
explored  the  whole  group  of  islands  forming  the  New  Hebrides, 
which  extends  over  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  Sir  William 
Wharton  says  :  "  Cock's  chart  of  the  New  Hebrides  is  still,  for 
some  of  the  islands,  the  only  one;  and,  wherever  superseded  by 
more  recent  surveys,  the  general  accuracy  of  his  work,  both  in  out- 
line and  position,  is  very  remarkable.  On  several  occasions,  up  to 
the  present  year  (1893),  Cook's  recorded  positions  have  saved  the 
adoption  of  so-c  tiled  amendments  reported  by  passing  ships,  which 
would  have  been  anything  but  amendments  in  reality."  After 
leaving  the  New  Hebrides,  Captain  Cook  discovered  the  island 
of  New  Caledonia,  exploring  the  eastern  side  three  hundred  miles 
long,  and  Norfolk  Island. 

The  Resolution  returned  to  New  Zealand  to  refit,  anchoring  in 
Queen  Charlotte  Sound  on  October  19th,  1774.  After  three  weeks 
the  ship  resumed  her  voyage  across  the  Pacific  Ocean  to  Tierra  del 
Fuego,  making  the  desolate  looking  land  on  the  17th  of  December. 
At  Christmas  the  Resolution  was  anchored  in  a  bay  which  received 
the  name  of  Christmas  Sound,  with  numerous  islets  and  snowy 
mountains  bounding  the  view.  The  voyage  was  continued  round 
Cape  Horn,  and  through  the  strait  of  Le  Maire.  On  the  3rd  of 
January,  1775,  Captain  Cook  left  Staten  Island  and  steered  S.E.  to 


131  VOi'AGES    AND    DI&COVKlllLS,    17G3-1792.  [1775. 

discover  the  extensive  coast  line  laid  down  by  Mr.  Dahymple  on 
his  chart,  in  which  was  "  the  Gulf  of  San  Sebastian."  On  the  14th. 
snow-covered  land  was  sighted,  and  received  the  name  of  South 
Georgia,  in  5-4^  30'  S.  Pressing  southwards,  the  existence  of 
Dalryniple's  continent  was  disproved,  and  Sandwich  Land  was 
discovered  amidst  snow,  fogs,  gales  of  wind  and  icebergs,  in  60'  S. 
On  March  23rd,  the  Besolution  was  anchored  in  Table  Bay.  There 
Cook  heard  of  the  discoveries  of  the  French  captains,  Surville  and 
Crozet. 

The  Besoluiiux  was  safely  anchored  at  Spithead  on  the  30th  of 
July,  1775,  after  an  absence  of  three  years  and  eighteen  days. 
During  the  whole  of  that  time  Cook  lost  only  four  men,  and  only 
one  from  sickness.  This  remarkal)le  immunity  was  not  due  to 
antiscorbutics,  or  very  slightly  due  to  them,  for  the  Adventure  was 
supplied  in  exactly  the  same  way,  yet  suffered  much  from  scurv}'. 
It  was  due  to  the  untiring  vigilance  of  the  Commander.  He  person- 
ally saw  that  his  orders  were  carried  out,  that  the  men  shifted  into 
dry  clothes  when  wet ;  that  their  persons,  bedding,  and  clothes  were 
kept  clean  and  dry  ;  that  the  ship  was  always  clean  and  dry  between 
decks,  and  frequently  aired  with  swinging  stoves ;  the  air  purified  ; 
the  ship's  coppers  always  kept  clean.  Cook  modestly  ends  his 
narrative  with  the  remark  that  "  without  claiming  any  merit  but 
that  of  attention  to  my  dutj',  our  having  discovered  the  possibility 
of  preserving  health  amongst  a  numerous  ship's  company  for  such 
a  length  of  time,  in  such  varieties  of  climate,  and  amidst  such 
continued  hardships  and  fatigues,  will  make  this  voyage  remarkable 
when  the  disputes  about  a  southern  continent  shall  have  ceased  to 
engage  the  attention,  and  to  divide  the  judgment  of  philosophers." 

This  cei"tainly  was  an  achievement  deserving  of  the  highest 
praise.  It  was  a  great  and  important  service  to  the  nation  ;  and  it 
should  be  remembered  that  the  explorers  and  surveyors,  in  expelling 
the  scurvy  from  their  ship,  set  an  example  which  was  but  slowly 
followed  by  the  rest  of  the  Navy.  The  healthful  condition  of  the 
officers  and  crew  of  the  Resolution  ensured  that  efficiency  which 
resulted  in  so  many  valuable  discoveries,  and  in  the  examination  of 
the  whole  circuit  of  the  southern  ocean  in  the  highest  latitudes  ever 
reached. 

Commander  Cook  was  promoted  to  post  rank  on  his  return,  and 
was  elected  a  Fellow  of  the  Eoyal  Society.  He  communicated  papers 
on  the  prevention  of  scunT  and  on  the  tides  of  the  Pacific  to  the 


1773.] 


ARCTIC  EXPLORATION. 


135 


Society,  and  prepared  his  own  narrative  for  the  press.     The  Eoyal 
Society  caused  a  fine  portrait  medal  to  be  struck  in  his  honour. 

It  may  liiive  been  the  instructions  to  Cook  to  endeavour  to 
solve  the  question  of  a  southern  continent,  which  suggested  to 
the  mind  of  Mr.  Daines  Barrington  the  importance  of  a  renewal 
of  Arctic  exploration.  Certain  it  is  that  he  urged  the  matter  on 
the   attention  of   the   Council   of   the   Eoyal    Society   immediately 


CAPTAIN"    THE    HON'.    CONSTANTINK    JOHN    I'lIll'l'S,    U.S.       LAIEIt   LOUD    MUI.GRA VK. 
(^From  0)1  engmvfd  pnrti-ait  hij  Itiilh'ii  in  thr  ^  Xaval  Cfironicle,'  1802.) 


after  Cook's  departure  on  his  second  voyage,  representing  that 
there  was  evidence  to  show  that  a  near  approach  to  the  north 
pole  was  not  impracticable.  The  Koyal  Society  was  convinced  of 
the  importance  of  despatching  an  expedition  to  make  the  attempt, 
and  submitted  a  request  to  the  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty  that 
such  an  enterprise  might  be  undertaken  by  the  Government.  Lord 
Sandwich  entered  warmly  into  the  project,  which  was  brought 
before   him    at   the   end   of   February,   1773.     Two    bomb   vessels. 


13(J  VOYAGES   AXn   DlSCOVElilES,    1703    ITyi'.  [1773. 

the  Racehorse  and  Carcass,  were  selected  for  the  service  and 
speciallj'  strengthened,  the  command  of  the  expedition  being  en- 
trusted to  Captain  tlie  Hon.  Constantine  John  I'hipps  (afterwards 
Lord  Mulgrave),  who  sailed  in  the  Racehorse,  while  Commander 
Skeffii}gton  Lutwidge  was  appointed  to  the  Carcass.  In  the  Race- 
horse there  were  three  Lieutenants  and  a  Master,  three  Master's 
Mates,  and  six  Midshipmen.  The  Carcass  had  three  Lieutenants 
and  a  Master,  three  Master's  Mates,  and  six  Midshipmen.  One 
of  these  six  midshipmen  was  Horatio  Nelson,  who  thus,  like  Hyde 
Parker,  Saunders,  Brett,  Riou,  and  many  others  among  his  predc- 
■cessors  and  contemporaries,  prepared  himself  for  his  glorious  naval 
career  by  the  very  best  training  that  a  sailor  can  possibly  have — 
service  in  an  exploring  expedition. 

Captain  Phipps's  expedition  left  the  Thames  on  June  4th,  1773, 
and  in  a  month  the  two  vessels  were  off  the  north-west  point  of 
Spitzbergen.     On  the  9th,  they  were  in  latitude  80°  36'  N.     Captain 


y^ 


SIGSATUHE    OF    ADMIRAL    SKEl-TIXGTOS    LUTWIDGE,    AS   CAI'TA-N,    1780. 

Phipps  then  stood  into  every  opening  he  could  find  to  the  north- 
ward ;  but  was  stopped,  at  every  attempt,  by  solid  fields  of  ice. 
He  forced  the  ships,  by  press  of  sail,  as  far  as  possible  through 
the  loose  pack.  His  highest  northern  latitude  was  in  80"  48'  N. ;  - 
and  he  examined  the  edge  of  the  ice  extending  over  20°  of  longitude, 
finding  no  opening  in  the  polar  pack  in  any  direction.  The  ex- 
pedition returned  to  England  in  September,  after  a  careful  and 
persevering  examination  of  the  ice,  and  after  having  attempted 
to  bore  through  it  at  every  point  that  offered  the  remotest  chance 
of  success.  To  force  a  way  through  the  drifting  pack,  away  from 
the  land,  against  the  current,  is  an  impossibility  ;  and  this  is  what 
Captain  Phipps  was  trying  to  do.  But  he  did  all  that  energy  and 
good  seamanship  could  possibly  achieve,  and  he  was  well  supported 
by  his  officers.'  He  is  entitled  to  a  very  honourable  place  in  the 
roll  of  Arctic  worthies. 

On   the   return    of    Captain    I'hipps,    the    British    Governmi'ut 

'  Commander  Lut\vidj;e  wa^*  jiosted  on  Oct.  lotli,  1773.     He  iliwl  a  lull  Admiral 
on  Aug.  21st,  1814.— W.  L.C. 


ITTC]  COOICS   TIURD    VOYAGE.  V6~ 

luriied  its  attention  to  the  discoverj-  of  a  passage,  round  tlie 
northern  coast  of  America,  from  the  Pacific  to  the  Atlantic.  After 
full  consideration,  an  expedition  had  been  determined  upon,  when 
Cook  returned  from  his  second  voyage.  He  miglit  well  have 
rested  on  his  laurels ;  but  this  loyal  and  indefatigable  public 
servant  considered  it  to  be  his  duty  to  volunteer  once  more.  The 
offer  of  his  services  was  gladly  accepted  by  Lord  Sandwich,  and 
he  was  entrusted  with  the  conduct  of  the  projected  voyage.  The 
Resulution  was  employed  again,  and  a  vessel  of  three  hundred  tons, 
named  the  Discovery,  was  purchased  to  act  as  her  consort. 

Cook's  instructions  were  to  proceed  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
and  thence  to  shape  a  southerly  course  in  search  of  some  islands 
reported  by  the  French  in  48'  S.  Touching  at  New  Zealand,  he 
was  next  to  proceed  to  Tahiti  and  land  Omai,  who  had  come  to 
England  with  Captain  Furneaux.'  From  Tahiti  Captain  Cook 
was  directed  to  proceed  to  the  coast  of  New  Albion  in  about 
45°  N.,  steering  northward  along  the  coast  of  North  America  to 
G.5°  N.,  or  further,  if  not  obstructed  by  land  or  ice,  and  then 
to  seek  for  any  inlet  leading  in  the  direction  of  Hudson's  or 
Baffin's  Bays,  and,  if  there  were  such  an  opening,  he  was  to  use 
his  utmost  endeavour  to  pass  through.  If  there  were  no  passage 
he  was  to  proceed  to  Petropaulovski,  or  some  other  port,  to  refresh 
his  people ;  and,  in  the  spring  of  1778  he  was  to  make  another 
attempt.  If  his  object  were  found  impracticable,  he  was  to  return 
to  England  by  such  route  as  he  might  think  best  for  the  improve- 
ment of  geography  and  navigation.  Captain  Cook's  instructions 
were  dated  July  6th,  177(5. 

The  Admiralty  also  resolved  to  cause  an  examination  of  the 
west  coast  of  Baffin's  Bay  to  be  made,  to  ascertain  whether  there 
was  any  opening  leading  to  the  westward.  With  this  object  the  brig 
Lion  was  commissioned,  and  Lieutenant  Richard  Pickersgill,  who 
had  been  with  Captain  Cook  during  his  second  voyage,  received  the 
command.  Pickersgill  sailed  to  Davis  8trait  in  July,  177(5;  but 
only  went  as  far  north  as  68°  14'  N.,  and  returned  in  the  autunm. 
His  conduct  was  not  considered  satisfactoiy,  and  in  the  following 
year  Lieutenant  Young  was  appointed  to  the  Lion,  but  his  pro- 
ceedings were  even  less  successful  than  those  of  Pickersgill.  The 
two  voyages,  in  1776  and  1777,  to  find  a  western  outlet  to  Baffin's 
Bay  were  abortive. 

'  Commander  Tobias  Furneaus  bad  been  jiosted  on  Aug.  10;l!,  17T.">.— W.  L.  C. 


138  VOyAGKS   ASD    DISCOVKIUES.    1703-1702.  [177G-77. 

Meanwhile,  Captain  Cook  proceetled  on  bis  last  voyage.  The 
Discuvenj  was  commanded  by  Commander  Charles  Clark,  who  had 
been  with  Captain  Byron  in  the  Dolphin,  and  a  Lieutenant  in  Cook's 
second  voj'age.  Lieutenants  John  Gore,'  James  King,^  and  John 
Williamson'  were  in  the  Bcsolutiun;  Lieutenants  James  Burne}\^ 
who  had  been  a  Midshipman  in  the  second  voyage,  and  John 
Rickman^  in  the  Discovery.  The  Master  of  the  Resolution  was 
William  Bligh  ;  *  of  the  Discovery,  Thomas  Edgar ;  '  and  among  the 
Midshipmen  was  Edward  Riou,  who  afterwards  fell  gloriously  at  the 
battle  of  Copenhagen,  in  command  of  the  Amazon  frigate,  and 
Vancouver.  Mr.  Bagley,  the  astronomer,  who  had  been  with 
Furneaux,  now  sailed  in  the  Discovery,  and  chronometers  were 
supplied  to  both  ships.  Dr.  Anderson  was  surgeon  and  naturalist, 
and  Mr.  Webber  joined  as  draftsman.  Omai,  the  Society  Islander, 
was  loaded  with  presents,  and  embarked  for  a  passage  to  his  native 
countrj'.     The  expedition  sailed  from  Plymouth  on  July  14th,  177(5. 

Captain  Cook's  first  duty,  after  sailing  from  the  Cape,  was 
to  examine  the  discoveries,  in  high  southern  latitudes,  reported 
by  French  vessels ;  but  he  was  supplied  with  few  details.  He 
visited  Kerguelen  Island,  made  a  survey  of  Christmas  Harbour, 
and  then  shaped  a  course  for  Van  Diemen's  Land,  remaining  a 
few  days  in  Adventure  Bay,  and  having  friendly'  intercourse  with 
the  natives — a  race  now  extinct. 

On  February  10th,  1777,  Captain  Cook  was  at  Queen  Charlotte's 

Sound,  in   New   Zealand,  and,  after   staying   there  a  fortnight  to 

recruit   and   refresh   his   people,  he   resumed   his   voyage.     During 

the  passage  to  the  Friendly  Islands,  Mangia  and  other  islands  were 

discovered.     After  a  stay  of  nearly  three  months   at   the  Friendly 

Islands,   where    the    people   were    presented    with    several    useful 

animals,  the  expedition  arrived  at   Tahiti  on  August  l'2th,  having 

discovered   the   Island  of   Tubuai   on   the   8th.      The  old   friendly 

relations   with    the   king    and    people   were    renewed,    and    useful 

animals    and    plants    were    imported.       After    leaving    Tahiti    on 

'  John  Gore  (1)  became  a  Captain  on  Oct.  2n(i,  1780,  and  died  in  1790. — W.  L.  C. 
^  James  King  became  a  Captain  on  Oct.  3id,  1780,  and  died  in  1784. — W.  L.  C. 

*  John  Williamson  (1)  became  a  Captain  on  June  lltli,  1782,  and  died  in  1799. 
— \V.  L.  ('. 

*  See  note,  p.  I.'IO,  antea. 

'  John  Kickman,  a  Lieutenant  of  177(1,  was  never  further  promoted. — \V.  L.  ('. 
°  William  hVigh  ("  lioun/y  Bligii"),  of  whum  later,  died  a  Vice-Adujiral  in  1817. 
— W.  L.  C. 

'  Thomas  Edgar  was  made  a  Lieutenant  in  17!-1,  and  dieii  in  that  rank. — W.  L.  C. 


1778.] 


cooics  run: I)   voyaue. 


13f) 


September  30th,  the  islands  of  Eimeo,  Huaheine,  UHatca,  and 
Bolabola  were  visited.  Omai  was  landed,  with  his  numerous 
presents,  at  his  native  island  of  Huaheine.  In  the  narrative  of 
his  third  voj-age,  Captain  Cook  devotes  a  chapter  to  another  full 
account  of  the  Tahitians,  their  customs  and  language,  chiefly  from 
information  collected  by  Di'.  Anderson,  the  surgeon  and  naturalist. 

Captain  Cook  then  steered  northwards  with  a  view  to  carrying 
out  the  most  important  part  of  his  instructions.  In  January,  177H, 
he  came  in  sight  of  the  north-western  islands  of  a  previously 
unknown  group  which  ho  named  tlie  Sandwich  Islands.  It  was 
a  most  important  discovery.  He  touched,  on  this  occasion,  at  the 
islands  of  Atooi  (Kauai)  and  Oneehow  (Nihau),  and  then  proceeded 
on  his  northern  course.     On  IMarch  fith,  he  sighted  the  coast  of  New 


Ml-JiAI.    COMMKMOlt.VTIVK    (iK    COOKS    VOYAGKS. 
(Front  fl'J  original  lent  bij  C«i>t-  lI.S.fT.  Prince  Louis  nf  BaClenlerii.  H.y.) 


Albion,  discovered  by  Sir  Francis  Drake  nearly  two  hundred  years 
before.  Cook  remained  a  month  in  Nootka  Sound,  on  the  west 
coast  of  what,  in  honour  of  one  of  his  own  Midshipmen,  is  now 
called  Vancouver's  Island.  Continuing  his  voyage  to  the  north, 
he  looked  out  for  any  strait  or  outlet  leading  in  the  direction  of 
Hudson's  Bay.  Prince  William's  Inlet  and  Cook's  liiver  were 
examined  and  the  western  extreme  of  North  America  was  reached. 
Passing  through  Behring's  Strait,  Captain  Cook  proceeded  to 
examine  the  ice  on  either  side.  On  the  American  coast  he  went 
as  far  as  Icy  Cape ;  but  he  was  in  shoal  water  on  a  lee  shore,  with 
the  ice  to  windward  driving  down  upon  his  ship.  An  immense 
herd  of  walrus  was  seen  on  the  ice.  The  ships  reached  a  latitude 
of  70"  6'  N.,  and  attention   was  then   tui-ned  to  the  Asiatic  side. 


1-10  VOYAGICS  AXJ)    DlSCOVKlilES,    17G3-1792.  [ITT'J. 

Captain  Cook  resolutely  persevered  in  this  hazardous  navif^ation 
for  several  weeks,  hut  on  Octoher  'iGth  the  ships'  heads  were  turned 
to  the  south,  as  the  illustrious  commander  of  the  expedition  had 
resolved  to  winter  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.  The  islands  of  Maui 
and  Hawaii  were  si<;hted  on  Decemher  1st,  and  on  Januaiy  16th, 
1779,  i\Ir.  Bligh,  the  Master,  was  sent  to  examine  the  Bay  of 
Karakakoa,  on  the  west  coast  of  Hawaii.  Next  day  the  ships  were 
anchored  in  that  bay,  friendly  relations  being  established  with  the 
natives ;  and  there  the  narrative  of  Captain  Cook  ceased.  His 
life-work  was  completed.  The  story  is  continued  by  his  faithful 
lieutenant,  James  King. 

The  king  of  the  island,  named  Tiriobu,  who  had  been  absent 
in  Maui,  returned  a  few  days  after  the  ships  had  anchored,  and  was 
cordial  in  his  reception  of  the  explorers,  while  an  observatory 
established  on  shore  was  made  tahii  and  placed  under  the  protec- 
tion of  the  priests.  On  the  7th  of  February,  the  ships  put  to  sea, 
but  returned  on  the  11th,  having  encountered  a  gale  of  wind,  during 
which  the  head  of  the  foremast  of  one  of  the  ships  was  sprung. 
The  foremast  was  got  out  and  towed  on  shore  for  repair,  and  the 
sails  were  also  sent  on  shore  to  be  overhauled  and  repaired,  near 
the  observatory  and  the  watering-place.  Soon  afterwards  the  con- 
duct of  the  natives  became  suspicious,  the  watering  parties  were 
molested,  and  a  cutter  was  stolen.  On  the  14th,  Captain  Cook 
ordered  guard  to  be  rowed  to  prevent  canoes  from  leaving  the  bay, 
sent  Lieutenant  King  to  the  watering-place,  and  went  himself  in 
the  pinnace,  with  Lieutenant  Phillips  of  the  Marines  and  nine 
privates,  to  a  village  called  Kowrowa,  where  the  king  resided, 
intending  to  take  him  on  board  as  a  hostage  for  the  restoration 
of  the  cutter. 

Captain  Cook  marched  with  the  Marines  into  the  village,  where 
he  was  respectfully  received.  He  invited  Tiriobu  to  spend  the  day 
on  board.  He  at  once  consented,  and  his  two  young  sons  ran  down 
to  the  beach  and  got  into  the  pinnace.  The  rest  of  the  party  had 
nearly  reached  the  seaside  when  the  king's  wife  ran  after  him  and 
entreated  him  not  to  go  on  board.  At  the  same  time  two  of  the 
chiefs  laid  hold  of  him  and  insisted  upon  his  remaining,  while  an 
immense  crowd  assembled  along  the  shore.  He  sat  down  pei'plexed 
and  irresolute.  Lieutenant  Phillips  formed  the  Marines  on  some 
rocks  near  the  water's  edge.  After  vainly  urging  the  king  to  come 
with  him  Captain  Cook  abandoned  his  plan,  and  was  walking  down 


ITT'J.] 


DEATH   OF   COOK. 


141 


to  the  boat.  The  boats  stationed  across  the  bay  had  fired  at  some 
canoes,  and,  at  this  juncture,  the  news  arrived  that  a  chief  had  been 
killed.  The  women  and  children  were  at  once  sent  away,  and  the 
men  armed  themselves.  One  of  them  flourished  his  spear  and 
threatened  the  Captain  with  a  stone.  The  man  persisting  in  his 
insolence,  the  Captain  fired  a  charge  of  small  shot  which  fell  harm- 
lessly on  the  war  mats.  Stones  were  then  thrown  at  the  Marines, 
and  Captain  Cook  at  length  fired  his  second  barrel  loaded  with  ball. 


H.M.S.    "  UlsluVKItV  ": 
OSE   OF   THE    VES.SEI.S    WHICH    ACCOUIWSIED   COOK    OS    HIS   LAST    VOYAGE,    1T7G-7".I. 

(From  a  drawing  by  E.  TT.  Cuuke,  R.A..  made  when  the  "  DiMtivenj"  lay  at  Deptfurd  as  a 

convict  hulk,  1829.) 


and  a  native  fell.  There  was  a  general  discharge  of  stones,  answered 
by  a  volley  from  the  Marines.  The  natives  stood  their  ground,  and 
rushed  upon  the  Marines  with  shouts  and  yells  before  the  men  could 
reload.  There  was  a  scene  of  horror  and  confusion.  Four  Marines 
were  cut  off  and  slaughtered,  while  the  rest  swam  to  the  boat. 
Captain  Cook  kept  the  savages  at  bay  while  he  faced  them.  But, 
when  at  the  water's  edge,  he  turned  round  and  hailed  the  boat  to 
cease  firing  and  pull  in.     This  humanity  proved  fatal  to  him.     He 


142  VOFAGES   AND   DISCOVERIES,    1763-17!i2.  [1779. 

was  stabbed  in  the  back,  and  fell  with  his  face  in  the  water.  The 
body  was  dragged  on  shore  by  the  yelling  savages  and  lost  sight 
of  ni  the  crowd.  A  fire  was  oj^ened  from  the  boat,  and  some 
guns  were  directed  at  the  crowd  from  the  Resolution,  which  at 
length  forced  the  savages  to  retire.  Four  young  Midshipmen  then 
manned  a  small  boat  and  pulled  in  to  rescue  any  survivor,  but  no 
one  was  to  be  seen.  When  IMr.  Bligh  brought  the  news  to  the 
observatory,  the  foremast,  and  the  sails  which  were  under  repair, 
were  brought  off  to  the  ships. 

After  some  consultation.  Captain  Clark,"  who  now  assumed  the 
command,,  decided  upon  adopting  a  policy  of  extreme  leniency, 
though  there  was  difficulty  in  restraining  the  officers  and  men. 
He  ordered  no  reprisals  to  be  made,  even  when  the  watering  parties 
were  attacked.  There  was,  however,  a  revulsion  of  feeling  among 
the  natives,  and  eventually  all  that  could  be  recovered  of  the  gi-eat 
navigator's  body,  including  the  skull  and  hands,  with  his  shoes  and 
the  barrel  of  his  gun,  were  given  up.  The  remains  were  placed  in  a 
coffin  and  committed  to  the  deep  with  military  honours. 

Lieutenant  King  truly  said  that  "after  a  life  of  so  much 
distinguished  and  successful  entei-prise.  Captain  Cook's  death,  as 
far  as  regards  himself,  could  not  be  reckoned  premature."  His 
glorious  career  was  suitably  closed.  He  died  in  the  midst  of  his 
discoveries,  and  in  the  very  act  of  humanely  striving  to  protect 
his  murderers.  It  is  not  possible  to  conceive  a  more  glorious  end. 
Lieutenant  King  went  on  to  say  :  "  Perhaps  no  science  ever  received 
greater  additions  from  the  labours  of  a  single  man  than  geography 
has  done  from  those  of  Captain  Cook.  As  a  navigator  his  services 
were  not  less  splendid,  certainly  not  less  important  and  meritorious. 
The  method  which  he  discovered,  and  so  successfully  pursued,  of 
preserving  the  health  of  seamen,  forms  a  new  era  in  navigation, 
and  will  transmit  his  name  to  future  ages  amongst  the  friends  and 
benefactors  of  mankind." 

On  the  20th,  the  foremast  was  stepped,  and  on  the  "i'ind  peace 
■was  restoi'ed.  The  cutter  had  been  broken  up.  The  ships  then 
left  this  fatal  spot  and,  after  a  cruise  among  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
they  made  sail  for  Kamschatka  on  the  1.5th  of  March,  1779,  arriving 
on  the  28th  of  April  at  Petropaulovski.  Another  attempt  was 
made  to  penetrate  the  ice  beyond  Behring  Strait,  but  it  was  given 
up  in  July,  and  on  August  22nd  Captain  Clark  died.  Lieutenant 
'  Cum.  Charles  Clark  hail  been  i»iste<l  im  Kcb.  lOtli,  177!i.-  \V.  L.  C. 


1780-83.]  DISCOVERIES  UY  II.    K.   I.    CO.'S   S/IJl'S.  143 

John  Gore  (1)  then  assumed  command  of  the  expedition  on  board  the 
Resolution,  and  Lieutenant  James  King  was  given  command  of  the 
Discovery.     Captain  Clark  was  buried  on  shore  at  Petropaulovski. 

Passing  along  the  east  coast  of  Japan,  and  visiting  Macao,  the 
ships  returned  Ijy  the  Cape.  They  were  driven  to  the  northward 
when  approaching  the  Channel,  and  anchored  at  Stromness  in 
the  Orkney  Islands,  whence  King  was  sent  with  dispatches  to 
the  Admiralty.  The  licsohdion  and  Discoverij  reached  the  Nore 
on  the  4th  of  October,  1780.  There  is  a  memorable  fact  connected 
with  Cook's  third  voyage  which  ought  to  be  borne  in  mind, 
especially  at  the  present  day.  When  the  expedition  sailed,  the 
insurgents  in  the  American  colonies  had  bz'oken  out  into  open 
rebelhon.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  was  on  the  4tli,  the 
departure  of  Cook's  expedition  on  the  14th  of  July,  177C.  The 
French  and  Spaniards  declared  war  in  1778,  when  Cook  was 
making  discoveries  in  the  icy  seas.  Thus  was  Great  Britain 
calmly  employing  her  sons  to  explore  the  unknown  regions  of  the 
earth,  for  the  advancement  of  civilisation  and  the  good  of  man- 
kind, at  the  veiy  time  when  rebels  and  powerful  enemies  were 
banded  together  for  her  destruction.  When  Captain  Cook  met 
his  glorious  death  in  the  midst  of  his  discoveries  Elliot  was  defying 
the  united  forces  of  France  and  Spain  on  the  rock  of  Gibi-altar. 
The  necessity  for  repelling  the  attacks  of  enemies  in  front  and  of 
rebels  in  rear,  did  not  for  a  moment  induce  the  country  to  abandon 
her  work  of  exploration  and  discovery. 

At  that  period  the  ships  of  the  East  India  Company  were 
making  occasional  discoveries.  In  August,  1783,  the  Antelope, 
commanded  by  Henry  Wilson,  ran  on  a  rock  near  one  of  the 
Pelew  Islands  and  became  a  wreck.  The  group  had  been  sighted 
by  the  Spaniards  and  others  but  it  had  never  been  explored 
This  was  done  by  Wilson.  He  was  very  hospitably  treated 
by  the  natives,  and  the  crew  built  a  small  vessel  in  which  they 
returned  to  Macao,  taking  with  them  a  son  of  the  king  of  the 
Pelew  Islands  named  Prince  Libu.  Wilson  took  him  to  England, 
and  he  died  of  small-pox  at  Rotherhithe  in  December,  1784. 
McCluer,  an  accomplished  surveyor  in  the  service  of  the  East 
India  Company,  was  sent,  with  the  rantlur  and  Endeavour, 
to  announce  the  sad  news  to  the  father.  He  had  with  him 
two  officers,  Wedgborough  and  White,  who  had  both  been 
with   Wilson   in   the   Antelope.      They   had    been  educated  at  the 


144  VOYAGES   AND    DISCOVElllES,    1703-1792.  [1789-01. 

uavigatiou  school  of  Christ's  Hospital,  uu  institution  which  did 
such  useful  work  in  training  youths  for  the  Navy  and  mercantile 
marine  in  those  days.  Leaving  Bombay  in  August,  1790,  McCluer 
reached  the  Pelew  Islands  in  Januarj^  1791,  and  performed 
his  melancholy  task.  He  then  proceeded  to  carry  out  the  other 
part  of  his  instructions,  which  was  to  survey  the  north  coast 
of  New  Guinea.  He  was  engaged  on  that  work  from  July  to 
December,  1791,  and  he  discovered  the  great  inlet  at  the  western 
extremity  w^hich  is  still  known  as  McCluer 's  Inlet.  Eeturning  to 
the  Pelew  Islands  he  addressed  a  letter  on  service  to  Wedg- 
borough,  dated  February,  1793,  resigning  his  command  of  the 
Panther,  asking  for  arms  and  ammunition,  which  were  given  to 
him,  and  announcing  his  intention  to  remain  on  shore.  The 
Panther  returned  to  Bombay  under  the  command  of  Wedg- 
borough,  while  McCluer  had  wives  and  children  and  lived  happily 
for  fifteen  months.  He  then  began  to  long  for  news,  and  went 
in  an  open  boat  to  Macao.  There  he  got  a  vessel,  returned 
to  the  Pelew  Islands,  took  his  family  on  board,  and  went  to 
Bencoolen.     He  sailed  from  thence  and  was  never  heard  of  again. 

Commander  William  Bligh's  voyage  in  the  Bounty  to  collect 
plants  of  the  bread-fruit  tree  at  Tahiti,  and  convey  them  to  the 
West  Indies,  does  not  come  within  the  category  of  voyages  of  dis- 
covery ;  and  has  been  described  in  the  preceding  chapter.  Bligh's 
stern  and  austere  character  did  not  expose  him  to  the  risk  of 
succumbing  to  those  temptations  to  which  McCluer  fell  a  victim. 
But  the  majority  of  his  people  were  much  more  susceptible. 
After  the  mutiny  in  April,  1789,  when  Bligh  was  turned  adrift 
in  an  open  boat  with  eighteen  men,  his  wonderful  voyage,  con- 
ducted with  such  extraordinary  skill,  almost  amounted  to  an 
expedition  of  discovery.  For  he  sailed  over  more  than  3600  miles 
in  three  months  before  he  reached  Timor,  and  sighted  several  islands 
which  were  previously  unknown.  Bligh  reached  England  with 
twelve  survivors  in  March,  1790,  and  in  1791  he  went  out  again 
in  the  Providence,  and  at  length  successfully  perfonned  the  service 
of  transporting  bread-fruit  plants  from  Tahiti  to  the  West  Indies. 

When  the  news  arrived  in  England  of  the  seizure  of  Nootka 
Sound  by  the  Spaniards,  negotiations  were  opened  which  ended 
in  the  Spanish  Government  consenting  to  its  restitution.  The 
British  Government  resolved  to  send  a  vessel  to  receive  Nootka 
Round  from  the  Spanish  officials,  and  to  complete  a  survey  of  that 


1701.]  VANCOUVERS    VOYAGE.  145 

part  of  the  North  American  coast.  The  Discovert/  was  commis- 
sioned, a  new  vessel  of  350  tons,  and  the  command  was  entrusted 
to  Commander  George  Vancouver,"  who  had  served  as  a  Midship- 
man under  Captain  Cook  in  the  two  last  voyages,  and  afterwards  in 
the  West  Indies  vmder  Sir  Alan  Gardner.  An  armed  tender  named 
the  Chatham,  of  13.5  tons,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant 
William  Eobert  Broughton,^  was  placed  under  his  orders.  Van- 
couver received  a  written  order  signed  by  the  Count  of  Florida 
Blanca,  Spanish  Prime  Minister,  and  addressed  to  the  Spanish 
authorities,  ordering  them  to  deliver  up  Nootka  Round  to  the 
British  officer  who  should  present  it  to  them.  On  the  1st  of 
April,  1791,  the  Discovery  and  Chatham  left  England. 

Leaving  the  Cape  on  July  10th,  Commander  Vancouver  dis- 
covered King  George's  Sound,  on  the  south-west  coast  of  Australia, 
in  September,  1791,  and  proceeded  thence  to  Dusky  Bay  in  New 
Zealand.  He  reached  Tahiti  in  the  end  of  December.  The  tender 
had  parted  company  in  thick  weather,  discovering  Chatham  Island 
in  November,  and  rejoining  the  Discovery  in  December,  1791. 

Vancouver,  a  man  trained  under  the  eye  of  Captain  Cook,  had 
considerable  ability  and  resolution,  was  a  good  sailor,  and  an  accom- 
plished suTi'eyor.  But  some  other  qualifications  for  command  were 
wanting.  He  was  austere  and  unsympathetic.  The  corporal 
punishments  on  board  the  Discovery  were  excessive,  and  some  of 
the  Midshipmen  were  treated  with  harshness  and  even  cruelty.  It 
must,  however,  be  admitted  that  young  gentlemen  such  as  Lord 
Camelford  ^  were  not  easy  to  manage. 

In  January,  1792,  the  Discovery  left  Tahiti  and  shaped  a  course 
for  the  Sandwich  Islands.  On  March  7th,  Vancouver  anchored  at 
Waititi  Bay,  near  Honolulu,  the  present  capital,  in  the  island  of 
Oahu.  He  afterwards  visited  Kauai  (Atooi),  and  found  that, 
although  so  short  a  time  had  elapsed  since  their  discovery  by 
Captain  Cook,  several  British  subjects  had  already  made  their  way 
to  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

'  George  Vancouver  was  a  Commander  of  Dec.  lotli,  1790,  and  a  Cajitain  <ii' 
Aug.  28th,  1794.     He  died  in  1798.— W.  L.  C. 

^  William  Robert  Brougbton  became  a  Captain  on  Jan.  28th,  17!i7,  and  died  in 
that  rank  on  Mar.  12th,  1821.— W.  L.  C. 

'  Thomas  Pitt,  Lord  Camelford,  born  in  1775,  was  an  officer  whose  eccentricities 
bordered  upon  madness,  and  led  him  more  than  once  into  serious  trouble.  He  attained 
the  rank  of  Commander  in  1797,  but  resigned  his  commission,  and  was  killed  in  a  duel 
in  1804.— W.  L.  C. 

VOL.   IV.  L 


146  VOrAOES   AXD   DISCOVERIES,   1763-1792.  [1792. 

On  the  17th  of  April,  1792,  the  expedition  sighted  the  coast  of 
New  Albion,  near  Cape  Mendocino,  and  on  the  29th  the  vessels 
anchored  within  the  strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  on  the  southern  shore. 
Proceeding  up  the  strait  Vancouver  again  anchored  in  a  harbour 
which  he  named  Port  Discovery.  During  the  month  of  May  the 
exploration  of  the  strait  was  continued,  and  a  deep  inlet  received  the 
name  of  Paget  Sound,  after  one  of  the  lieutenants.'  In  June  the 
survej'ors  continued  their  discoveries  within  the  strait  to  the  north- 
ward, in  boats.  They  went  thi-ough  very  severe  work,  and  their 
indefatigable  exertions  established  the  insularity  of  Vancouver's 
Island  by  the  discovery  of  a  narrow  channel,  which  received  the 
name  of  Johnstone's  Strait,  after  the  Master'-  of  the  Chatham.  In 
Jul}-  the  ships  passed  through  an  archipelago  which  was  called  after 
Lieutenant  Broughton,  who  commanded  the  Chatham,  and  entered 
Fitzhugh  Sound,  on  the  coast  of  the  continent,  to  the  north  of 
Vancouver's  Island.  This  part  of  the  coast  had  been  visited  by 
English  traders  in  1786,  who  had  given  the  names  of  Queen 
Charlotte  Sound  and  Fitzhugh  Sormd.  On  the  6th  of  August, 
the  Discovcrij  suddenly  grounded  on  a  bed  of  sunken  rocks  in 
Queen  Charlotte  Sound  at  the  northern  end  of  Vancouver's 
Island.  The  Chatham  sent  all  her  boats,  the  stream  anchor  was 
laid  out,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  heave  the  ship  off,  but  without 
success.  But  when  the  tide  rose  the  efforts  of  a  well-directed  crew 
were  rewarded  and  the  ship  was  hove  off.  Luckily  the  water  was 
smooth  and  there  was  no  swell.  On  the  28th  of  August,  Commander 
Vancouver  safely  arrived  in  .Nootka  Sound,  and  was  cordially 
received  by  the  Spanish  commandant,  Don  Juan  Francisco  de  la 
Bodega  y  Quadra.  A  storeship,  the  Dccdalus,  had  also  arrived,  but 
she  brought  the  unwelcome  news  that  two  of  her  officers  ^  had  been 
murdered  by  the  people  of  Oahu. 

Nootka  Sound  had  been  occupied  by  the  Spaniards,  under  orders 
from  the  Viceroy  of  Mexico  in  1789.  Senor  Quadra  had  instruc- 
tions to  deliver  over  the  settlement,  with  all  its  buildings,  to  the 
British.     He  was  very  anxious  that  some  place  should  receive  the 

'  Peter  Puget,  a  Captain  of  Ajir.  20th,  17y7,  became  a  Eear-Ailin.  ir  1821,  and  died 
in  that  rank. — W.  L.  C. 

^  James  Johnstone  (2)  was  promoted  during  his  absence  to  be  a  Lieutenant,  became 
a  Commander  on  June  22nd,  1802,  and  was  posted  on  Jan.  22nd,  180G.  He  was 
afterwards  Commissioner  at  Bombay. 

^  Lieut.  IJichard  Hergest,  commanding,  and  Mr.  Williaui  Gooch,  astronomer. 
Hergest  was  a  Lieut,  of  1780. — W.  L.  C. 


1792-93.]  VANCOUVER'S    VOYAGE.  147 

joint  names  of  the  British  captain  and  himself.  In  compliance 
with  this  request  the  whole  island,  on  September  5th,  1792,  received 
the  name  of  the  Island  of  Quadra  and  Vancouver. 

In  October,  Vancouver  left  Nootka  Sound  and  proceeded  to 
examine  the  Spanish  survey  of  the  west  coast  of  the  island  as  far 
as  the  strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca ;  and  in  November  he  proceeded  to 
the  port  of  San  Francisco,  containing  "  a  variety  of  as  excellent 
harbours  as  the  known  world  affords."  No  habitations  were  visible, 
though  the  herds  of  cattle  and  flocks  of  sheep  on  the  surrounding 
hills  indicated  their  existence.  The  inhabitants,  it  was  afterwards 
ascertained,  consisted  of  thirty-five  Spanish  soldiers  in  the  Presidio, 
with  some  Indian  servants  and  a  few  Franciscan  monks.  What  a 
mar\^eIlous  change  has  since  taken  place !  The  Spanish  settlement 
was  only  formed  in  1775.  Vancouver  was  enchanted  with  the 
scenery  when  he  rode  into  the  country  over  twenty  miles  of  what 
he  described  as  comparable  only  to  an  Enghsh  park.  From  San 
Francisco  \'ancouver  proceeded  to  Monterey,  where  he  found  the 
Chatham.  Her  commander.  Lieutenant  Broughtou,  had  been  en- 
gaged in  examining  the  Columbia  Eiver.  From  Monterey  the 
storeship  Dadalus '  sailed  for  Port  Jackson ;  and  in  January,  1793, 
Lieutenant  Broughton  was  sent  home  with  dispatches  by  the  over- 
land route  across  Mexico.  Lieutenant  Puget  succeeded  him  in 
command  of  the  Chatham. 

In  February,  1793,  Vancouver  returned  to  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
anchoring  in  Karakakoa  Baj'  on  the  2'2nd.  The  new  king  was  the 
famous  Kamehameha  I.,  who  came  on  board  in  a  magnificent 
feather  cloak  and  helmet,  bringing  numerous  presents.  He  received 
in  return  five  cows,  two  ewes,  and  a  ram ;  and  he  gave  all  possible 
facilities  for  refitting  and  provisioning  the  vessels.  In  March, 
Vancouver  proceeded  to  Oahu,  where  the  murderers  of  the  officers 
of  the  Dcedahis  were  given  up,  tried,  and  executed.  The  islands 
of  Maui  and  Kauai  were  also  visited,  and  in  April  Vancouver 
retm-ned  to  Nootka  Sound  to  resume  the  sui-vey  of  the  North 
American  coast.  The  work  was  very  intricate  and  laborious,  and 
a  great  deal  of  it  was  done  in  boats  away  from  the  ship.  It  was 
continued  until  October,  extending  as  far  as  56°  30'  N. ;  and  in 
November  the  Discover;/  went  south,  and  revisited  Monterey.  In 
December,  the  coast  of  California  was  examined  as  far  as  San  Diego- 

'   Under  Lieut.  James  Hanson,  who  became  a  Commander  in  1795,  and  was  lost  in. 
the  Brazen,  sloop,  on  Jan.  25th,  1800.— W.  L.  C. 

L  2 


148  VOYAGES   AND   DISCOVERIES,    1763-1792.  [1791-94. 

in  34'  42'  N. ;  and  Captain  Vancouver  gives  a  detailed  account  of 
all  the  Spanish  settlements  and  missions. 

In  January,  1794,  Vancouver's  expedition  paid  a  third  visit  to 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  again  anchoring  in  Karakakoa  Bay,  and 
receiving  visits  from  King  Kamehameha.  His  ^Majesty  solemnly 
ceded  the  island  of  Hawaii  to  the  King  of  Great  Britain,  a  cession 
which  Vancouver  conceived  it  to  be  his  duty  to  accept.  He 
then  completed  a  survey  of  the  other  islands,  and  in  March,  1794, 
directed  his  course  northwards,  and  reached  Cook's  Kiver  in  April. 
Prince  William  Sound  was  surveyed  by  the  boats ;  and  the  survey 
was  then  connected  with  the  work  of  the  preceding  year.  In  August, 
the  surveys  of  the  continental  shores  of  north-western  America  were 
completed,  and  the  Discovenj  and  Chatham  proceeded  to  Nootka 
Sound. 

After  a  pleasant  visit  to  INIonterey,  Captain  Vancouver  proceeded 
southwards,  having  completed  his  arduous  surveys.  On  December 
14th,  he  sighted  Cape  Sau  Lucas,  the  southernmost  point  of 
the  peninsula  of  Cahfornia,  and  fixed  its  position.  He  then 
visited  the  Tres  Marias  Islands  on  the  coast  of  Mexico,  and 
passed  Cape  Corrientes  on  the  19th.  Touching  at  the  island 
of  Cocos,  he  next  sighted  the  Galapagos  ;  and  diiring  the  subse- 
quent voyage  to  the  Chilian  coast,  scurvy  broke  out  in  the  ship. 
This  was  a  great  mortification  to  Vancouver,  who  had  endeavoured 
to  follow  the  precepts  of  Captain  Cook ;  but  not  with  the  same 
vigilance,  nor  could  he  count  upon  the  same  obedience,  incited 
by  respect  and  affection.  The  blame  was  throw'n  on  the  cook, 
for  allowing  the  men  to  have  lard  to  mix  with  their  peas.  The 
Discovenj  and  Chatham  arrived  at  Valparaiso  on  March  25th, 
1795.  Vancouver  had  orders  not  to  put  into  any  Spanish  port 
on  the  west  coast  of  South  America,  except  in  a  case  of  necessity, 
but  he  considered  that  the  damaged  state  of  his  mainmast  justi- 
fied the  course  he  adopted.  He  was  received  with  the  gi-eatest 
hospitality  by  order  of  the  enlightened  Captain  General  of  Chile, 
Don  Ambrosio  O'Higgins ;  and  he  at  once  proceeded  to  get  the 
mainmast  out,  and  haul  it  up  on  the  beach  near  the  Almendral. 
It  proved  to  be  sprung  two-thirds  through,  a  little  below  the  hounds. 
The  mast  was  fished,  but  Captain  Vancouver  felt  that  "  it  would  be 
but  a  rotten  stick  to  depend  upon."  The  sails  w^ere  repaired  and 
the  ship  refitted,  while  the  Captain,  with  five  of  his  ofiicers,  went  up 
to  Santiago  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  Captain  General.     Vancouver 


17yi-y4.]  VALUE    Of  NAVAL    EXFLUHATION.  14i> 

gives  some  very  interesting  particulars  respecting  the  origin  and 
services  of  Don  Ambrosio,  and  describes  the  road  to  Santiago,  and 
the  condition  of  the  city  as  it  was  in  1795.  On  his  return  to 
Valparaiso  he  found  that  his  troubles  had  been  increased  in  his 
absence  by  the  discovery  that  the  mainyard  was  rotten  half  through 
and  unfit  for  service.  His  only  resource  was  to  use  the  spare  topsail 
yard,  lengthened  by  the  yard  arms  of  the  condemned  mainyard. 
The  work  was  done  on  shore,  while  the  Captain  drew  up  sailing 
directions  for  the  port.  At  length,  on  May  7th,  179r),  the  Discovery 
departed  from  Valparaiso  on  her  homeward  voyage ;  with  the 
Chatliain  in  company.  The  Discovvrij  arrived  in  the  Thames  on 
the  '20th  of  October,  the  Chatliam  having  reached  England  three 
days  earlier.  Notwithstanding  the  outbreak  of  scurvy,  the  Discovery 
only  lost  six  men,  their  deaths  being  all  due  to  accidents,  and  the 
Chatham  not  one,  during  a  prolonged  service  of  four  years  and  nine 
months.' 

Captain  Vancouver's  narrative  was  published  in  179^!,  in  three 
quarto  volumes.  The  survey  of  the  intricate  inlets  and  channels 
along  the  north-west  coast  of  North  America,  the  discovery  of  the 
straits  and  channels  dividing  Vancouver's  Island  from  the  continent, 
and  the  examination  of  Puget  Sound,  the  Colombia  river,  and  the 
Californian  coast,  form  a  service  which  reflects  the  highest  credit  on 
Vancouver  and  his  officers.  Much  of  the  work  was  done  in  open 
boats,  and  in  boisterous  weather,  privations  and  hardships  of  long 
continuance  had  to  be  endured,  yet  the  surveys  were  worthy  of  the 
disciples  of  Captain  Cook — they  can  receive  no  higher  praise.  It  is 
to  the  credit  of  our  Government  that  these  exploring  operations 
were  steadily  supported  and  continued  through  the  fii'st  and  most 
critical  period  of  our  struggle  with  revolutionary  France. 

'  Aiiiuug  the  otTiceis,  not  already  iiieutioneil,  of  tlic  Discovery  ami  Chatham,  were 
Lieut.  Zachary  Mudge  (who  died  an  Admiral  in  the  fifties);  Lieut.  Joseph  Baker 
(who  died  a  Captain  in  1817)  ;  Master's  Mate  Spehnau  Swaine  (who  died  a  retired 
Kear-Adni.  in  1848) ;  Master's  Mate  Thomas  Manhy  (who  died  a  Kear-Adin.  in  1831)  ; 
Midshipman  Robert  Barrie  (who  died  Rear-Adm.  Sir  Robert  Barrie  in  1831);  Midship- 
man Volant  Vashon  Ballard  (wlio  died  a  Rear-Adm.  in  1832) ;  Master's  Mate  John 
Sheriff"  (who  was  killed  in  1806,  Commander  of  the  Curieux)  ;  and  Midshipman  John 
Sykes  (1)  (who  died  an  Admiral  in  1858).— W.  L.  C. 


(  I-'U  ) 


CHAPTER  XXXI V. 

CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE    ROYAL   NAVY,   1793-1802. 

Administration  of  the  Navy — '1  he  succession  of  officials — Salaries  of  Commissioners — 
Kxpenditure  on  the  Navy — Number  of  seamen  and  Marines — Strength  of  the 
effective  fleet — Naval  architecture — Some  typical  ships — Changes  of  armament  — 
Naval  works  —Manning — Bounties — Impressment — Allotment  of  pay — Deserters 
—  Officers  —  Half-pay  —  Servants  —  Conduct  money  -  Surgeons'  head-money  — 
Widows'  pensions — Poor  Knights  of  Windsor — Character  of  the  officers — Prevalent 
abuses — False  certificates — Prize  money — Points  in  prize  law  — Points  in  inter- 
national law — The  right  of  search — Contraband  of  war — Freight  money — Discipline 
— Mutinies — In  the  Ciilloden — In  the  Shark — At  Spithead— At  the  Nore  and  in 
the  North  Sea — Other  examples — St.  Vincent's  sternness — The  case  of  the  Uermione 
— Mutiny  at  the  Cape — Punishment  of  mutineers — The  Marines — Naval  uniform 
— Medals — The  Army  and  naval  law — Morality  of  the  lower  deck —Prisoners  of 
war — Signal  towers — Telegraphs — Sea  Fencibles — The  Hydrograplier — The  Itoyal 
Naval  Hospitals — Various  Luiprovenients — Admiralty  fees — Tlie  Flag. 


^UlUi--' 


SIGNATUliE  OF  THE  EARI.  OF 
CHATHAM,  FIKST  I.OKD  OF 
THE    ADMIRALTY,   1788-97. 


Feb. 


riIHE  succession  of  the  more  impor- 
taut  administrative  officers  of  the 
Navy  during  the  brief  period  1793-1802 
was  as  follows  : — 


First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty. 

John,  Earl  of  Chatham. 
17t)7.  Earl  Spencer. 
1!),  1801.  John,  Earl  St.  Vincent,  K.l!.,  Admiral. 


Secretary'  of  the  Admiualty. 


M 


Sir  Philiji  Stephens,  Bart. 
(As  Assistant)  John  Ibbetsou. 
Evan  Nepean. 

rsden  (2nd.  Sec). 


iEvan  Nepea 
W  illiaiii  JMa 


Treasurer  of  the  Navy. 

Kt.  Hon.  Henry  Dundas. 
1800.  Rt.  Hun.  Dudley  liider. 
Nov.  'l\,  1801.  Kt.  Hun.  Charles  Bragge. 


Controller  of  the  Navy. 

Sir   Henry  Martin,  Bart., 
Captain,  li.N. 
Aug.  30,1794.  Sir  Andrew  SnapeHanioud, 
Bart.,  Captain,  li.N. 


1793-1802.] 


ADMINISTRATIVE   OFFICERS. 


151 


Dki'uty  Controllkr. 


Aug. 
Feb. 


Oct. 


17;i3.  Edward  Le  Cras,  Captain, 

K.X. 
17iJ4.  Sir    Andrew    Snape   Ha- 

mond,    Bart.,    Captain, 

H.N. 
1794.  Sir  Samuel  Marshall,  Kt., 

Captain,  ll.X. 
1796.  Charles     Hoije,    Captain, 

K.N. 
Jan.  1,     1801.  Henry  Duncan  (1),   Caj)- 

tain,  K.X. 

SUUVK volts   OF   THK    -N.WV. 


J 


Kdward  Hunt. 


\.Jolin  Henslow. 

T       .!,■    i-r,o  (Sir  John  Henslow,  Kt. 
Jan.  26,   l(93.i 

\\Viuiam  Kule. 

Clekk  of  the  Acts. 

George  Marsh. 
This  office  ceased  on  Aug.  2, 
179G.' 

COSTKOLLEB   OF   THK   TkE.\SUBKU'S 

Accounts. 

George  Rogers. 
This  office  ceased  on  Aug.  2, 
1790.' 

COSTSOLLEK   OK   THK    VllTU.VI.LlNO 

Accounts. 

William  Pahiicr. 
This  oiKce  ceased  on  Aug.  2, 
179U.' 

UOSTKOLLEII  OF  THK  StOREKKEPEb's 

Accounts. 

Sir   William  Kellingham, 

Kt. 
'Jliis  office  ceased  on  Aug.  2, 

1790.' 


Extra  CoMMI^sI<lXERS. 

Samuel    Wallis,    Captain, 
B.N. 
1793.  Sir    Andrew    Snai*   Ha- 
mond,    Bart.,    Captain, 
R.N. 
Dec.         1793.  Samuel  Marshall,  Captain, 
R.N. 
1793.  Harry  Harmood,  Captain, 
R.X. 
July         1794.  Cliarles     Hope,     Captain, 
K.X. 
This  office,  as  such,  cease<i 
on  Aug.  2,  1796.' 

i.'ommissioners  without  special 
Functions. 

June  25,  1796.  George  Marsh. 

June  25,  1796.  George     Kogers    (omitted 

from  patent  of  Nov.  23, 

1801). 
Jime  25,  1796.  William  Palmer. 
June  25,  1796.  Sir   William   BellinghaMi, 

Bart. 
June  25,  1796.  Harry  Harmood,  Captain, 

R.X. 
June  25,  179i>.  Samuel  Gambler,  Captain, 

R.X. 
Jan.  1,    1801.  Francis    John     Hartwell, 

Captain,  R.N. 
Nov.  9,    1801.  Benjamin  Tucker. 

Commissioners  at  H.M.  Dockyards,  etc. 
CltaOuim. 

Charles    Proby,    Captain, 
K.X. 
1799.  Francis    John    HartwelJ, 
Captain,.R.X. 
Jan.  1,      1801.  Charles     Hope,    Captain, 
R.X. 
(Until  1796  Sheerness  Yard  was  under 
the    insjjection    of    the    Chatham 
Commissioner.) 

Portsmouth. 

March  13, 1790.  Sir  Charles   Saxton,    Kt. 
and  Bart.,  Captain,  R.X. 


'  When  these  offices  ceased.  Commissioners,  having  no  special  branch  to  attend  to, ' 
were  apiwiiited.     By  Urder  in  Council  of  June  8th,  1796,  it  had  been  directed  that, 
instead  of  Commissioners  presiding  over  distinct  dciiartmeuts.  Committees  should  be 
formed. 


152        CIVIL  UlSTUltY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  1793-1802.    [1793-1802. 


Flymouth. 

Kiiv.  l;l,  1789.  Robert Faushawe,Captaiu, 
R.N. 

Sheerness. 

17y6.  Harry  Harmuod,  Gaptaiu, 
R.N. 
Sept.        179G.  Francis    Johu     Hartwell, 

Captain,  R.N. 
June  28,  179'J.  Isaac  Coffin,  Captain,  R.N. 

Lisbon, 
Sept.        1797.  Isaac  Coffin,  Captain,  R.N. 

Oibraltar,  Malta,  etc. 

1793.  Harry  Harniood,  Captain, 
R.N. 
Nov.        1794.  Andrew  Sutherland,  Cap- 
tain, R.N. 
1796.  John  Nicholson  Inglefield, 
Captain,  R.N. 
Jan.  1.     1801.  Sir  Alexander  John  Ball, 
Bart.,  Captain,  R.N. 

Cursica, 

1795.  John  Nicholson  Inglefield, 

Captain,  R.N. 

1796.  Isaac  Coffin,  Captain,  R.N. 


Halifax,  Nova  Scotia. 

Henry   Duncan  (1),  Cap- 
tain, R.N. 
Jan.  1,     IbOl.  Jolin  Nicholson  Inglefield, 
Captain,  R.N. 

Commissioners  of  Tuanspout. 

!Hugh  Cloberry  Christian, 
Captain  and  Rear-Adni. 
Philip  Patton,  Captain  and 
Rear-Adm. 
Ambrose  Serle. 
-Rupert   George,   Captain, 

R.N. 
Johu   Schanck,    Captain, 

R.N. 
William   Albany  Utway, 

Captain,  R.N. 
John  Marsh. 
\Ambrose  Serle. 
1798.  Joseph  Hunt  (vice  Marsh). 
(At   the   Peace,  Captain   Schanck  was 
retired  on  a  pension  of  £500  and 
Mr.  Hunt  was  transferred   to   the 
Ordnance  Department,  leaving  but 
three  Commissioners  of  Transport.) 

HVDKOGKAPHEU. 

Sept.  11,  1795.  Alexander  Dalrymple. 


Sept 


Dec, 


1795. 


The  salaries  of  the  Commissioners  at  Chatham,  Portsmouth, 
and  Plymouth,  which,  until  1801,  were  in  each  case  ^500  a  year, 
with  £12  for  paper  and  firing,  were  then  increased  to  £1000.  The 
Commissioner  at  Sheeruess  was  paid  ^£800  a  year  until  1801,  and 
then  ±1000.  The  Lisbon  Commissioner's  pay  was  i'lOOO.  The 
Commissioner  for  Malta,  etc.,  received  first  £1000,  and,  in  1801, 
£1200.  The  Commissioner  at  Corsica  was  paid  £1000.  The 
Commissioner  at  Halifax  received  £1000  until  1801,  and,  thence- 
forward, £1200.  Each  Commissioner  of  Transport  received  £1000 
a  year. 

The  total  expenditure,  as  voted  by  Parliament  for  the  Navy 
from  year  to  year,  and  the  number  of  seamen  and  INIarines 
authorised,  were  : — 


1793-1802.] 


STRENGTH   OF   THE  FLEET. 


153 


Year. 

"  Kxtia." 

Xu.  of  Seamen 

Total  Naval 

auU  .Marines. 

Supplies  li routed. 

1793 

387,710 

£ 

669,205 

45,000 

i, 

4,003,984 

17H-1 

547,310 

558,021 

85,000 

5,525,331 

1795 

525,840 

589,683 

100,000 

6,315,523 

1796 

708,400 

624,152 

110,000 

7,613,552 

1797 

768,100 

653,573 

120,000 

13,133,673' 

1798 

639,530 

689,858 

120.000 

13,449,388 

1799 

693,750 

1,119,063 

120,000 

13,654,013 

1800 

772,140 

1,169,439 

2  mos. 
,11  mos. 

120,0001 
110,000/ 

13,619,079 

^  1801 

933,900 

1,269,918 

3  mos. 
.10  mos. 
f  5  mos. 

120,0001 
135,000/ 
130,000) 

16,577,037 

'  1802 

773,500 

1,365,524 

1  1  mos. 
(   7  mos. 

88,000 
70,000) 

11,833,570 

'  Iiu  luJiug  £'1,000,000  ■•  f  ■!■  pi-cveuliiig  the  m.-rease  of  the  Jebt  of  tlie  Xavy,"  et 


The  fluctuations  in  the  strength  of  the  effective  fleet  are  thus 
summarised  from  the  annual  abstracts  compiled  by  Mr.  James : — 

Cruising  Ships,  exclusive  of  H.^rbouh  and  St.\tiox.\rv  Vessels,  Troop  and 

StoRESUII'S,    SllII'S   BuiLWXG,    ETC.,    AT   THE    BEGINXIXG    OF   E  Mil    YeAH. 


Cla. 


First-rates 
Second-rates  . 
Third-rates    . 

Total  of  tlie  line 
Fourth-rates  . 
Fifth-rates     .      . 
Sisth-rates     . 
Sloops 
Bombs 
Fireship ; 
Brigs,  cutters,  etc. 

Grand  total. 


1793 

1794 

1795 

1796 

1797 

1798 

1799 

1800 

1801 

1802 

5 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

16 

16 

17 

16 

16 

17 

17 

16 

16 

16 

92 

95 

91 

94 

94 

97 

102 

101 

105 

104 

113 

117 

114 

116 

116 

120 

125 

123 

127 

126 

12 

12 

12 

21 

16 

16 

14 

14 

13 

13 

79 

84 

102 

106 

115 

123 

117 

112 

113 

120 

35 

36 

35 

37 

40 

41 

42 

34 

34 

28 

40 

53 

62 

84 

91 

94 

98 

107 

104 

98 

2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

11 

15 

15 

14 

14 

5 

3 

3 

3 

3 

3 

7 

7 

3 

2 

18 

21 

33 
363 

36 
405 

52 

94 

99 

97 

103 

104 

304 

328 

435 

502 

517 

509 

511 

505 

The  total  toimage  of  the  vessels  enumerated  above  was,  in 
1793,  295,409,  and,  in  1802,  41G,56G. 

Concerning  the  shipbuilding  of  the  period  1793-1802,  there  is 
little  that  needs  saying.  Naval  architecture  underwent  but  small 
changes.  In  1794,  the  Admiralty  directed  that  frigates,  from  the 
18-pounder  82's  upwards,  should  in  future  be  constructed  with 
four-inch  instead  of  three-inch  bottoms.  It  was  also  at  about  the 
same  time  decided  to  give  ships  of  war  greater  length  in  proportion 


154        CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  1793-1802.     [1793-1802. 


to  their  beam  than  had  been  customary  in  Great  Britain,  and  to 
raise  the  lower  batteries  in  new  vessels  of  the  higher  rates.  Fir, 
as  a  material  for  hulls,  was  reintroduced  for  sloops  in  1796,  after 
it  had  been  disused  since  17-57  ;  and  in  1797  seven  frigates,  with 
hulls  of  the  same  wood,  were  under  construction. 

Details  of  some  of  the  most  typical  and  important  ships  added 
to  the  Navy  in  1793-1802  are  given  in  the  accompanying  table :  — 


[.engtb  uf 

Name. 

Beam. 

Deplh  of 
Hul.1. 

i     i 

1 

■\VLeu  auil  ^^■he^e  Biiiit,  or  bow 

Acquired,  etc. 

GuuDeck. 

Keel. 

■~       E 

ts 

Ft. 

to. 

Ft.    111. 

Ft. 

In. 

Ft. 

lu. 

YiUe  de  Paris    ■ 

190 

0 

156     IJ 

53 

0 

22 

4 

2332    850 

110 

1  Built  at  Chatbaiu.  1795  :  desigu  by 
I     Heiisiow. 

Ccmmetvede  i'ar-\ 
seiltes    .     .     .i 

208 

4 

172     Oi 

54 

9* 

25 

0* 

2747    875 

120 

Takeu  at  loulon,  1793. 

San  Josef.     .     . 

191 

3 

150  11) 

54 

3 

24 

3 

2457    840 

112 

Takeu  from  tbe  .^p.iuiarilti,  1797. 

Ifreadnuught 

185 

0 

152     01 

51 

0 

21 

6 

2111    750 

98 

1  Built  at  I'oitsmouth,  1801 :  design 
\     bv  Heu>low. 

Fuiidroyant  .     ■ 

1S4 

0 

151     52 

.',0 

6 

22 

6 

205.J    600 

SO 

1  Built  at  I'lymoutb,  1798:  design 

1     by  Heuslow. 

(Taken  from  tbe  Freuch,  1798:  e.\ 

Canopus  .     .     . 

197 

7 

160     8 

51 

0 

23 

3 

2223    718 

80 

\     franklin. 

Mars   .... 

176 

0 

144     3 

49 

0 

20 

0 

1842    600 

74 

1  Bui  It  at  Deptforii,1794:  design  by 
I    Henslow. 

tJelleisle   .     .     . 

184 

5 

149     oi 

48 

3 

21 

V* 

1889    690 

74 

1  Takeu  from  tbe  French,  1795:  ex 

t     Fvrmidahie. 

San  Isidro 

176 

0 

144     1 

48 

11 

20 

1 

1836    590 

74 

Takeu  from  tbe  Spaniards,  1797.  ' 

Vrijheid    .      . 

lli7 

7 

I3S     5 

46 

3 

18 

9 

1562       . . 

72 

Takeu  from  tbe  llut.b,  1797. 

Atioukir    .      .      . 

185 

5 

150     5 

48 

4 

21 

0 

1869       .  . 

74 

(Takeu  fixtm  tbe  Freuch,  1798  :  ex 
1     A'niil'in. 

Couragtux     .     . 

181 

1 

150     91 

47 

1 

19 

10 

1772    590 

74 

Built  at  Heptford,  1800. 

York  .... 

174 

3 

144     4 

43 

2 

19 

7 

1433 

64 

Built  iu  tbe  'J  bames,  1796. 

A-imiraldi  Vrits 

157 

5 

128     0 

44 

8 

16 

2 

1360    490 

64 

Takeu  from  tbe  llut.b,  1797. 

Tramp.      .      .      . 

1:3 

10 

117  10 

40 

9 

15 

3 

10:0    420 

60 

i'Jakeu  from  tbe  liut^h,  1797:  ex 
\     M.  h.  'fivmp. 

JHomede    .     .     . 

111 

0 

124     71 

41 

0 

17 

8 

1   14    3.0 

50 

Built  at  Heiitford.  1798. 

Pi/mvnt    .     .     . 

lea 

2J 

132     41 

41 

m 

12 

4 

1239    300 

44 

Takeu  from  tbe  Freuch,  1794. 

Pandour  .     .     . 

134 

3 

10-<   11 

39 

3 

15 

2 

894    300 

44 

/Taken  from  tbe  Dutcb,  1799 :  ex 
(     I/eilvr. 

S-ine   .... 

l.)G 

9 

131     4 

-.0 

G 

12 

4 

1146    280 

40 

1  Takeu  from  tbe  French,  1798,  as 

\    a  42. 

Endym  ion 

1;,9 

3 

132     3 

42 

7 

12 

4 

1277    320 

40 

Built  iu  tbe  1  bauies,  1797. 

lievolutiounnire. 

lf.7 

2 

131    lU 

40 

H 

12 

6 

1148    290 

38 

■J'akeu  from  the  Freucb,  1794. 

Fishguard     .     . 

luo 

0 

134    2 

40 

8 

13 

3 

1182   280 

38 

(Taken  from  the  Freucb,  1797  :  ex 
\     /ii-sista  life. 

Hussar     .     .     . 

l.u 

3 

125     8 

39 

6 

13 

9 

1043    280 

38 

Built  at  \Vi«ilwiib,  1799. 

Rt^union    . 

144 

U 

118    4i 

38 

10} 

12 

1 

951    255 

36 

'I'akeu  from  tbe  French,  1793. 

FmtUipe  .      .     . 

15U 

0 

125     i 

39 

8 

13 

0 

1051    260 

36 

Built  at  Bu|-sle.lou,  179». 

Jntmfirtalitt'  . 

145 

2 

123  10 

39 

2 

11 

5 

1010    260 

3J 

riakeu  from  tbe  Freuch,  1793,  as 
I    a  42. 

Kthali'.n.       .      . 

Ui 

0 

129     2 

38 

0 

13 

0 

992    250 

36 

Built  at  Woohvich,  1802. 

Janus  .... 

133 

1 

110     7 

3.-. 

8 

12 

0 

740  ;200 

3i 

(lakeu  from  the  Dutch,  1796:  ex 
I    A<:io. 

(Taken  from  tbe  Freuch,  1796,  as 
\    a  38. 

Unite  .... 

142 

5 

118     5 

37 

8 

11 

0 

893   250 

32 

Piqut  .... 

lio 

7 

123     1 

39 

7 

11 

10 

1028    270 

32 

(Taken  fmm  the  French,  1800  :  ex 
■(     Piillas,  40. 

Tartar      .      .      . 

14-2 

2 

118     5 

37 

6 

12 

6 

886    2t0 

32 

.  Built  at  Frindi-bury,  1801:  desigu 
\     by  Heuslow 

i;raak.     .     .     . 

116 

0 

9.     8 

34 

8 

10 

6 

613    150 

24 

/Taken  from  tbe  Dutch,  1799:  ex 
(     Miiterra. 

Kourdelais     .     . 

l;is 

6 

lie    6 

31 

9 

15 

1 

625    190 

-.4 

(Takeu  from  the  French,  1799  (.a 
(    privateer\ 
Takeu  from  the  Freuch,  1794. 

Babet  .... 

119 

3 

99     H 

31 

1 

9 

4* 

511     170 

20 

Heureux  .     .     . 

127 

8 

102     9 

33 

1 

16 

2 

598    l.-,0 

20 

(Taken  from  (be  Freucb,  1799  (A 
t     privateer). 

Swift  .... 

luo 

0 

81  111 

27 

6 

13 

6 

3  9    100 

16 

Built  at  Poitsmoutb,  1793. 

Hornet      .     .     . 

108 

4 

9U     9i 

29 

7 

9 

0 

423    125 

16 

Built  iu  tbe  Thames,  1794. 

Himne  CiUnjeuue 

120 

1 

100     6 

30 

11 

8 

7 

511     120 

20 

Takeu  from  the  French,  1796. 

Arrow.      .      .      . 

128 

8 

30 

0 

7 

11 

386    120 

18 

Built  at  Bedbridce.  1796. 

Jlavik.     .      .      . 

lUl 

10 

83     5 

25 

8 

12 

9 

365    1  0 

18 

■J'akeu  from  tlie  Dutch.  1796. 

J.utine.      .      .      . 

14.'. 

2 

121     8 

39 

0 

11 

0 

332    120 

IS 

Taken  from  tbe  French,  1798. 

Attack,  guuboat  . 

75 

01 

62     2} 

21 

H 

7 

01 

147      50 

12 

Built  at  Frind.-bury,  1794. 

Firm,  gunUtat 

90 

0 

77     HJ 

31 

0 

7 

4 

397     100 

16 

Built  at  Deptford,  1794. 

Hecate,  guulxiat  . 

-6 

0 

62     3 

22 

6 

8 

3 

168      60 

12 

Built  at  Frindsbury.  1797. 

1793-1802.]  CAIiliONADE  ARMAMENTS.  155 

More  important  changes  were  made  in  the  arming  of  ships, 
especially  in  the  direction  of  the  increased  employment  of  car- 
ronades.  In  1794,  when  the  Albion,  74,  and  Nonsuch,  64,  were 
fitted  as  floating  batteries,  they  were  given,  the  one  twenty-eight, 
and  the  other  twenty  68-pounder  carronades  ;  and,  at  about  the 
same  time,  many  of  the  smaller  vessels,  which  could  have  canied 
no  bigger  long  guns  than  3  or  4-pounders  in  equal  numbers,  were 
armed  almost  exclusively  with  18-pounder  carronades,  to  the  great 
improvement  of  their  fighting  value  at  short  range.  On  November 
19th,  1794,  indeed,  a  new  establishment  of  carronades,  superseding 
that  of  1779,  was  adopted  ;  but  seeing  that  many  Captains  preferred, 
and  were  allowed  to  have,  in  lieu  of  long  guns,  more  carronades 
than  the  establishment,  and  seeing  also  that  many  ships  then  in 
commission  retained  their  old  armament  until  long  afterwards,  it 
is  of  little  use  to  give  it  at  length.  On  August  28th,  1795,  every 
ship  bigger  than  a  16-gun  brig  was  ordered  to  be  supplied  vdih  a 
carronade  for  her  lamich  ;  and  on  jNIarch  17th,  1798,  it  was  further 
ordered  that  eveiy  line-of-battle  ship  coming  forward  to  be  fitted 
should  be  prepared  to  receive  cannonades  all  along  her  quarter-deck 
and  forecastle,  except  in  way  of  the  shrouds.  In  the  same  year, 
six  out  of  eight  bomb-vessels,  which  had  been  purchased  in  1797, 
were  ordered  to  be  fitted  with  eight  24-pounder  can-onades  each, 
instead  of  with  eight  long  6-pounders  as  previously.  In  1799  the 
carronade  was  made  the  general  quarter-deck  and  forecastle  gun  in 
frigates.  And  on  February  21st,  1800,  it  was  directed  that  for  the 
future  all  ships  of  twenty-four  and  twenty  guns  should  be  fitted 
on  the  main  deck  for  32-pounder  carronades  in  place  of  the  long 
9-pounders,  which  up  to  that  time  had  been  carried. 

To  consider  all  suggestions  with  relation  to  building,  fitting  out, 
arming,  navigating,  and  victualling  H.M.'s  ships,  as  well  as  with 
relation  to  docks,  basins,  buildings,  etc.,  the  office  of  Inspector- 
General  of  his  Majesty's  Naval  Works  was  established  on  March  28th, 
1796,  and  General  Bentham  was  appointed  to  it,  with  a  technical 
staff  to  assist  him. 

Very  soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  war  with  revolutionary 
France,  difficulty  began  to  be  experienced  in  obtaining  the  required 
number  of  seamen  for  the  manning  the  fleet.  Even  in  1793,  before 
war  had  been  actually  declared,  the  City  of  London  deemed  it 
desirable  to  supplement  the  usual  royal  bounty  by  offering  forty 
shillings    to   every   able    seaman,    and    twenty   shillings    to   every 


156        CIVIL  niSTOUY  OF  THE  ROYAL  XAVY,  17;i3-1802.    [1793-1802. 

ordinary  seaman  who  should  voluntarily  enter  the  service  ;  and, 
when  the  war  had  been  in  progress  for  less  than  eighteen  months, 
the  Lord  Maj'or  opened  a  subscription  with  the  object  of  giving 
additional  bounties  as  follows  :  to  every  able-bodied  seaman, 
i;iO  lOs.  ;  to  every  ordinary  seaman,  £,%  8s.  ;  to  every  landsman, 
£Q  6s. ;  and  to  boys,  according  to  height,  etc.,  £2  2s.  and  £1  Is. 
Yet  these  extra  bounties,  large  though  they  were,  were  quickly 
exceeded,  and  in  1795  many  seaport  towns  were  offering  as  much 
as  ^30  a  head  to  able  seamen.  Boimties  alone  failed,  however,  to 
attract  all  the  men  who  were  needed.  Parliament  had  to  take 
action,  and  the  position  of  the  seamen  had  to  be  in  some  measure 
improved  ere  those  who  were  wanted  could  be  secui-ed ;  and  this 
in  spite  of  the  press,  of  the  engagement  of  numerous  foreigners, 
especially  Americans,  and  of  the  practice  which  obtained  of  per- 
mitting to  certain  offenders  the  option  of  joining  the  Navj-  or  going 
to  prison.  On  March  5th,  1795,  an  Act  was  passed  for  raising  men 
in  every  county  in  England  and  Wales  in  proportion  to  its  popula- 
tion, the  quota  rising  from  23  in  the  case  of  Rutland,  and  33  in 
the  case  of  Flintshire,  to  451  in  the  case  of  Middlesex,  589  in  that 
of  Lancashire,  and  1081  in  that  of  Yorkshire.  And  on  April  16th 
following,  another  Act  was  passed  for  obliging  the  ports  also  to 
contribute,  and  for  laying  an  embargo  on  all  British  shipping  until 
the  assigned  quota  should  be  provided.  Under  this  Act  there  were 
demanded  from  Bristol,  666  ;  from  the  Clyde,  683 ;  from  Newcastle, 
1240;  from  Liverpool,  1711;  and  from  London  5704  men.  The 
Act  which  applied  to  the  counties  was  designed  to  raise  9764,  and 
the  Act  which  applied  to  the  ports,  20,354  men.  To  render  the 
Navy  more  attractive  than  it  had  been.  Acts  were  also  passed 
in  1795  to  enable  men  who  had  voluntarily  entered  the  service 
to  allot  part  of  their  pay '  for  the  maintenance  of  their  wives  and 
families,  this  to  be  paid  every  lunar  month  upon  production  of 
a  properly  signed  and  witnessed  ticket ;  to  enable  Boatswains, 
Guimers,  and  Carpenters  to  similarly  allot ;  and  to  reduce  the 
postage  of  letters  to  or  from  seamen  on  board  men-of-war  in  all 
parts  of  the  world  to  one  penny.  These  concessions,  no  doubt, 
contributed  to  make  the  service  a  little  less  unpleasant  than  it 
had  been  previously ;  but  they  did  not  touch  the  more  serious 
causes  of  discontent,  which,  as  will   be  seen,  led  during  the  war 

'  An  able  Keanian,  5rf. ;  an  ordinary  seaman  or  a  landsman,  -1(/. ;  and  a  Marine,  3rf. 
l^er  diem. 


1793-1802.]  ALTERATIONS    OF  PAY.  157 

to  graver  and  more  frequent  outbreaks  of  mutiny  and  insubordina- 
tion than  the  Royal  Na\^'  has  ever  witnessed  before  or  since.  Nor 
did  they,  one  may  safely  conclude,  induce  the  right  kind  of  men 
to  flock  on  board  his  Majesty's  ships  in  the  large  numbers  which 
the  exigencies  of  the  times  demanded;  for,  as  late  as  1801,  a  royal 
proclamation  was  issued,  offering  a  pardon  to  all  seamen  or  Marines 
who  should  surrender  themselves  as  deserters  before  September  1st 
in  that  year,  and  assuring  to  all  seamen  who  had  deserted,  but  who 
had  re-enlisted,  and  who  were  then  ])orne  in  any  of  his  Majesty's 
ships,  the  payment  of  wages  due  to  them  at  the  time  of  their 
desertion. 

There  seems  never  to  have  been  any  con-esponding  difficulty  in 
obtaining  as  many  ofdcers  as  were  needed  ;  yet  quite  as  much  was 
done  during  the  period  to  increase  the  attractiveness  of  the  quarter- 
deck as  was  done  to  make  the  lower  deck  more  tolerable.  Indeed, 
upon  the  whole,  the  officers  fared  better  than  the  men  at  the  hands 
of  the  authorities.  An  Act  of  1795  permitted  all  flag-officers, 
Captains,  Commanders,  Lieutenants,  Masters,  and  Surgeons,  upon 
being  appointed  to  ships  from  half-paj',  to  apply  for  three  months' 
pay  in  advance ;  and  it  entitled  officers  on  half-pay  to  have  their 
pay  remitted  to  them  free  of  expense.  It  also  entitled  pensioned 
widows  of  officers  to  have  their  pensions  similarly  remitted  to 
them.  An  Order  in  Council,  of  September  '21st,  1796,  raised  the 
pay  and  half-pay  of  the  Lieutenants,  and  conceded  other  benefits 
to  the  same  officers,  as  follows  :  Lieutenants  of  ships  bearing  a 
flag  or  a  broad  pennant,  and  having  also  a  Captain,  were  given 
5s.  Q)d.  a  day,  and  Lieutenants  of  other  ships,  5s.  a  day,  with  one 
servant  apiece  as  before  ;  and  Lieutenants  commanding  his  Majesty's 
vessels  were  granted  two  servants.  All  these  officers,  moreover, 
were  allowed  conduct  money  at  the  rate  of  Q>d.  a  mile,  whenever 
called  upon  for  service.  The  half -pay  of  the  Lieutenants  was 
settled  at :  for  the  first  hundred,  5s.  a  day  each ;  for  the  second 
hundred,  3s.  ikJ.  a  day  each  ;  and  for  the  rest,  3s.  a  day  each.  It 
was  at  the  same  time  directed  that  the  first  fifty  Lieutenants  on  the 
list  should  be  superannuated  with  the  rank  of  Commander,  and 
should  receive  6s.  a  day,  and  that  the  widow  of  any  such  should 
be  entitled  to  a  pension  of  £45  a  year. 

The  position  of  the  Masters  was  improved  in  1795,  when,  by 
an  order  of  August  8th,  they  were  granted  half-pay,  subject  to 
their  possession  of  certain  qualifications,  at  the  rate  of  from  2s, 


158        CIVIL  HISTOEY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,   1793-1802.    [1793-1802. 

to  4s.  a  day,  according  to  their  seniority.  It  was  at  the  same 
time  directed  that  those  of  them  who  were  entitled  to  super- 
annuation should  receive  pensions  upon  the  scale  of  half-pay. 
Somewhat  similar  advantages  were  extended  to  the  Surgeons,  whose 
half-pay,  subject  to  certain  conditions,  was  fixed  at  from  2s.  6(7.  to 
.5s.  a  day,  according  to  their  seniority.  Sm-geons  had,  up  to  1795, 
been  allowed  lo.s.  per  patient  for  the  cure  of  venereal  diseases. 
In  lieu  of  this,  under  regulations  then  introduced,  £.5  a  year  was 
allowed  to  a  Surgeon  for  every  hundred  men  borne  in  his  ship  ; 
£5  a  year  in  cases  where  the  number  borne  was  less  than  one 
hundred  and  exceeded  fifty ;  and  £'4  a  year  in  cases  where  the 
number  borne  was  less  than  fifty.  Widows  of  Masters  and 
Surgeons  were,  under  the  same  regulations,  entitled  to  pensions 
of  i'30  a  3'ear,  provided  their  husbands  had  been  upon  the  half- 
pay  list. 

Under  the  will  of  Mr.  Samuel  Travers,  who,  in  1724,  had  left  a 
residuary  estate  in  trust  for  building  or  buying  a  house  near 
Windsor  Castle  for  the  reception  of  superannuated  or  disabled 
Lieutenants,  being  single  men  of  blameless  character,  the  first  seven 
Poor  Knights  of  Windsor  were  appointed  by  the  King  on  November 
•27th,  1795.  These  officers  benefited  to  the  extent  of  ±'60  a  year 
each,  ±26  of  that  sum  being  applied  to  "  keeping  them  a  constant 
table."  The  seven  officers  thus  chosen  as  the  earliest  recipients 
of  the  charity,  and  the  dates  of  their  commissions  as  Lieutenants, 
were :  William  Ha}-garth,  1757 ;  George  Trussell,  1761 ;  John 
Bowen,  1762 ;  Alexander  Brown,  1765 ;  Ambrose  Warham,  1778 ; 
William  Bampton,  1781 ;  and  Wilham  Elliott,  1781.  There  were 
then  many  older  Lieutenants  on  the  hst ;  but  the  wiU  of  Mr.  Travers 
did  not  contemplate  the  appointment  of  officers  merely  on  the 
ground  of  length  -of  service.  It  directed,  on  the  contrary,  thiit 
twenty-one  names  should  be  submitted  by  the  Commissioners  of  the 
Navy  to  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty,  and  that,  of  these,  fom-teen 
should  be  submitted  by  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty  lo  the  King, 
who  should  be  prayed  to  select  the  seven  to  be  appointed. 

The  naval  officers  of  the  period  were,  as  a  rule,  men  of  higher 
character  and  finer  feelings  than  those  of  the  early  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century;  but  a  vast  number  of  abuses  still  flourished 
among  them ;  and  the  records  of  the  courts-martial  of  the  time 
seem  to  prove  that  the  sense  of  honour  throughout  the  higher 
mnks  of  the  Navy  was  not  nearly  so  keen  as  it  afterwards  became. 


1793-1802.]  NAl^AL   ABUSES.  159 

Lieutenant  AVilliam  Walker,'  of  the  Sparkler,  gun-vessel,  who,  on 
July  2nd,  ISOO,  was  dismissed  the  service,  was  a  type  of  too  many 
Lieutenants,  Commanders,  and  Captains  of  his  day.  According 
to  the  verdict  of  the  court-martial,  he  had  repeatedly  answered, 
at  the  time  of  muster,  for  men  who  had  run,  declaring  that  they 
were  on  liberty  ;  he  had  answered  for  his  own  child,  aged  one 
year,  whom  he  had  rated  as  an  A.B.,  saying  that  he  was  on  duty 
ashore  ;  he  had  sent  a  member  of  the  ship's  company,  under  the 
assumed  name  of  William  Walker,  his  aforesaid  son,  to  receive 
i'5  bounty  money  at  Portsmouth  ;  he  had  deprived  his  people  of 
fresh  provisions,  and  had  himself  drawn  the  provisions  for  his 
own  table  while  he  was  on  shore  ;  and  he  had  drawn  provisions 
for  his  full  complement  of  fifty  men,  when  he  had  less  than  that 
number  on  board.  Some,  even  among  the  most  gallant  officers  in 
the  service,  were  guilty  of  extraordinary  brutality  to  their  men. 
Captain  Sir  Edward  Hamilton,  the  hero  of  the  heroic  recapture  of  ^ 
the  Hermione,  was  tried  on  board  the  Gladiator,  on  January  22nd, 
1802,  and  sentenced  to  be  dismissed  the  service,  for  having  seized  up 
William  Bowman,  gunner  of  the  Trent,  in  the  main  rigging  for  an 
hour  and  a  half  in  frosty  weather  until  the  man,  who  was  old, 
fainted.  Sir  Edward  was  reinstated  in  his  rank  in  the  following 
June,  it  appearing  that  he  had  acted  in  the  heat  of  passion,  and  that 
there  had  been  some  informality  in  the  procedure  ;  but  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  cases  of  the  sort  were  terribly  common  at  the  time. 
and  that  far  too  frequently  they  went  entirely  unpiuiished.  A 
common  abuse  was  struck  at  by  an  order  of  July  1st,  1801,  which 
directed  that  for  the  future  all  naval  officers  who  might  come  ashore 
on  sick-quarter  tickets,  should  go  to  the  officers'  wards  in  one  of  the 
Royal  Naval  Hospitals,  and  not  to  private  lodgings. 

Other  prevalent  abuses  were  the  outcome  of  the  regulations 
which  existed  as  to  officers'  servants.  An  order  of  April  16th, 
1794,  ranged  these  servants  in  three  classes,  officers  being  allowed 
in  respect  of  each  servant  £11  8s.  2d.  a  year,  being  the  uett  wages 
to  which  such  servants  were  entitled.  The  classes  were:  (1), 
Young  gentlemen,  not  under  eleven  years  of  age,  who  were  in- 
tended for  the  sea-service,  and  who  were  styled  volimteers  ;  (2), 
boys  of  between  fifteen  and  seventeen  years  of  age,  intended  to 
become  seamen  ;  and  (3),  boys  of  between  thirteen  and  fifteen  years 
of  age,  intended  to  do  actual  duty  as  servants.  It  became  a 
'  C.  M.  in  Gladiator,  at  Portsmouth. 


KiO        CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  EOYAL  NAVY,  1793-1802.     [I7'.i0-1802. 

common  practice   to  bear  upon   a   ship's   books  young  gentlemen 
who,  besides  being  much  under  eleven  years  of  age,  were  still  in 
the  nursery  at  home,  or  were  at  school ;    and  to  bear,  nominally 
as  seamen-boys  or  as  working   servants— and   to   the  prejudice  of 
those  classes — youngsters  who  were  designed  for  the  quarter-deck.* 
Nor  is  it  any  exaggeration  to  say  that  very  few  naval  officers  of 
the  period  now  under  consideration  considered  it  in  the  least  dis- 
honourable— unless  they  chanced  to  be  found  out  and  piinished — 
to  make,  or  to  connive  at  the  making  of,  false  statements  on  certain 
subjects.     False  certificates  of  age  were,  indeed,  generally  winked 
at.     Under  the  instructions  which  held  good  during  the  eighteenth 
century,  no  one  was  to  be  made  a  Lieutenant  who  had  not  passed 
his   examination ;    and   the    examining    officers   were    required    to 
certify,   among   other  things,    that   the   candidate   had   served   six 
years  at  sea,  two  of   them   being  as  Midshipman  or  Mate  in  his 
Majesty's  ships,  and  was  not  under  twenty  years  of  age.     These 
instructions  were,  as  Professor  Laughton  says,  systematically  evaded, 
and  little  boys  in  the  nursery  or  at  school  were  borne  on  the  books 
of  a  ship  for  a  time,  which  was   afterwards  counted  towards  the 
stipulated  six   years. ^     It   ultimately  became   the   fashion   for   the 
candidate    for  examination   to   present   a   baptismal    certificate   as 
evidence  of  age  ;  and  then,  if  the  age  was  not  really  sufficient,  the 
certificate  was   unblushingly  forged.     Says    Admiral   the  Hon.  Sir 
George  EUiot : — 

"  In  July,  1800,  having  completed  my  six  years'  servitude,  I  was  sent,  with  nine 
other  Midshipmen,  to  London,  to  pass  the  necessary  examination  for  a  Lieutenant's 
commission.  Our  examinations  before  the  old  Commissioners  of  the  Navy  were  not 
severe ;  but  we  were  called  on  to  produce  certificates  that  we  were  all  twenty-one  years 
of  age — I  was  sixteen  and  four  days.  The  old  porter  in  the  hall  furnished  them  at  os. 
apiece,  which,  no  doubt,  the  old  Commissioners  knew;  for,  on  our  return  with  them, 
they  remarked  that  the  ink  had  not  dried  in  twenty-one  years." 

Barrington  had  been  certified  as  "more  than  twenty"  in  1745, 
when,  in  fact,  he  was  only  sixteen ;  Nelson  had  been  certified  as 
"  more  than  twenty  "  in  1777,  when,  in  fact,  he  was  less  than 
nineteen  ;  but  there  were  many  far  more  flagrant  cases  than  these. 
The   distingitished   officer   who   afterwards   became   known   as    Sir 

'  Adra.  Sir  John  Louis  was  borne  as  a  first-class  volunteer  in  the  Minotaur  before 
he  was  eleven  ;  Adm.  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Thomas  John  Cochrane  was  borne  as  a  first-class 
volunteer  in  the  Tlteiis  when  he  was  seven ;  and  the  name  of  the  second  Lord  Radstock 
was  borne  in  the  Courageux  when  the  boy,  aged  eight,  was  at  home  or  at  school. 
Instances  of  the  kind  may  be  multiplied  almost  to  infinity. 

»  '  Study  of  Nav.  Uist.'  (Eoy.  U.  S.  Inst.  189G). 


1793-1S02.]  I'HI/K   LAW.  161 

Thoniaw  Boulden  Thompson,  Bart.,  was  actually  commissioned  as  a 
Lioutenaut  when,  according  to  family  records,  he  was  six  weeks  less 
than  sixteen  years  of  age;  and  that  undistinguished  otticer,  the  Hon. 
John  Rodney,  hy  the  interest  and  connivance  of  his  father,  Lord 
liodney,  not  only  became  a  Lieutenant  at  the  immature  age  of  fifteen 
years  and  four  months,  but  was  a  full-blown  Post-Captain  five  weeks 
later.'  There  were  examples  almost  as  glaring  in  the  period  1793- 
1802 ;  and  even  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Provo  William  Parrj' 
Wallis,  who  died  as  recently  as  February  10th,  1892,  was  borne  on 
more  than  one  ship's  books  while  he  was  still  in  the  nursery,  and 
was  a  Lieutenant  long  before  he  was  twenty. 

For  seamen,  and  especially  for  officers,  all  questions  connected 
with  the  distribution  of  prize-mone}'  possessed  great  interest  during 
the  French  wars,  for,  although  a  seaman's  share  of  prize-money 
came  to  him  merely  as  a  small,  though  welcome,  addition  to  his 
W'ages,  an  officer's  share  not  infrequently  amounted  to  many  times 
as  much  as  his  pay,  and  often,  changing  a  poor  man  into  a  wealthy 
one,  enabled  him  to  buy  an  estate  and  found  a  family.  The  lower 
deck  was  chiefly  anxious  for  prompt  payment  of  whatever  prize- 
money  happened  to  be  due  to  it.  This  was  recognised,  after  the 
Battle  of  the  Glorious  First  of  June,  by  the  King,  who,  with  much 
forethought,  ordered  that  the  following  proportion  of  prize-money 
should  be  immediately  advanced  in  respect  of  the  captures  in  that 
engagement,  viz.,  to  each  warrant  officer,  £20  ;  to  each  petty  officer, 
£10  10.5. ;  and  to  each  seaman,  Marine  and  soldier,  £2  2s.  But 
more  difficult  problems  often  arose  to  trouble  the  minds  of  officers 
whose  interests  were  less  superficially  affected.  A  case  in  point 
arose  in  1794,  when  Captain  Francis  Laforey,  in  the  Carysfort, 
recaptured  H.M.S.  Castor,  which  had  been  taken  nineteen  days 
earlier,  and  commissioned  by  the  French.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the 
prize  in  port,  she  was  claimed  by  the  Commissioners  of  the  Navy  as 
belonging  of  right  to  the  King.  The  French  captain,  upon  being 
interrogated,  said  that  he  had  been  appointed  to  command  the  Castor 
by  the  French  admiral,  who  had  given  him  a  commission  to  do  so  as 
commander  of  a  man-of-war  in  the  sei"\'ice  of  the  liepubiic ;  and  that 
the  admiral  in  question  had  power  and  authority  to  condemn  prizes, 
and  to  arm,  equip,  and  commission  such  ships  as  he  might  capture, 
without  first  sending   them   to  France  to  be  fonnally  condemned 

'  Hon.  John  Rodney.     Born,  May  10th,  1765.     Lieutenant,  Seiiteiiilier  lOtli,  1780. 
Post-Cajitain,  October  1-ltli,  1780. 

VOL.  IV.  :.i 


162       CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  1793-1802.      [1793-1802. 

there.  The  point  for  decision  was,  therefore,  whether,  in  the  cir- 
cumstances, the  re-captors  had  merely  re-taken  a  British  vessel,  or 
whether  they  had,  in  effect,  taken  a  French  one ;  whether,  in  fact, 
they  were  entitled  to  salvage  onl)','  or  to  the  whole  of  the  prize. 
Sir  James  Marriot,  Judge  of  the  High  Com-t  of  Admiralty,  relied 
upon  a  clause  in  the  Prize  Act,  which  declared  that,  "  If  any  ship 
or  vessel  retaken  shall  appear  to  have  been,  after  the  taking  of  his 
Majesty's  enemies,  bj'  them  set  forth  as  a  ship  of  war,  the  said  ship 
or  vessel  shall  not  be  restored  to  the  former  owners  or  proprietors, 
but  shall,  in  all  cases,  whether  retaken  by  his  Majesty's  ships,  or  by 
any  privateer,  be  adjudged  a  lawful  prize  for  the  benefit  of  the 
captors  "  ;  and  he  therefore  adjudged  the  whole  value  of  the  Castor 
to  the  captors. 

Another  interesting  point  in  prize  law  was  decided  in  1795.  A 
very  valuable  French  vessel  had  been  taken  without  the  firing  of  a 
shot  by  several  East  Indiamen,  on  board  of  which,  at  the  time  of 
the  capture,  there  were  many  recruits  and  non-combatant  pas- 
sengers. The  question  for  decision  was  whether  these  recruits  and 
passengers  were  entitled  to  share  in  the  prize.  The  right  of  the 
recruits  was  admitted  with  little  demur,  but  although  it  was  urged, 
on  behalf  of  the  passengers,  that  the  East  India  Company  and  its 
commanders  held  all  on  board  to  be  liable  to  the  performance  of  duty 
in  case  of  action,  and  that  the  passengers  had,  by  their  presence, 
assisted  in  overawing  the  foe,  the  judge  decided  against  the  pas- 
sengers' claim,  observing  that  it  was  certain  that  the  women  and 
children  had  not  intimidated  the  French,  and  that  it  was  unlikely 
that  the  gentlemen,  who  probablj'  were  looking  through  the  cabin 
windows  with  their  hair  full  dressed,  struck  any  terror  into  the 
minds  of  the  enemy. 

Yet  another  point  was  decided  in  1799.  In  1781,  Captain  Evelyn 
Sutton  had  commanded  the  Isis  in  the  squadron  of  Commodore 
Johnstone.  After  the  action  at  Porto  Praya,  Johnstone  had  put 
Sutton  under  arrest,  and  had  appointed  Captain  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Charles  Lumley  to  command  the  Isis  in  his  stead.  The  question 
was  whether  Captain  Lumley  was  entitled  to  share  the  prize-money 
arising  from  captures  made  by  the  Isis  while  he  was  in  command  of 
her  during  the  arrest  of  Captain  Sutton.  Lord  Kenyon  decided  that, 
to  all  intents  and  purposes,  Captain  Sutton  had  been  Captain  of  the 

'  At  that  time,  men-of-war  effecting  recaptures  were  entitled  to  one-eighth,  and 
privateers  to  one-sixth,  of  the  value  of  ships  so  recaptured. 


1793-1802.]  DROITS    OF   ADMIIiALTY.  163 

Ids  SO  long  as  he  remained  entitled  to  pay  as  such,  and  had  not 
been  displaced  either  by  the  Admiralty,  or  by  sentence  of  comrt- 
martial ;  and  that  the  fact  of  aiTest — apart  from  that  arrest  having 
been,  as  was  proved,  improper — had  not  displaced  him.  There  could 
be  but  one  Captain  of  a  ship  at  a  time,  and  the  Captain  of  the  Isis, 
at  the  moment  of  the  making  of  the  captures  in  question,  was 
undoubtedly  Captain  Sutton,     He  gave  judgment  accordingly. 

In  the  same  year,  1799,  several  other  interesting  cases  were 
determined.  In  January,  it  was  decided  that,  when  ships  with 
cargo  on  board  were  captured,  even  though  the  ships  were  com- 
missioned and  armed,  the  captors  were  not  entitled  to  head  money.* 
A  little  later.  Sir  William  Scott,  in  the  case  of  the  Rebecca,  delivered 
an  important  judgment  touching  the  droiis  of  Admiralty.  The 
Rebecca,  having  put  into  St.  Marcou  for  safety,  had  been  fired  at 
from  a  work  on  shore,  and  had  struck  her  colours ;  and  she  had  then 
ridden  there  a  whole  day  before  possession  had  been  taken  of  her, 
and  until  she  had  been  boarded  by  a  boat's  crew  from  the  fort, 
which  was  held  by  the  Navy.  The  Admiralty,  claiming  under  a 
grant  confirmed  by  an  Order  in  Council  of  16(j.5,  urged  that  the  law 
gave  to  the  Lord  High  Admiral,  as  his  peciiUum,  the  benefit  of  all 
captiures  made  in  roadsteads,  creeks,  or  havens.  The  captors 
declared  that  the  capture  was  made  by  naval  ofiicers  in  their  naval 
character,  and  that,  therefore,  it  was,  prima  facie,  acquired  to  the 
King,  and,  through  him,  to  the  actual  captors.  They  submitted  that 
the  place  of  captm-e  was  not  a  port  or  haven ;  and  they  contended 
that  there  was  no  proof  that  the  vessel  had  anchored  when  she 
struck  her  colours.  Sir  William  Scott  admitted  that  the  Lord  High 
Admiral  was  entitled  under  the  grant  to  the  benefit  of  captures  "  of 
all  ships  and  goods  coming  into  ports,  creeks  or  roads  of  England  or 
Ireland,  unless  they  came  in  voluntarily  upon  revolt,  or  were  driven 
in  by  the  King's  cruisers,"  and  that  usage  had  extended  the  area  of 
the  Lord  High  Admiral's  rights  in  that  matter  from  England  and 
Ireland  to  all  the  dominions  thereimto  belonging.  But  he  could  not 
admit  that  a  road  or  roadstead  within  the  meaning  of  the  grant 
existed  wherever  a  ship  could  find  anchorage  ground.  "  For,"  he 
continued,  "  if  that  be  so,  the  Lord  High  Admiral  would  be  entitled 
to  all  captures  made  within  a  moderate  distance  of  most  parts  of  the 
coasts  of  England  and  Ireland,  and  the  foreign  dominions  belonging 
to  them,  which,  assuredly,  is  not  the  case ;  for  who  would  say  that, 

'  '  Admlty.  Keps.'  i.  157. 

M  2 


104         CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  1TU3-1802.    [1793-1802. 

if  a  ship  at  anchor  iu  the  channel  of  Dover  be  seized  by  a  com- 
missioned cruiser,  the  Lord  High  Admiral  is  entitled?  Every 
anchorage  ground  is  not  a  roadstead.  A  roadstead  is  a  known 
general  station  for  ships,  statio  tutissima  itaufis,  notoriously  used  as 
such,  and  distinguished  by  the  name,  and  not  every  spot  where  an 
anchor  will  find  bottom  and  fix  itself."  The  judge  was  inclined  to 
think  that  St.  Marcou  possessed  no  road.  He  was  not  sure,  more- 
over, that  St.  Marcou,  occupied  temporarily  as  a  mere  naval  station 
for  the  convenience  of  a  couple  of  small  vessels,  could  be  recognised 
as  a  possession  of  the  Crown  of  England  within  the  meaning  of  the 
grant ;  but,  leaving  those  points  undecided,  he  preferred  to  base  his 
decision  upon  the  consideration  whether,  at  the  time  of  her  sur- 
render, or  deditio,  the  vessel  had  entered  the  alleged  road  or  not. 
She  had  struck  upon  being  fired  at.  She  had  not  then  anchored ; 
but,  ere  being  taken  possession  of,  she  had  anchored.  He  must 
regard  the  effective  deditio  as  dating  from  the  moment  of  striking — 
a  moment  at  which  the  vessel  had,  it  was  admitted,  not  taken  up 
any  anchorage.  Nothing  had  occurred  after  the  deditio  to  prejudice 
it.  The  French  had  not,  for  example,  attempted  to  defeat  the 
surrender.  The  formal  submission  had  never  been  discontinued  or 
reversed.  Therefore,  he  must  hold  that  the  ship  had  not  entered 
any  road  when  she  was  captured.  The  Admiralty  might  claim  that 
the  capture  had  been  made  from  the  land,  and  by  a  land  force. 
There  might  possibly  be  something  to  say  in  favour  of  such  a 
contention  in  certain  cases.  A  vessel  compelled  to  strike  by  the  fire 
from  Dover  Castle  would  be  a  droit  of  Admiralty. 

"  I  likewise,"  lie  went  on,  "  think  that  oases  may  occur  in  which  naval  persons, 
having  a  real  authority  to  take  upon  the  sea  for  their  own  advantage,  may  yet  entitle 
the  Admiralty  and  not  themselves,  by  a  capture  made  upon  the  sea  by  the  use  of  a 
force  stationed  upon  the  land.  Suppose  the  crew,  or  part  of  the  crew  of  a  man-of-war 
were  landed,  and  descried  a  ship  of  the  enemy  at  sea ;  and  that  they  took  possession  of 
any  battery  or  fort  upon  the  shore,  such  as  may  be  met  with  in  many  parts  of  the  coast, 
and,  by  means  of  such  battery  or  fort,  compelled  such  a  ship  to  strike ;  I  have  no 
doubt  that  such  a  capture,  though  made  by  persons  liaving  naval  conniussions,  yet 
being  made  by  means  of  a  force  upon  the  land,  which  they  employed  accidentally,  and 
without  any  right  under  their  comniissinii,  would  be  a  droit  of  Adiuiralty,  aud  nothing 
more." 

But  at  St.  Marcou  there  was  no  garrison  or  military  establishment ; 
it  was  occupied  entirely  as  a  temporary  naval  station.  Everyone  in 
it  was  borne  upon  some  ship's  books,  and  was  victualled  from  a 
ship,  and  such  defences  as  existed  had  been  made  by  the  Navy,  and 
mounted  with  ships'  guns,  or  with  spare  guns  specially  procured. 


1793-1802.]  INTERNATIONAL   LAW.  165 

The  judge,  therefore,  cousidered  St.  Marcou  as  a  part  or  appendage 
of  the  Navy,  as  a  sort  of  stationary  tender,  and  he  held  that  the 
capture  was  a  regular  maritime  one,  effected  in  a  spot  where  the 
right  of  Admiralty  had  not  begun.  He  consequently  jaronounced  in 
favour  of  the  captors.' 

In  the  same  year.  Sir  William  Scott  decided  a  case  involving  the 
right  of  the  Anny  to  share  with  the  Navy  in  the  distribution  of  prize- 
money  arising  out  of  the  capture  of  Dutch  men-of-war  in  Saldanha 
Bay,  in  August,  1796.  He  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  case  for 
the  Army  could  not  be  sustained.  With  regard  to  a  claim  on  behalf 
of  several  non-commissioned  East  India  ships  for  an  interest  in  the 
captm-e'of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in  June,  1795,  Sir  William  Scott 
concluded  a  lengthy  judgment  with  the  following  words  : — 

"  Upon  the  whole  of  these  facts,  I  feel  myself  obliged  to  pronounce  that  it  h.is  not 
been  shown  that  these  ships  set  out  in  an  original  military  character,  or  that  any 
military  character  has  been  subsequently  impressed  upon  them  by  the  nature  and 
course  of  their  employment;  and  therefore,  however  meritorious  their  services  may 
have  been,  and  however  entitled  they  may  be  to  the  gratitude  of  their  country,  it  will 
not  entitle  them  to  share  in  this  valuable  capture." 

Some  important  questions  of  international,  as  well  as  of  prize 

law,  arose   during   the   period.      In    1798,  Captain  Loring,  of   the 

Caniatic,  exercised  a  right  which  was   claimed   and   exercised   by 

Great  Britain  for  many  years  afterwards,  and  which  was  one  of  the 

causes  of  the  war  of  1812-15,  and  stopped  and  searched  an  American 

man-of-war  off  Havana  for  British  sailors.     This  incident  led  to  the 

issue  of  the  following  letter  by  the  Secretary  of  the  United  States 

Navy: — 

"Sir, — It  is  the  jwsitive  command  of  the  President  that,  in  no  pretence  whatever, 
you  permit  the  public  vessel  of  war  under  your  command  to  be  detained  or  searched, 
nor  any  of  the  oQicers  or  men  belonging  to  her  to  be  taken  from  her  by  the  ships  or 
vessels  of  any  foreign  nation,  so  long  as  you  are  in  a  capacity  to  repel  such  outrage  on 
the  honour  of  the  American  flag.  If  force  should  be  exerted  to  compel  your  sub- 
mission, you  are  to  resist  that  force  to  the  utmost  of  your  power ;  and,  when  over- 
IKjwered  by  superior  force,  you  are  to  strike  j-our  flag,  and  thus  yield  your  vessel  as 
well  as  your  men,  but  never  your  men  without  your  vessel.  You  will  remember, 
however,  that  your  demeanour  be  respectful  and  friendly  to  the  vessels  and  jieople  of  all 
nations  in  amity  with  the  United  States ;  and  that  you  avoid  as  carefully  the 
commission  of,  as  the  submission  to,  insult  or  injury.  1  have  the  honour  to  be  your 
obedient  servant, 

"  Besj.\min  Stoddart. 

"Given  at  the  Xavy  Department,  Dec.  20,  1798. 

"  To  the  Commanders  of  armed  vessek  in  the  service  of  the  United  States." 


Crews  of  the  Sandfly  and  Badger. 


166       CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  1793-1802.      [1793-1802. 

In  a  message  sent  to  Congress  on  Januaiy  7th,  1800,  the  President, 
after  aUuding  to  the  same  incident,  concluded — 

"  It  is  but  justice  to  say  that  this  is  the  first  instance  of  misbehaviour  of  any  of  the 
British  oflicers  towards  our  vessels  of  war  that  lias  come  to  my  knowledge.  According 
to  all  the  representations  I  have  seen,  tlie  flag  of  the  United  States,  and  the  officers  and 
men,  have  been  treated  by  the  civil  and  military  authority  of  the  British  nation,  in 
Nova  Scotia,  the  West  India  Islands,  and  on  the  ocean,  with  uniform  civility, 
poUteness,  and  friendship.  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  this  first  instance  of  misconduct 
will  be  readily  corrected." 

A  case  arising  out  of  the  detention,  and  bringing  into  the  Downs, 
by  Commodore  John  Lawford,  in  January,  1798,  of  a  Swedish  frigate 
which  had  offered  resistance  to  search  for  contraband  of  war,  and  of 
her  convoy,  the  latter  laden  with  pitch,  tar,  hemp,  deals  and  iron, 
and  bound,  some  to  enemy's  ports,  and  some  elsewhere,  was  the 
subject  of  a  lengthy  and  learned  judgment  of  Sir  William  Scott,  in 
1799.  The  points  in  dispute  were  too  numerous  and  comphcated  to 
be  noticed  here,  but  as  the  judgment  is  one  which  has  since  been 
often  cited,  it  may  be  well  to  mention  that  it  is  to  be  found  at 
length  not  only  in  the  Admiralty  Eeports,  but  also  in  Schomberg.' 

Yet  another  interesting  question  was  decided  by  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  on  June  12th,  1800.  The  point  was  whether  junior 
Flag-officers  were  entitled  to  a  share  in  the  third  of  freight-money 
which  was  allowed  by  the  regulation  to  Commanders-in-Chief.  The 
case  was  brought  before  the  court  by  Sir  William  Parker,  on  behalf 
of  himself  and  the  junior  Admirals  in  the  fleet  of  Lord  St.  Vincent. 
It  was  admitted  that  there  was  no  law  upon  the  subject ;  it  was  a 
point  of  usage  and  precedent.  Admirals  Wolseley,  Lord  Hotham, 
Caldwell,  Bligh,  and  Pole,  and  Captain  Caleb  O'Brien,  gave  evidence 
in  support  of  the  alleged  custom  of  the  service  as  understood  by  Sir 
William  Parker.  Admiral  Lord  Hood,  and  Mr.  Alford,  agent  for 
Lord  St.  Vincent,  supported  the  opposite  view.  In  the  result.  Lord 
Eldon  held  that  the  usage  was  fully  established,  and  the  jury  found 
a  verdict  for  the  plaintiff.  It  would  appear  from  the  evidence  given 
in  the  case,  that  it  was  the  practice  for  a  Commander-in-Chief  to 
sunrender  one-third  of  his  third  to  his  junior,  where  he  had  but  one 
Flag-officer  under  him,  and  to  surrender  one-half  of  his  third  for 
division  among  the  juniors,  when  there  happened  to  be  two  or  more 
of  them  in  the  fleet.  Lord  Hood,  in  the  course  of  the  proceedings, 
appealed   to  Lord  Hotham,  who  had  served  under  him  as  junior 

'  '  Nav.  Chronol.'  iii.  264-284. 


not.]  MUTINY  IN   THE  "  CULLODEN."  167 

Admiral  in  the  Mediterranean,  whether  he  had  ever  paid  hina  a 
shilling  of  freight-money.  "  I  kept  it  all  myself,*'  said  Hood. 
"  You  did,  my  lord,"  assented  Hotham ;  "  but  I  thought  that  I  was 
entitled  to  a  part  of  it."  Howe  seems  to  have  invariably  recognised 
the  existence  of  the  usage. 

One  of  the  most  painful  features  of  the  period  under  review  is 
the  whole  subject  of  the  discipline  of  the  Navy.  Not  only  did  nearly 
everyone  of  these  eight  <eventful  years  vdtness  mutinous  outbreaks 
such  as  hardly  ever  before  had  disgraced  the  service  ;  not  only  was. 
mutiny  more  than  once  accompanied  by  murder  and  l)y  treason  ;  hut 
also  the  disaffection  became  so  general  that,  for  a  time,  it  threatened 
to  imperil  the  very  existence  of  the  country.  At  first,  the  outbreaks 
were  isolated  ones.  They  occurred  in  ships  commanded  by  Captains 
of  the  best  reputation,  as  well  as  in  those  commanded  by  Captains  of 
the  worst ;  and,  although  there  were  undoubtedly  many  excuses  for 
discontent  upon  the  lower  deck,  it  would  almost  seem  as  if  the  state 
of  unrest  among  the  seamen  was  rather  of  the  nature  of  an  epidemic, 
the  germs  of  which  were  afloat  in  the  air  of  the  age,  than  the  result 
of  any  more  obvious  causes.  In  France,  there  had  been  a  revolt 
against  all  constituted  authority.  Britons,  as  a  body,  suffered  little 
from  the  infection  from  across  the  Channel ;  but,  in  cases  where 
there  was  already  a  nidus  favourable  to  the  reception  and  propaga- 
tion of  the  germs,  some  Britons  caught  the  contagion  in  a  very 
severe  form,  and  were  as  completely  dominated  by  it  as  the  most 
susceptible  of  Frenchmen.' 

Symptoms  of  trouble  manifested  themselves  very  soon  after  the 
beginning  of  the  war ;  but,  perhaps,  the  first  outbreak  which  in- 
dicated the  existence  of  an  abnormal  state  of  affairs  in  the  Navy,  was 
a  mutiny  on  board  the  CuUoden,  Captain  Thomas  Troubridge,  in 
December,  1794.  The  ship's  company  refused  to  proceed  to  sea. 
Troubridge,  who  behaved  with  admirable  firmness,  seized  the 
ringleaders,  and  brought  them  to  trial  by  court-martial  on  the  15th. ^ 
Eight  were  sentenced  to  death,  and,  on  January  13th  following,  five 
of  these  were  executed  on  board  the  CuUoden  at  Spithead,  the 
remaining  three  receiving  his  Majesty's  pardon.  The  outbreak  in 
the  Windsor  Castle  at  San  Fiorenzo,  in  November,  1794,  is  noticed 

'  There  is  a  certain  amount  of  evidence  that  some  of  tlie  mutinies  were  assisted,  if 
not  actually  fomented,  by  French  agents.  See  the  curious  revelations  in  Sroreau  de 
.Tonnes:  '  Aventures  de  Guerre  '  (Ed.  1858),  i.  424-461. 

^  The  court  first  assembled  in  the  Casar  at  Spithead,  and^then  adjourned  to  the 
Sliitely,  in  Portsmoutli  Harbour. 


168  CIVIL    HISTORY    OF   THE  liOYAL    XAVy,    1703-1802.       [1797. 

in  the  following  chapter.  It  is  to  be  regarded  as  of  an  altogether 
different  character  from  the  mutiny  in  the  CuUoden,  seeing  that  the 
Windsor  Castle's  crew  assigned  as  the  reason  for  their  action  their 
dislike  to  certain  officers  of  the  ship ;  but  it  was,  in  all  probability, 
not  without  its  effect  upon  the  subsequent  development  of  events, 
for  the  mutineers,  instead  of  being  met  firmly,  were  humoured  in 
the  most  extraordinary  and  indefensible  way,  and  not  only  were 
given  new  officers  in  place  of  those  objected  to,  but  also  were 
pardoned. 

A  very  significant  incident  of  1795  was  the  mutiny  of  the  crew 
of  the  Dutch  hoy  SliarJ:,  4.  The  mutineers  carried  the  little  craft 
into  La  Hougue,  and  handed  her  over  to  the  enemies  of  their  country. 
Dming  1796  the  slumbering  evil  manifested  itself  only  in  compara- 
tively mild  forms ;  but  in  1797  there  occurred  several  mutinies  which 
were  of  an  altogether  unexampled  character  among  British  seamen. 

In  February  of  that  year  petitions,  purporting  to  come  from 
each  of  the  line-of-battle  ships  at  Portsmouth,  were  forwarded  to 
Lord  Howe.  No  attention  was  paid  to  them.  Early  in  March 
the  Channel  Fleet  put  to  sea  for  a  cruise  ;  and,  on  its  return  to 
port,  the  seamen,  finding  that  their  petitions  had  been  ignored, 
began  a  correspondence  among  themselves.  The  result  of  this 
was  a  general  agreement  throughout  the  fleet  that  no  ship  belonging 
to  it  should  again  weigh  anchor  so  long  as  the  alleged  grievances 
remained  unredressed.  The  resolution  bore  its  first  fruit  when, 
on  April  15th,  Admiral  Lord  Bridport  ordered  the  fleet  to  prepare 
for  sea.  Thereupon  the  crew  of  the  Queen  Charlotte  ran  up  the 
shrouds,  and,  giving  three  cheers,  the  signal  for  mutiny,  were 
answered  in  like  manner  from  every  other  ship.'  Attempts  were 
everywhere  made  to  persuade  the  people  to  return  to  their  duty ; 
but  in  vain.  On  the  16th,  two  delegates  from  each  ship  were 
chosen  as  representatives  of  the  fleet,  and  the  Admiral's  cabin  of 
the  Queen  Charlotte  was  appointed  as  their  place  of  meeting.  On 
the  17th,  every  man  in  the  fleet  was  solemnly  sworn  to  adhere  to 
the  cause ;  unpopular  officers  were  set  ashore :  and  ropes  were 
reeved  at  the  fore-yardarm  of  many  vessels,  as  a  sign  that  the 
mutineers  were  ready  to  proceed  to  extremities,  and  also,  it  may  be, 
that  they  were  determined  to  presei-ve  some  sort  of  order  among 

'  The  (sliips  ul'  tlie  line  tljus  implicated  were  :  Ili>i,al  George,  Queen  Cliarhitte, 
Royal  Sorertiyii,  London,  Glory,  Duke,  Mars,  Marlhoroi(f/li,  Ramillies,  Jlohtist, 
Impclueux,  Defenec,  Terrible,  Fumpee,  Minotaur,  ami  Dejiani-e. 


1797.]  Ml  TINY   AT  SPITIIEAD.  169 

themselves.  On  the  18th,  a  committee  of  the  Board  of  Admiralty, 
consisting  of  Earl  Spencer,  Lord  Arden,  Eear-Admiral  William 
Young  (1),  and  Mr.  William  Marsdeu,  reached  Portsmouth  from 
London,  and  made  some  ineffectual  overtures  to  the  mutineers.  On 
the  '21st,  Vice-Admirals  Sir  Alan  Gardner  and  John  Colpoys,  and 
Rear-Admiral  Charles  Morice  Pole  went  out  to  the  Queen  Charlotte, 
and  had  an  interview  with  the  delegates,  but  were  assured  that  no 
conclusive  arrangement  could  be  made  unless  it  were  duly  sanctioned 
by  Parliament  and  the  King,  and  were  accompanied  by  a  proclama- 
tion of  general  pardon.  This  answer  unfortunately  led  Sir  Alan 
Gardner  to  lose  his  temper  and  to  lay  hold  of  one  of  the  delegates, 
declaring  that  the  man  and  all  his  associates,  together  with  every  fifth 
seaman  throughout  the  fleet,  should  be  hanged.  The  consequence  was 
that  only  with  difficulty  did  the  Yice-Admiral  escape  alive.  "When  the 
delegates  from  the  lioijul  Geoiye  returned  to  their  ship  and  reported 
what  had  occurred,  a  council  of  the  leaders  of  the  mutiny  was 
summoned  on  board  that  vessel,  the  signal  being  the  hoisting  of  a  red 
flag.  Utterly  disgusted  at  the  conduct  of  the  fleet,  Bridport  struck 
his  flag,  with  the  intention  of  never  again  hoisting  it.  Some  kind  of 
personal  apology  having,  however,  been  made  to  him,  he  rehoisted 
his  flag  in  the  Eui/al  George  on  the  "iard.  In  the  meantime,  the 
mutineers  had  caused  all  the  guns  of  the  fleet  to  be  loaded  ;  had 
confined  the  remaining  officers  to  their  respective  ships ;  had  ordered 
the  keeping  of  watches  on  board  as  if  the  fleet  were  at  sea  ;  and 
had  despatched  an  explanatory  letter  to  the  Admiralty.  Before 
rehoisting  his  flag  on  April  '23rd,  Lord  Bridport,  addressing  his 
ship's  company,  informed  the  mutineers  that  a  redress  of  all 
grievances  had  been  granted,  and  that  he  had  with  him  the  King's 
pardon  for  the  offenders. 

The  grievances  set  forth  in  the  petitions  of  the  seamen  were 
substantially  as  follows  :  that  wages  had  not  been  raised  since 
the  time  of  Charles  II.,  when  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  slops  of 
all  sorts,  were  30  per  cent,  cheaper  than  in  1797  ;  that  the  wages 
of  the  Anny  had  been  augmented  while  those  of  the  Navy  had 
not  been  increased ;  that  provisions  were  served  out  of  short  weight 
and  inferior  quality  ;  that  no  vegetables  were  issued  to  ships  in 
port ;  that  the  sick  were  insufficiently  attended  to,  and  that  luxuries 
intended  for  them  were  embezzled  ;  that  liberty,  within  reasonable 
and  stipulated  bounds,  was  not  commonlj*  enough  granted  to  the 
crews  of  ships  in  harbour ;  and  that  men  wounded  in  action  were 


\> 


170  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1793-1802.       [1797. 

deprived  of  their  wages,  pending  cure  or  discharge.^  These 
grievances  were  set  forth  in  moderate  language,  and  with  many 
professions  of  loyalty.  The  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Admiralty 
promptly  undertook  to  recommend  an  increase  of  wages  by  the 
addition  of  4s.  a  lunar  month  to  the  pay  of  petty  officers  and  able 
seamen,  of  3s.  a  month  to  the  pay  of  ordinary  seamen,  and  of  2s. 
a  month  to  the  wages  of  landsmen  ;  and  determined  also  that 
seamen  wounded  in  action  should  be  continued  in  pay  while  their 
wounds  were  healing,  or  iintil,  being  declared  unserviceable,  they 
should  be  given  a  pension,  or  should  be  received  into  Greenwich 
Hospital.^ 

The  seamen  protested  against  the  drawing  of  any  distinction 
between  ordinary  seamen  and  landsmen — a  distinction  which,  they 
declared,  had  never  before  existed  in  the  Navy ;  and  they  pressed 
for  the  raising  of  an  able  seaman's  wages  to  Is.  a  daj',  and  of 
Marines',  other  seamen's,  and  petty  officers'  wages  in  proportion. 
They  asked,  fm'ther,  for  the  raising  of  Greenwich  Hospital  pensions 
from  £1  to  £10  a  year,  and  suggested  that,  to  make  good  the 
difference,  merchant  seamen  should  contribute  Is.  instead  of  &d. 
a  head  a  month  to  the  Hospital  funds,  adding,  "  and  as  this,  in 
time  of  peace,  must  be  paid  by  your  petitioners,  we  trust  it  will 
give  a  convincing  proof  of  oui-  disinterestedness  and  moderation." 
They  suggested,  too,  that  the  new  advantages  as  to  pensions  should 
be  granted  as  well  to  seamen  of  the  East  India  Company  as  to 
those  of  the  Royal  Navy  ;  and  asked  that  the  provisions  issued 
should  be  at  the  rate  of  sixteen  ounces  to  the  pound  of  bread  and 
meat,  with  cheese,  butter,  and  liquors  in  proportion,  and  with 
vegetables  as  well,  and  that  the  quality  should  be  better  than  in 
the  past,  and  that  no  flour  should  be  issued  with  fresh  beef .^ 

The  Commissioners  finally  conceded  an  addition  of  5s.  &d.  a 
month  to  the  wages  of  petty  officers  and  seamen,  making  an  able 
seaman's  pay  Is.  a  day ;  an  addition  of  4s.  6rf.  a  month  to  the 
wages  of  ordinary  seamen ;  an  addition  of  3s.  6(7.  a  month  to 
the  wages  of  landsmen  ;  the  non-stoppage  of  shore  allowances  to 
Marines  when  embarked  ;  the  issue  of  full  weight  of  provisions, 
without  deduction  for  leakage  or  waste ;  and,  pending  the  com- 
pletion of  arrangements  to  that  end,  the  payment  of  short-allowance 
money  in  respect  of  deductions  ;   and  the  payment  of  full  wages 

1  Petition  of  April  18th,  1797.  ^  Comnirs.  to  Bridport,  April  18tli,  1797. 

'  Reply  of  April  lOtli,  1797. 


1797.]  MUTINY  AT  SPITEEAD.  171 

to  the  wounded  ;  and  they  promised  pardon  to  every  ship's  company 
which,  within  an  hour  after  being  apprised  of  their  Lordships' 
resolutions,  should  return  to  its  duty  and  cease  to  hold  iutercom'se 
with  the  mutineers.'  The  seamen  received  these  concessions  with 
satisfaction,  but  added:  "But  we  beg  to  remind  yom-  Lordships i^/ 
that  it  is  a  firm  resolution  that,  until  the  flour  in  port  be  removed, 
the  vegetables  and  pensions  augmented,  the  grievances  of  private 
ships  redressed,  an  Act  passed,  and  his  Majesty's  most  gracious 
pardon  for  the  fleet  now  lying  at  Spithead  granted,  the  fleet  will 
not  lift  an  anchor  ;  and  this  is  the  total  and  final  answer."  In 
spite  of  this  threat  the  Government  contented  itself  with  pro- 
claiming a  pardon,"  and  with  regarding  the  afl'air  as  at  an  end. 

But  it  was  not  at  an  end.  Part  of  the  fleet  dropped  down  to 
Bt.  Helen's,  ^\^len,  however,  on  May  7th,  Lord  Bridport  signalled 
to  weigh  and  put  to  sea,  every  ship's  company  refused  to  obey. 
The  men  considered  that  the  silence  of  the  Government  indicated 
that  the  grievances  which  had  not  been  specifically  dealt  with 
by  the  Commissioners,  were  not  to  be  redressed.  They  therefore 
resolved  to  hold  another  meeting  of  delegates  on  board  the  London, 
which  still  lay  at  Spithead ;  and  for  that  pui-pose  their  boats 
proceeded  alongside  that  ship.  Vice-Admiral  Colpoys,  whose  flag 
flew  in  her,  refused  to  allow  them  on  board,  and  declared  that 
if  they  persisted  he  would  order  the  Marines  to  fire  at  them.  The 
delegates  did  persist ;  a  scuffle  ensued ;  a  delegate  fired  at  and 
wounded  Lieutenant  William  Sims  of  the  Marines  ;  the  Marines 
were  ordered  bj^  the  London's  first  Lieutenant  to  fire;  and  five 
seamen,  including  two  delegates,  were  killed.  An  active  mutiny 
immediately  broke  out  on  board  the  London,  and  the  seamen 
obliged  the  officers  and  the  Marines  to  surrender.  They  would 
have  hanged  the  first  Lieutenant  had  not  Vice-Admiral  Colpoys 
satisfied  them  that  that  officer  had  acted  in  pursuance  of  specific 
instructions  from  the  Admiralty.  All  the  officers  were  confined 
to  their  cabins,  and  the  Marines  were  made  prisoners.  Similar 
violence  was  displayed  in  other  ships ;  and  most  of  the  superior 
officers  who  were  strict  disciplinarians  were  sent  ashore.  So  things 
went  on  until-  Maj-  14th,  when  Lord  Howe,  armed  with  plenaiy  ^ 
powers,  arrived  from  London,  bringing  with  him  an  Act  of 
Parliament,  which   had   been   passed   on   May  9th,  in   accordance 

'  Commrs.  to  Brulport,  April  20tli,  1797. 
2  Dated  at  Windsor,  April  •22nd,  1797. 


172  CIVIL    niSTOBY   OF    THE   IWYAL    NAVY,    1703-1802.       [1797. 

with  the  desires  of  the  seamen,  and  a  new  proclamation  of  pardon 
for  all  such  as  should  retvirn  at  once  to  their  duty.  The  Act,  the 
proclamation,  and  Lord  Howe's  popularity  and  tact  restored  order 
and  discipline  ;  on  the  15th  the  mutiny  ceased  ;  and  on  the  16th 
the  Channel  Fleet  put  to  sea. 

It  was  generally  hoped  and  expected  that  there  would  he  no 
more  trouhle  ;  but  within  a  day  or  two  a  new  and  more  serious 
mutiny  broke  out  in  the  ships  at  the  Nore  and  in  the  North  Sea. 
As  before,  the  mutineers  chose  two  delegates  from  each  ship.  In 
addition,  they  appointed  a  man  named  Kichard  Parker  ^  president 
of  the  delegates,  and  elected  in  every  ship  a  committee  of  twelve 
to  manage  the  affairs  of  the  vessel.  On  May  '20th,  the  delegates 
sent  to  Vice-Adiniral  Charles  Buckner,  Commander-in-Chief  at 
the  Nore,  the  following  statement  of  demands  : — 

"  1.  'I'liat  every  indulgence  granted  to  the  fleet  at  Portsmouth  be  granted  to  Ids 
Majesty's  subjects  serving  in  the  tleet  at  the  Nore  and  places  adjacent. 

"  2.  That  every  man,  upon  a  ship's  coming  into  harbour,  shall  have  liberty  (a 
certain  number  at  a  time,  so  as  not  to  injure  the  ship's  duty)  to  go  and  see  tlieir  friends 
and  families ;  a  convenient  time  to  be  allowed  to  each  man. 

"3.  That  all  ships,  before  they  go  to  sea,  shall  be  paid  all  anears  of  wages,  down  to 
six  months,  according  to  the  old  rules. 

"4.  That  no  officer  that  has  been  turned  out  of  any  of  his  Majesty's  ships  shall  be 
employed  in  the  same  ship  again  without  consent  of  the  ship's  company. 

"  5.  That  when  an}'  of  his  Majesty's  ships  shall  be  paid  that  may  have  been  some 
time  in  commission,  if  there  are  any  pressed  men  on  board  that  may  not  be  in  the 
regular  course  of  payment,  they  shall  receive  two  months'  advance  to  furnish  them 
with  necessaries. 

"  6.  That  an  indemnification  be  mnde  any  man  who  ran,  and  may  now  be  in  Ids 
Majesty's  service,  and  they  shall  not  be  liable  to  be  taken  up  as  deserters. 

"  7.  That  a  more  equal  distribution  be  made  of  jirize-money  to  the  crews  of  his 
Majesty's  ships  and  vessels  of  war. 

"8.  That  the  Articles  of  War,  as  now  enforced,  require  various  alterations,  several 
of  which  ought  to  be  expunged  therefrom ;  and,  if  more  moderate  ones  were  held  forth 
to  the  seamen  in  general,  it  would  be  the  means  of  taking  otT  that  terror  and  prejudice 
against  his  Majesty's  service,  on  that  account  too  frequently  imliibed  by  seamen,  from 
entering  voluntarily  into  the  service." 

The  statement  was  forwarded  to  the  Admiralty,  which,  on  the 
22nd,  replied,  refusing  some  of  the  demands,  but  promising  forgive- 
ness to  the  men  if  they  would  then  return  to  duty.  Vice-Admiral 
Buckner  delivered  the  answer  to  the  delegates,  and  allowed  them 
ten  minutes  wherein  to  make  up  their  minds  concerning  it.  Instead 
of  submitting,  the  mutineers  went  into  harbour  in  their  boats,  and 
took  thence  all  the  gunboats  which  lay  there.     They  then  carried 

'  At  one  time  a  Mids!ii)>nian  in  the  Navy  ;  court-martialleil  and  reduced  for  mis- 
behaviour, Dec.  12th,  17'J3;  discharged  the  service  as  insane,  17'J1. 


1797.]  MUTINY  AT   THE   NOItE.  173 

them  to  the  Nore  ;  and,  as  the  boats  passed  the  fort  at  Sheemess, 
each  of  them,  in  defiance,  fired  a  gun  at  it.  The  delegates  informed 
Vice-Admiral  Buckner  "  that  nothing  could  be  settled  until  three 
of  the  Board  of  Admiralty  came  down  to  Sheemess.'*  On  May  23rd, 
they  struck  his  flag  on  board  the  Sandwich,  which  was  the  head- 
quarters of  Parker,  and  hoisted  instead  of  it  the  red  flag  of  mutiny. 
Moreover,  they  obliged  every  ship  lying  near  Sheemess  to  drop 
down  to  the  Nore,  where  they  concentrated  their  forces.  Among 
these  ships  was  the  San  Fiorenzo,  which  had  been  fitted  up  for 
the  conveyance  of  the  Princess  of  Wiirttemberg  to  GeiTuany.  Her 
crew,  however,  was  loyal,  and,  although  the  frigate  was  ordered 
to  lie  close  under  the  stern  of  the  Sandwich,  her  captain,  Sir  Harry 
BmTard  Neale,  found  means,  a  few  days  later,  to  cany  her  un- 
molested into  Harwich. 

On  May  "iith,  the  mutineers  were  again  offered  a  conditional 
pardon  by  the  Admiralty,  but  Kichard  Parker  peremptorily  refused 
the  conditions.  Up  to  about  that  time  the  delegates  and  committee- 
men were  in  the  habit  of  landing  daily  at  Sheemess,  holding 
meetings,  and  parading  the  streets  with  flags  and  music  ;  but  the 
arrival  on  the  spot  of  Admiral  Lord  Keith  and  General  Sir  Charles 
Grey,  who  were  charged  with  enforcing  naval  and  military  measures 
of  repression,  put  a  stop  to  those  proceedings,  and  thenceforth  the 
mutineers  visited  the  shore  at  their  peril. 

On  May  26th,  Admiral  Dmicau,  whose  orders  were  to  watch 
the  Dutch  coast,  succeeded  in  putting  to  sea  with  the  whole  of 
his  squadron  except  the  Montagu,  74,  and  Nassau,  64,  which  ships 
refused  to  get  under  way  upon  pretence  that  their  crews  were 
being  paid  at  the  time  ;  but  the  evil  example  presently  spread  ; 
and,  by  May  31st,  the  Admiral  had  been  deserted  by  all  his  vessels 
except  the  Venerable,  74  (flag),  and  Adamant,  50.  Mutiny  actually 
broke  out  in  the  Venerable,  but  Duncan  repressed  it,  largely  by  a 
personal  exhibition  of  strength  and  determination  ;  and,  in  spite 
of  his  isolation,  he  managed  to  keep  his  station  until  he  was 
reinforced. 

On  Ma}'  27th,  a  number  of  delegates  went  up  the  river  in  order 
to  tamper  with  the  crews  of  some  ships  which  were  Ijang  in  Long 
Reach.  Below  Tilbury  they  were  fired  at  from  the  shore,  and, 
landing  at  Gravesend,  thej'  were  arrested  by  the  inhabitants ;  but 
they  succeeded  in  regaining  their  liberty,  and  in  corrupting  the 
crew  of  the  Lancaster,  64. 


174  CIVIL   mSTORT   OF   TEE  ROYAL   NAV7,   1793-1802.       [1797. 

The  same  members  of  the  Board  of  Admiralty  as  had  gone  to 
Portsmouth  to  deal  with  the  mutiny  there,  now  went  to  Sheerness, 
and,  on  May  27th,  held  a  meeting  at  the  house  of  Commissioner 
Francis  John  Hartwell,  where  they  saw  the  delegates  and  tried  in 
vain  to  bring  them  to  reason.  The  only  result  was  that  the  mutineers 
became  more  aggressive  and  insolent  than  ever ;  whereupon  their 
Lordships  returned  to  London,  after  annomicing  that  no  fm-ther 
concessions  whatsoever  were  to  be  expected.  It  is  tolerably  clear, 
from  the  revelations  of  M.  Moreau  de  Jonnes  and  other  Frenchmen, 
that  the  leaders  of  the  rebels,  or  some  of  them,  were  by  that  time  in 
communication  with  the  enemies  of  their  country,  and  had  formed 
projects  for  carrying  the  fleet  across  the  Channel,  though  Parker 
resolutely  denied  any  suggestion  of  the  kind ;  but  the  general  body 
of  seamen  revolted  at  the  idea  of  so  treasonable  a  proceeding.  The 
situation  of  the  mutineers  had,  however,  become  a  desperate  one. 
Success  was  hopeless ;  punishment  was  almost  certain ;  and  flight, 
either  with  or  without  the  ships,  seemed  to  promise  the  sole  chance 
of  safety.  It  is,  upon  the  whole,  astonishing,  therefore,  that  the 
fleet  did  not  desert.  Instead  of  fleeing,  the  delegates  attempted 
to  coerce  London  into  supporting  their  demands.  They  moored 
the  Standard,  64,  Brilliant,  28,  Inspector,  16,  and  Swan,  16,  across 
the  river  to  block  the  traffic,  and  allowed  no  vessels  to  pass  them 
•without  an  order  signed  by  Eichard  Parker,  and  then  only  neutral 
ships,  colliers,  and  a  few  small  craft.  In  the  meantime,  com- 
mimication  with  the  shore  having  been  cut  off,  the  rebels  turned 
pirates,  helping  themselves  to  provisions  and  water  from  merchant 
ships  which  they  detained,  carrying  off  sheep  from  the  Isle  of 
Grain,  and  plundering  the  storeship  Grampus,  which  had  been 
fitted  out  to  proceed  to  the  fleet  in  the  West  Indies.  They  did 
not,  nevertheless,  omit  to  fire  a  royal  salute  on  June  4th,  the 
anniversary  of  the  King's  birthday,  though  they  still  kept  the  red 
flag  flying  at  the  main-topmasthead  of  the  Sandwich.  On  June  6th, 
when  the  mutineers  were  joined  by  the  last  of  the  deserting  vessels 
from  Admiral  Duncan's  fleet,  their  total  force  consisted  of  the 
twelve  ships  of  the  line,  two  50's,  six  frigates,  and  six  smaller 
craft  mentioned  in  the  note.'  That  day  sealed  the  fate  of  the 
rebellion. 

•  Sandwich,  90;  Montagu,  74;  Agamemnon,  64;  Ardent,  64;  Inflexible,  64 
Monmouth,  G4  ;  Director,  64 ;  Nassau,  64  ;  licptdsc,  64  ;  lielliqueur,  64 ;  Standard,  64 
Lion,  64  ;  Leopard,  50 ;  Isis,  50 ;  Terpsichore,  32  ;  Iris,  32  ;  DriUiant,  28  ;  Vestal,  28 
Proserpine,  28 ;   Champion,  20;  Pylades,  16;  Inspector,  16;  Swan,  16;   Comet,  fire- 


1797.]  MUTINY  AT   THE  NO  RE.  175 

It  was  on  June  Gth  that  two  Acts  of  Parliament  were  hastily 
introduced,  passed,  and  assented  to.  One  was  "  for  the  better 
prevention  and  punishment  of  attempts  to  seduce  persons  serving 
in  his  Majesty's  forces  by  sea  or  land  from  their  duty  and  allegiance, 
or  to  entice  them  to  mutiny  or  disobedience " ;  and  the  other 
was  "  for  the  more  effectually  restraining  intercourse  with  the 
crews  of  certain  of  his  Majesty's  ships  now  in  a  state  of  mutiny 
and  rebelhon,  and  for  the  effectual  suppression  of  such  mutiny 
and  rebellion."  In  pursuance  of  the  intention  of  the  authorities 
to  ci'ush  the  outbreak  at  all  costs,  new  batteries  were  erected  on 
both  sides  of  the  Thames  ;  the  buoys  at  its  mouth  were  removed ; 
furnaces  for  heating  shot  were  prepared  at  various  points ;  and 
the  Neptune,  98,  Commodore  Sir  Erasmus  Gower,  Lancaster,  64, 
Agincourt,  64,  and  several  gunboats,  which  lay  near  Gravesend, 
were  directed  to  drop  down  and  attack  the  insurgents.  The 
mutineers,  feeling  that  the  end  was  approaching,  opened  negotia- 
tions through  the  Earl  of  Northesk,  Captain  of  the  Monmouth ; 
but  still  simulated  an  uncompromising  demeanour.  Their  overtures 
were  rejected ;  and  the  preparations  for  reducing  them  by  force 
were  almost  complete  when,  on  June  9th,  it  became  apparent  that 
the  insurrection  was  about  to  collapse.  On  that  day  the  Repulse 
and  Leopard  escaped  from  the  fleet,  the  latter  getting  up  the 
Thames,  but  the  former,  unfortunately,  taking  the  groi;nd,  and 
being  fired  at  by  the  Monmouth  and  Director.  In  the  following 
night  the  Ardent  also  made  off,  though  she,  too,  was  fared  at  by 
the  Monmouth.  Both  in  her  and  in  the  Repulse^  several  people 
were  hit.  On  the  10th,  several  vessels  hauled  down  the  red  flag, 
and  the  river  traffic  was  reopened.  On  the  12th,  other  ships  struck 
the  symbol  of  disaffection,  and"  expressed  a  desire  to  submit ;  and 
on  the  evening  of  that  day  the  rebels  had  only  seven  ships  still 
adhering  to  them.  Early  on  the  13th,  the  Agamemnon,  Standard, 
Nassau,  Iris,  and  Vestal,  after  there  had  been  bloody  struggles  in 
most  of  them,  took  refuge  either  up  the  Thames  or  under  the  guns 
of   Sheerness ;    and,  later  on  the   same   day,  the  general   body  of 


ship,  14  ;  Grampus,  stureship,  20  ;  and  Serapis,  stoieship,  20.  The  Lancaster,<ii,  had 
by  that  day  returned  to  its  duty.  The  Serapis  appears  on  that  day  to  liave  escaped  into 
the  Medway.     The  Discovery,  bomb,  had  entered  the  Med  way  some  days  before. 

'  Lieutenant  George  Augustus  Delanoe,  of  the  Repulse,  lost  a  leg  on  the  occasion. 
He  was  in  consequence  promoted  and  given  a  pension  of  2s.  a  day.  He  was  also 
granted  a  pension  by  the  City  of  London.  He  was  promoted  in  the  course  of  the  year, 
and  died,  still  a  Commander,  in  1S02. 


17G  CIVIL   HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL    NAVY,    1793-1802.       [1797. 

rebels,  even  including  the  crew  of  the  Sdiu/irich,  aiHK)iince(l  un 
inclination  to  submit  if  a  general  pardon  should  be  granted.  On 
the  morning  of  the  14th,  the  Sandwich  was  carried  under  the 
guns  of  Sheerness,  and  Vice-Admiral  Buckner,  sending  a  boat  full 
of  soldiers  on  board  of  her,  effected  the  arrest  of  Eichard  Parker, 
of  a  man  named  Davies,  who  had  acted  as  his  flag-captain,  and 
of  about  thirty  other  delegates.  One  delegate,  named  Wallace, 
to  escape  capture,  committed  suicide.  Parker  was  tried  by  court- 
martial  on  board  the  Saiulicicli  on  June  22nd.  Tlie  trial  continued 
for  several  days,  and  resulted  in  the  man's  condemnation  to  death. 
He  was  executed  on  June  29th  on  board  the  SandicicJi,  and  died 
acknowledging  the  justice  of  the  sentence.  Other  mutineers  were 
then  tried.  Many  were  executed  ;  several  were  flogged  from  ship 
to  ship  ;  some  were  imprisoned  in  the  Marshalsea ;  and  a  number 
remained  under  sentence  on  board  the  Eagle,  64,  prison  ship  in 
the  Medway,  until  after  the  battle  of  Camperdown,  when,  at  the 
prayer  of  Admiral  Duncan,  the  King  was  pleased  to  pardon  them. 

Yet  the  mutinies  did  not  cease  with  the  collapse  of  the  great 
outbreak  at  the  Nore.  There  were  further  outbreaks  in  the 
I'ompee,  80,  Boyal  Sovereign,  100,  Satttni,  74,  Mars,  74,  Marl- 
Ininnigh,  74,  Bedford,  74,  Ardent,  (54,  Grampus,  storeship,  BcauJieu. 
40,  Phcenix,  36,  Calypso,  16,  and  other  vessels,  and,  during  the 
whole  of  the  summer  of  1797,  courts-martial  were  sitting  to  try  the 
ofl'enders,  many  of  whom  were  condemned  to  death,  or  to  floggings 
-^  so  severe  as  to  be  scarcely  preferable.  In  July,  there  was  a  mutiny 
of  a  particularly  determined  type  on  board  the  St.  George,  98,  in  the 
Mediterranean.  This  was  quelled  by  the  personal  gallantry  and 
firmness  of  her  commander.  Captain  Shuldham  Peard,  and  punished 
with  the  sternness  which,  in  such  circumstances,  always  charac- 
terised Lord  St.  Vincent,  the  Commander-in-Chief.  The  Admiral, 
however,  on  that  occasion,  issued  a  general  order  in  which,  some- 
what prematurely,  as  the  issue  proved,  he  expressed  his  high  sense 
of  "  the  loyalty,  fidelity,  and  subordination  of  the  rest  of  the  fleet," 
which  he  would  not  "  fail  to  make  known  to  the  Lords  Commis- 
sioners of  the  Admiralty,  and  request  their  lordships  to  lay  it  before 
the  King."  St.  Vincent  had,  very  soon  afterwards,  to  contend  with 
the  evil  in  many  forms  and  in  many  vessels.  The  epidemic,  after  having 
broken  out  in  the  Mediterranean,  was  continually  renewed  by  the 
arrival  of  ships  and  drafts  from  the  home  station.  In  England 
disafiection   had,  perhaps,  been  too  tenderly  dealt  with  in  its  in- 


1798.]  ST.    VINCENT  AND   MUTINY.  177 

ception.      St.    Vincent  adopted  a  different  method.      It   has   been 
noted  that  the  Marlhorvur/h,  then  connnanded   by  Captain  Henry 
Nicholls,  had  been  concerned  in  the  mutiny  at  Spithead.     Under 
another  Captain,  she  had  subsequently  given  much  troul)le  to  her 
officers,  when  lying  in  Bantry  Bay,  and,  being  despatched  in  1798  to 
join  the  fleet  of  Earl  St.  Vincent,  some  of   her  crew  were  again 
mutinous  while  she  was  on  her  passage.     The  Commander-in  Chief, 
aware  of  her  character  at  the  time,  ordered  her,  as  soon  as  she  was 
within  signalling  range  of  him,  to  take  up  a  berth  between  the  lines 
of  the  fleet,  which  was  then  at  anchor;  and,  immediately  after  her 
arrival,  application  was  made  to  him  for  a  court-martial  to  be  held 
on  a  seaman.     There  was  also  trouble  on  board  the  Lion^  and  the 
Centaur- — a  fact  which  St.  Vincent  may  have  accepted  as  a  proof 
that  the  spirit  of  insubordination  was  not  merely  of  a  local  character, 
though  the  evidence,  as  it  now  stands,  does  not  altogether  bear  this 
out.    Tucker,  in  his  '  Memoirs  of  St.  Vincent,'  relates  what  followed 
in  the  case  of  the  Marlborough  ;  and  the  whole  episode  is  sufficientlj' 
instructive  to  demand  a  full  chronicle  here.     It  is  given  in  Tucker's 
W'Ords : — 

"A  court-martial  on  tlie  principal  mutineers  was  iniiiieiliately  assemblcil,  and  one 
was  no  sooner  sentenced  to  die  than  the  Commander-in-Chief  ordered  him  to  be 
executed  on  the  following  morning,  '  and  bj'  the  crew  of  tlie  Marlborovgh  alone,  no 
part  of  the  boats'  crews  from  the  other  ships,  as  had  been  usual  on  similar  occasions, 
to  assist  in  the  inmishment' — his  Lordship's  invariable  older  on  the  execution  of 
mutineers.  On  the  receipt  of  the  necessary  commands  for  this  execution,  the  captaiu 
of  the  Marlhorouijh,  Cajitain  Ellison,'  waited  upon  the  Connnander-m-Chief,  and, 
reminding  his  Lordship  that  a  determination  that  their  shipmates  should  not  sutler 
capital  punisliment  had  been  the  very  cause  of  the  ship's  company's  umtiny,  expressed 
liis  conviction  that  the  Marlburoiir/h's  crew  would  never  permit  the  man  to  be  hanged 
on  board  that  ship. 

"Keceiving  the  Captain  on  the  Ville  de  Paris's  quarter-deck,  before  the  officers  and 
ship's  company,  hearkening  in  breathless  silence  to  what  passed,  and  standing  with  his 
hat  in  his  hand  over  his  head,  as  was  his  Loi-dship's  invariable  custom  during  the 
whole  time  that  any  person,  whatever  were  his  rank,  even  a  common  seaman,  addressed 
him  on  service,  Lord  St.  Vincent  listened  very  attentively  till  the  ('ai)tain  ceased  to 
speak ;  and  then,  after  a  pause,  replied :  '  What ;  do  you  mean  to  tell  me,  Captain 
Elhson,  that  you  cannot  command  his  Majesty's  ship  the  M<irlburo)i/jh':  For,  if  that 
is  the  case,  sir,  I  will  immediately  send  on  board  an  officer  who  can. 

"  The  Captain  then  recjuested  that,  at  all  events,  the  boats'  crews  from  the  rest  of 
the  fleet  might,  as  always  had  been  customary  in  the  service,  on  executions,  attend  at 
this  also,  to  haul  the  man  up:  for  he  really  did  not  expect  the  Marlboroiiyh  would  do 


'  Captain  Manley  Dixon. 
-  Captain  .John  Markham 

"  Captain  .Jo5e[)h  Ellison  :  born,  1753 ;  Commander,  1782 ;  Captain,  1783 ;  retired, 
ISOfJ ;  died,  IblG. 

VOL.   IV.  X 


178         CIVIL   niSTOBY   OF  TEE  ROYAL   NAVY,   1793-1802.        [1798. 

it.  Lord  St.  Vincent  sternly  answered  :  '  Captain  Ellison  ;  you  are  an  old  officer,  sir  ; 
have  served  long,  sufifered  severely  in  the  service,  and  have  lost  an  arm  in  action ;  and 
I  should  be  very  sorry  that  any  advantage  should  be  now  taken  of  your  advanced 
years.  That  man  shall  be  hanged,  at  eight  o'clock  to-morrow  morning,  and  by  his 
own  ship's  company  ;  for  not  a  hand  from  any  other  ship  in  the  fleet  shall  touch  the 
rope.  You  will  now  return  on  board,  sir ;  and,  lest  you  should  not  prove  able  to 
<'onimand  your  shiji,  an  officer  will  be  at  hand  to  you  who  can.' 

"  Without  another  word  Captain  Ellison  instantly  retired.  After  he  had  reached 
his  ship,  he  received  orders  to  cause  her  guns  to  be  housed  and  secured,  and  that  at 
<laybreak  in  the  morning  her  ports  should  be  lowered.  A  general  order  was  then 
issued  to  the  fleet  for  all  launches  to  rendezvous  under  the  Prince  at  seven  o'clock  on 
the  following  morning,  armed  with  carronades  and  twelve  ro\mds  of  ammunition  for 
service ;  each  launch  to  be  commanded  by  a  Lieutenant,  having  an  exjiert  and  trusty 
gunner's  mate  and  four  quarter-gunners,  exclusive  of  the  launch's  crew ;  the  whole  to 
be  under  the  conuuand  of  Captain  Campbell,'  of  the  Blenheim.  The  written  orders  to 
the  Cai)tain  will  appear  in  their  place.  On  presenting  them.  Lord  St.  Vincent  said, 
*  he  was  to  attend  the  execution,  and,  if  any  symptoms  of  mutiny  appeared  in  the 
Marlhorough,  any  attempt  to  open  her  ports,  or  any  resistance  to  the  hanging  of 
the  prisoner,  he  was  to  proceed  close  touching  the  ship,  and  to  fire  mto  her,  and  to 
■continue  to  fire  until  all  mutiny  or  resistance  should  cease ;  and  that,  should  it  become 
absolutely  necessary,  he  should  even  sink  the  ship  in  face  of  the  fleet.' 

"  Accordingly,  at  seven  the  next  morning,  all  the  launches,  thus  armed,  proceeded 
from  the  Prince  to  tlie  Blenheim,  and  thence.  Captain  Campbell  having  assumed  the 
command,  to  the  Marlborouyh.  Having  lain  on  his  oars  a  short  time  alongside,  the 
Captain  formed  his  force  in  a  line  athwart  her  bows,  at  rather  less  tlian  pistol-shot 
distance  ofl";  and  then  he  ordered  the  tompions  to  be  taken  out  of  the  carronades,  and 
to  load. 

"  At  half-past  seven,  the  hands  throughout  the  fleet  having  been  turned  up  to 
witness  punishment,  the  eyes  of  all  were  bent  upon  a  powerfully  armed  boat  as  it  quitted 
the  flag-ship ;  every  one  knowing  that  there  went  the  provost-marshal  conducting  his 
jirisoner  to  the  Marlhorouyh  for  execution.  The  crisis  was  come  ;  now  was  to  be  seen 
whether  the  Marlborough's  crew  would  hang  one  of  their  own  men. 

"The  sliip  being  in  the  centre  between  the  two  lines  of  the  fleet,  the  boat  was  soon 
nlonfside,  and  the  man  was  speedily  placed  on  the  cathead  and  haltered.  A  few  awful 
minutes  of  universal  silence  followed,  which  was  at  last  broken  by  the  watch-bells  of 
the  fleet  striking  eight  o'clock.  Instantly  the  flagsliip's  gun  flred,  and,  at  the  sound, 
the  man  was  lifted  well  uji ;  but  then,  and  visibly  to  all,  he  dropped  back  again  ;  and 
the  sensation  throughout  the  fleet  was  intense.  For,  at  this  dreadful  moment,  when 
the  eyes  of  every  man  in  every  ship  were  straining  upon  this  execution,  as  the  decisive 
struggle  between  authority  and  mutiny,  as  if  it  were  destined  that  the  whole  fleet 
should  see  the  hesitating  unwillingness  of  the  Marlborough's  crew  to  hang  their  rebel, 
and  the  efficacy  of  the  means  taken  to  enforce  obedience,  by  an  accident  on  board  the 
ship  the  men  at  the  yard-rope  unintentionally  let  it  slip,  and  the  turn  of  the  balance 
seemed  calamitously  lost  ;  but  then  they  hauled  him  up  to  the  yard-arm  with  a  run, — 
the  law  was  satisfied,  and,  said  Lord  St.  Vincent  at  the  moment,  perhaps  one  of  the 
greatest  of  his  life,  '  Discipline  is  preserved,  sir.' 

"  When  the  sentence  was  executed,  and  not  any  disturbance  ap])eared,  that  it  might 
lie  again  made  perceptible  to  aU  the  fleet  that  abundant  force  had  been  provided  to 
t)verpower  any  resistance  which  a  line-of-battle-ship  could  offer.  Captain  Campbell  broke 
liis  line,  and,  rowing  down,  placed  his  launches  as  close  alongside  the  Marlborough  as 


'  Captain  Robert  Campbell  (1):  bom,  1770;  Commander  and  Captain,  1707;  died, 
1815. 


1707.]  MUTINY  OF  nil-:  "  iiermione:'  179 

their  nars  would  jiermit ;  and  then,  re-forming  them,  resumed  his  station  across  her 
bows,  continuing  tliere  until,  the  time  for  the  body's  hanging  having  expired,  it  was 
taken  down,  sewed  up  as  usual  in  its  own  hammock  with  a  shut,  and  carried  in  one  of 
the  Marlhoroii<jh's  boats  to  half  a  mile  from  the  ship,  and  sunk  ;  ui>ou  which  Captain 
Campbell  withdrew  his  force,  and  the  MarJburouyh's  signal  was  made  to  take  her 
station  in  the  line.  .  .  .  The  dreadfid  sentence  was  again  and  again  inflicted,  and,  in 
all  cases  of  insubordination,  the  crews  were  invariably  the  executioners  of  their  o^vn 
rebels ;  but  never  again  was  the  power  of  the  law  doubted  by  anyone."  ' 

But  the  sequence  of  events  has  been  anticipated.  The  many 
serious  mutinies  of  1797  have  not  yet  all  been  enumerated,  and  some 
of  the  worst  remain  to  be  described. 

The  Hermione,  32,  commanded  by  Captain  Hugh  Pigot  (2),  a 
courageous  but  very  tj'rannical  officer,  had  begun  what  promised  to 
be  a  distinguished  commission  on  the  Jamaica  station,  where,  on 
September  22nd,  off  Puerto  Kico,  part  of  the  crew  rose  in  the  night, 
seized  those  of -their  fellows  who  were  not  parties  to  the  plot,  and 
savagely  murdered  Captain  Pigot  in  cold  blood.  It  is  admitted — 
although  the  fact  does  not  in  the  least  excuse  their  conduct — that 
some  of  them  had  been  ill-treated  by  his  orders  ;  but  that  admission 
affords  no  shadow  of  explanation  for  the  barbarity  of  their  further 
procedure.  After  murdering  Pigot,  against  whom  they  had  personal 
grievances,  they  murdered  two  Lieutenants,^  the  Purser,  Mr.  Pacey, 
the  Surgeon,  Dr.  Sansom,  the  Captain's  Clerk,  Mr.  Mainwaring,  a 
Midshipman  named  Smith,  the  Boatswain,  William  Martin,  and 
Lieutenant  M'Intosh,  of  the  Max-ines,  against  the  majority  of  whom 
they  certainly  had  none  ;  and  not  only  did  they  murder  them,  but 
they  also  mangled  their  bodies.  To  complete  their  crime  they 
carried  the  ship  into  La  Guayra,  and  handed  her  over  to  the 
Spaniards,  to  be  employed  against  their  own  countrymen.  The 
splendid  story  of  the  frigate's  recapture  will  be  found  in 
Chapter  XXXYI.  It  is  a  further  satisfaction  to  be  able  to  say 
here  that  many  of  the  mutineers  were  subsequently  taken,  and  that 
they  suffered  for  their  villainy.^ 

On  yet  another  station — that  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope — the 

'  '  Mems.  of  St.  Vmcent,'  i.  303,  etc. 

^  Tliey  had  previously  murdered  the  first  Lieutenant,  Samuel  Read,  who  had 
bravely  endeavoured  to  suppress  the  outbreak  at  its  inception.  The  two  Lieutenants 
killed  after  the  death  of  the  Captain  were  Archibald  Douglas,  and  Henry  Fanshawe. 

'  A  somewhat  analogous  case  of  mutiny  occurred  in  the  West  Indies  in  the  same 
year  on  board  the  schooner,  Mark  Antohiette,  10,  the  crew  of  which  murdered  their 
commander,  Lieutenant  .Tohn  M'Inerheny,  and  carried  the  ship  into  a  French  port.  In 
the  following  year,  an  attempt,  happilj-  ineffectual,  was  made  by  her  crew  to  seize 
the  Jlanyhty,  12,  and  deliver  her  to  the  enemy. 

N   2 


180         CirjL  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  1793-1802.       [1707-98. 

contagion  from  Spithead  and  the  Nore  broke  out  ere  the  close  of  the 
year.  In  October,  a  mutiny  manifested  itself  in  the  Tremendous,  74, 
the  crew  of  which  attempted  to  try  by  a  court,  nominated  by  them- 
selves, their  captain,  George  Hopewell  Stephens,  for  cruelty  and 
misconduct.  This  initial  outbreak  was  suppressed,  and  Captain 
Stephens  demanded  a  court-martial,  which  was  held  on  board  the 
Sceptre  in  Table  Bay,  and  which  honourably  acquitted  him.  In  the 
coui'se  of  the  proceedings,  some  of  the  seamen  witnesses  grossly 
misbehaved  themselves,  and  one  of  them  was  consequently  punished. 
Soon  afterwards,  symptoms  of  mutiny  appeared  in  several  ships  of 
the  squadron,  but,  thanks  to  the  prompt  and  determined  measures 
of  Lord  Macartney,  the  governor  of  the  Colonj',  Rear-Admiral 
Thomas  Pi'ingle,  and  General  Dundas,  the  outbreak  was  quelled  ; 
the  delegates  who,  as  at  the  Nore,  had  been  chosen,  were  given  up ; 
the  leading  offenders  were  executed  or  flogged,  and  discipHne  was 
restored. 

For  some  time  afterwards,  mutiny  was  lamentably  common  in 
the  Navy,  but  it  never  again  reached  the  height  to  which  it  had 
attained  in  1797.  On  September  18th,  1798,  nineteen  seamen  of 
the  Defence  were  sentenced  to  death,  and  six  to  flogging  and 
imprisonment,  and  on  October  9th  foUovidng,  eight  seamen  of  the 
Glory  were  sentenced  to  death,  two  to  receive  one  hundred  lashes 
each,  to  be  mulcted  of  all  their  pay,  and  to  suffer  twelve  months' 
solitary  confinement,  and  one  to  receive  two  hundred  lashes,  and  to 
be  fined  and  imprisoned.  In  March,  1800,  the  Danae,  32,  Captain 
Lord  Proby,  was  seized  by  her  crew,  while  engaged  in  blockading 
Brest,  and  carried  into  that  port ;  but  the  mutineers,  to  their  no 
small  astonishment,  were  imprisoned  by  the  French,  while  Lord 
Proby  and  his  officers  were  extremely  well  treated.  Again,  in 
November,  1800,  another  British  vessel,  the  Albanaise,  bomb, 
Commander  Francis  Newcombe,  was  taken  possession  of  by  her 
crew,  and  carried  into  a  foreign  port ;  but  it  appears  that,  in  this 
case,  many  of  the  offenders  were  foreigners.'  Yet  cases  of  the  kind 
became  from  year  to  year  fewer  and  fewer,  probably  in  consequence 
of  the  extremely  severe  punishments  which  it  became  the  practice  to 
deal  out  to  mutineers.  For  example,  for  having  written  anonymous 
letters,    endeavoured   to   make   mutinous    assemblies,    and    uttered 

'  C.  if.,  June  17tli,  lyOl.  At  this  inqiiiiy  Lieutonaut  Williaui  Prosser  Kent 
refused  to  give  evidence  upon  oatli,  "  fiuni  mistaken  religious  motives,"  and  was  there- 
upon adjudged  to  be  unfit  to  hold  his  Majesty's  conuiiissiou. 


1793-1802.]  THE  MARINES.  181 

seditious  and  mutinous  words,  King,  a  seaman  of  the  Active,  38, 
was  condemned,  in  April,  1801,'  to  receive  five  hundred  hishes,  and 
two  of  his  shipmates,  Beetham  and  Forrest,  were  condemned  to 
receive  three  hundred  apiece,  from  ship  to  ship.  The  last  serious 
mutinous  outbreak  of  the  period  under  review  occurred  in  December, 
1801,  in  the  Temeraire,  98,  flagship  of  Rear-Admiral  George  Camp- 
bell, upon  the  ship  being  ordered  from  Bantry  Bay  to  the  West 
Indies.  On  January  6th,  1802,  the  trial  of  fourteen  of  the  alleged 
offenders  began  at  Spithead.  Thirteen  of  them  were  condemned  to 
death,  and  one  was  sentenced  to  receive  two  hundred  lashes.  On 
January  14th,  the  trial  of  six  more  began,  and  of  these,  five  were 
condemned  to  death,  and  one  was  adjudged  to  receive  two  hundred 
lashes  from  ship  to  ship.  On  all  these  regrettable  occasions,  the 
Marines  behaved  with  conspicuous  discipline  and  loyalty,  and, 
more  than  once,  they  were  publicly  thanked  for  their  conduct. 
When  the  war  was  renewed,  an  almost  equally  good  spirit  reigned 
among  the  seamen,  and  there  were  but  few  outbreaks  of  serious 
insubordination.  It  may  be  that  officers,  as  well  as  men,  had 
learnt  a  lesson,  and  that  the  better  treatment  meted  out  to  the 
latter  was,  as  much  as  anything,  responsible  for  their  improved 
behaviour,  for  it  is  noticeable  that,  after  1797,  prosecutions  of 
officers  for  ill-treatment  of  their  men  became,  for  a  time,  more 
common  than  before,  and  then  almost  died  out.  Yet,  at  a  consider- 
ably later  date,  we  find  the  Naval  Chronicle  complaining  that  ill- 
treatment  of  seamen  was  still  often  overlooked  or  inadequately 
2)unished. 

Not  onl}-  in  assisting  to  maintain  discipline  in  the  fleet,  but  also 
on  nearly  every  possible  occasion  throughout  the  war,  the  behaviour 
of  the  Marines  was  admirable,  and  the  good  conduct  of  the  corps 
was  more  than  once  officially  recognised.  In  1759,  George  II.  had 
formed  a  new  establishment  of  Marine  officers  of  superior  rank  to  be 
chosen  from  officers  in  the  Royal  Navy,  viz.,  a  General,^  a  Lieut.- 
General,^  and  three  Colonels.*  The  first  General  was  Admiral  the 
Hon.  Edward  Boscawen,  and  among  his  successors  up  to  the  time 
of  the  Peace  were  Howe,  Barringtou,  and  Bridport.  The  first 
Lieut.-General  was  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Charles  Saunders,  and  among 
his  successors  were  Palliser,  Barringtou,  Bridport,  and  St.  Vincent. 
The   first   three    Colonels  were  Captain  Sir   Piercy  Brett  (1),  Kt., 

'  C.  M.  in  Gladiator,  at  Portsmouth,  April  9th,  1801. 

*  Salary,  £2000  a  year.         ^  Sahiiy,  ^V200  a  year.         *  Salary,  £S00  a  year  each. 


182        CJVIL  IlISTOEY  OF  THE  nOYAL  NAVY,  1793-1802.     [1793-1802. 

Captain  the  Hon.  Augustus  Keppel/  and  Captain  Lord  Howe. 
Among  their  successors,  up  to  1802,  were  Captains  the  Hon. 
Augustus  Hervey,^  the  Hon.  Samuel  Barrington,  Thomas  Graves  (2),^ 
Joshua  Eowle}-,  the  Hon.  Eobert  Boyle  Walsingham,  William 
Hotham  (1),*  Sir  John  Lindsay,  K.B.,  the  Hon.  "William  Corn- 
wallis.  Sir  Hyde  Parker  (2),  Sir  Eoger  Curtis,  Kt.,  James  Gam- 
bier  (2),^  Lord  Hugh  Seymour,  Horatio  Nelson,  the  Hon.  George 
Cranfield  Berkeley,  John  Thomas  Duckworth,  Sir  James  Saumarez, 
Sir  Edward  Pellew,  Bt.,"^  and  Sir  Thomas  Troubridge,  Bt.  In 
June,  1794,  a  Major-General  of  Marines  was  also  appointed,  the  first 
holder  of  the  rank  being  Eear- Admiral  Sir  Alan  Gardner,  afterwards 
Lord  Gardner.  In  1802,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  the  King,  to 
mark  his  satisfaction  with  the  behaviour  of  the  corps,  signified  his 
pleasure  that  it  should  be  styled  for  the  future  the  Eoyal  Marines. 

An  alteration  in  the  uniform  of  naval  officers  was  effected  by  an 
order  of  June  1st,  1795.  It  was  then  that  the  wearing  of  epaulettes' 
— a  French  fashion,  to  which  Nelson,  for  a  time,  most  strongly 
objected — was  first  inti'oduced  into  the  service.  Admirals  were 
directed  to  wear  two  gold  epaulettes,  with  three  silver  stars  on  each ; 
Vice-Admirals  the  same,  with  two  stars  on  each ;  Eear- Admirals  the 
same,  with  one  star  on  each  ;  and  Post-Cai^tains  of  above  three  years' 
standing,  two  epaulettes  without  stars.  A  Post-Captain  of  under 
three  years'  standing  was  assigned  one  gold  epaulette,  to  be  worn  on 
the  right  shoulder,  and  a  Master  and  Commander  the  same,  to  be 
worn  on  the  left.  It  was  at  the  same  time  ordered  that  the  lappels 
and  cuffs  of  Captains'  uniforms  were  to  be  blue  instead  of  white, 
and  that  the  lace  was  to  be  the  same  as  before  the  previous  altera- 
tion ;  but  neither  lace  nor  embroidery  was  to  be  worn  on  the  undress 
coat.  The  only  survival  of  the  old  white  facing  remained  in  the 
shape  of  the  piping  on  the  Lieutenant's  coat,  and  both  remained,  and 
still  remains,  in  the  patch  on  the  Midshipman's  collar. 

Medals  continued  to  be  very  sparingly  granted.  As  will  be  seen 
in  the  next  chapter,  medals  for  the  battle  of  the  Glorious  First  of  June, 
1794,  were  issued  to  certain  selected  flag-officers  and  Captains  who 

'  Later,  A'iscouut  Keppel.  *  liater,  Lord  Graves.  ''  Later,  Lord  Gaiubier. 

-  Later,  Earl  of  Bristol.  *  Later,  Lord  Ilothaiii.  "  Later,  Lord  E.Muouth. 

"  Mr.  Poiihani  Letlibridge  says  that  the  wearing  of  epaulettes  arose  out  of  tlie  fact 
that  some  British  naval  ofiicers,  while  visiting  France  during  the  peace,  observed  that 
the  sentries  did  not  salute  them,  though  they  did  salute  British  ^Marine  oflicors,  who 
then  wore  silver  epaulettes.  When  one  of  the  naval  officers  became  a  Lord  of  the 
Admiralty  he  jirocured  the  adoption  of  the  new  regulation. 


1793-1802.]  MEDALS.  IS^* 

had  been  present  on  that  occasion.  In  addition,  a  gold  chain,  to 
which  his  medal  was  to  be  suspended,  was  given  to  Earl  Howe. 
Concerning  the  manner  in  which  these  distinctions  were  conferred. 
Captain  Isaac  Schomberg '  very  sensibly  says  : — 

"  The  meritorious  ctpiiduct  nf  these  officers  was,  no  doubt,  highly  deserving  of  sr> 
distiiiguislit'd  a  iiiarU  of  ruyal  favour.  How  far  .such  selections  may  he  consistent  with 
the  well-being  of  so  imiwrtant  a  service  as  that  of  the  British  Xavy,  in  which  every 
officer  is  supposed  on  like  occasions  to  act  to  the  best  of  his  abilities,  needs  no  comment. 
If,  iu  the  presence  of  an  enemy,  or  in  action,  a  connnander  appears  delicient  either  in 
courage  or  conduct,  it  is  more  candid  and  decided  in  a  Commander-in-Chief  to  have 
such  conduct  investigated  before  a  public  tribunal,  rather  than  leave  a  doubt  on  the 
minds  of  his  country  by  such  oblique  insinuations  that  some  have  fallen  short  in  their 
duty." 

Medals  were  again  granted  to  the  flag-officers  and  Captains — 
this  time  without  exception  ^ — present  at  Jervis's  victory  off  Cape 
St.  Vincent  in  1797,  at  the  battle  off  Camperdown  in  the  same  year, 
and  at  the  battle  of  the  Nile  in  1798.  These  were  all  of  gold,  and 
all  alike,  and  were  directed  to  be  worn  with  uniform,  hanging  from 
a  neck-chain,  by  flag-officers,  and,  attached  to  a  blue  and  white 
ribbon  passed  through  the  third  and  fourth  buttonholes  on  the  left 
side  of  the  coat,  by  Captains.  The  gold  medal  was  also  given  to 
Captain  Edward  Hamilton,  of  the  Surprinc,  for  his  recapture  of  the 
Hermione,  on  October  25th,  1799.  After  the  Nile,  Lord  Nelson's 
friend  and  agent,  Mr.  Alexander  Davison,  at  his  own  expense, 
presented  handsome  medals,  or  "  tributes  of  regard,"  in  gold,  silver, 
bronze-gilt  and  bronze,  to  the  various  ranks  engaged ;  and,  in  com- 
memoration of  St.  Vincent,  Lord  St.  Vincent  distributed  to  the 
seamen  a  medal  which  he  styled  "  a  testimony  of  approbation  "  ;  liut 
these,  of  course,  had  no  official  significance.  Not  until  very  many 
years  afterwards,  when  most  of  the  participants  were  dead,  were  the 
services  of  the  junior  commissioned  officers,  warrant  officers,  seamen, 
and  Marines,  during  the  War  of  the  French  Eevolution,  recognised 
by  the  issue  by  Government  to  the  survivors  of  a  naval  war  medal 
with  appropriate  clasps. 

On  many  occasions  during  the  war,  and  especially  in  the  earlier 
part  of  it,  large  numbers  of  troops  were  embarked  in  the  fleet,  to 
serve  in  lieu  of  Marines,  and   for  other  purposes.^     This  practice 

'  '  Xav.  Chrouol.'  ii.  270. 

^  Save  in  tlie  case  of  one  of  the  Camperdown  Captains. 

"  At  the  battle  of  St.  Vincent,  in  1797,  part  of  the  (!9th  Regiment  served  in  Xels.m's 
ship,  the  Captain.  In  consequence,  the  present  Welsh  Regiment,  the  2nd  Battalion  of 
which  was  formerly  the  G9th  Regiment,  bears  on  its  colour  "  St.  Vincent."     The  Royal 


181        CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  ROYAL  XAVY,  1793-1802.     [1793-1802. 

quickly  led  to  a  conflict  of  authority  between  the  Navy  and  the 
Army,  and,  in  1795,  H.K.H.  the  Duke  of  York,  then  the  military 
Commander-in-Chief,  saw  fit  to  issue  an  order  that  regular  troops, 
serving  on  board  men-of-war,  should  not  be  amenable  to  naval 
discipline,  but,  in  case  of  misbehaviour,  should  be  sent  ashore  for 
trial  by  a  military  court.  A  meeting  of  flag-officers  and  Captains 
was  held  at  Portsmouth  on  November  3rd  in  that  year  to  consider 
the  situation  thus  created,  and,  in  the  meanwhile,  certain  vessels, 
having  troops  on  board,  and  about  to  sail  for  abroad,  were  detained. 
In  the  event,  it  was  very  wisely  decided  by  the  Government  that  no 
alteration  should  be  made  in  the  naval  Articles  of  War,  and  that 
officers  and  privates  of  the  army,  serving  in  his  Majesty's  ships, 
should  be  subject  to  the  laws  of  naval  disciphne. 

The  morality  of  the  lower  deck  remained,  it  must  be  feared,  at  a 
rather  low  ebb.  Numerous  allusions  are  to  be  found  in  the  logs  and 
journals  of  the  time  to  the  presence  of  women  on  board  ship,  not 
only  in  port,  but  also  at  sea.  After  the  Resistance,  44,  had  blown 
np  in  the  Strait  of  Banca  on  July  24th,  1798,  Thomas  Scott,  one  of 
the  four  survivors,  deposed  that,  among  those  who  perished  in  her, 
were  three  English  women,  married  on  board,  and  one  Malay 
woman  of  Amboyna.  And  in  the  Eules  and  Orders  to  be  observed  by 
the  mutinous  crews  of  the  ships  at  the  Nore  in  1797,  occurs  the 
significant  paragraph,  "  No  woman  shall  be  permitted  to  go  on  shore 
from  any  ship,  but  as  many  may  come  in  as  please."  But  as  it  will 
be  necessarj'  to  revert  later  to  this  subject,  nothing  further  shall 
here  be  said  about  it. 

It  was,  naturally,  inevitable  that,  in  the  course  of  a  gigantic 
struggle  such  as  was  waged  from  1793  to  1802,  questions  connected 
with  the  maintenance  and  exchange  of  prisoners  of  war  should  often 
arise.  Early  in  1798,  the  problem  of  maintenance,  and,  in  Sep- 
tember of  the  same  year,  the  numerous  problems  involved  in  the 
arrangement  of  a  satisfactory  scheme  of  exchange,  appeared  to  be 
finally  and  equitably  solved.  It  was  agreed  between  Great  Britain 
and  France  that  the  prisoners  of  each  should  be  supported  at  the 
cost  of  their  respective  countries ;  that  each  country  should  send  to 
the  other  an  agent  to  superintend  the  furnishing  of  the  prisoners  of 


ISuiksliire  liegiinciit,  the  1st  Battalion  of  which  was  formerly  the  -I'Jth  Foat,  and  the 
Kitle  Brigade,  the  1st  Battalion  of  which  was  then  known  as  Col.  Manningham's  Corps 
of  Riflemen,  similarly  bear  "  (>openhagen,"  on  account  of  tlieir  services  in  Nelson's 
division  in  1801. 


1793-1802.]  PlilSONEIiS   OF    U'Ali.  185 

his  nationality  with  provisions ;  that  the  markets  should  be  open  to 
these  agents ;  and  that  the  prisoners  should  be  concentrated  in  a 
few  central  localities,  instead  of  being  distributed  over  the  two 
countries.  The  agents  first  appointed  in  pursuance  of  this  conven- 
tion were,  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,  Captain  James  Cotes,  K.N., 
and,  on  the  part  of  the  French  Kepublic,  M.  Niou.'  As  regards 
exchange,  it  was  agreed  that  France  should  begin  by  returning  in  a 
French  vessel  a  batch  of  British  prisoners,  including  five  per  cent,  of 
officers  ;  that  Great  Britain  would  then  i-eturn  in  a  British  vessel  a 
corresponding  batch  of  French  prisoners,  and  that  afterwards  the 
two  countries  should  take  it  in  turns  to  commence  the  exchange. 
Prisoners  for  exchange  were  to  be  selected  ]jy  their  resident  agents. 
A  table  showing  the  equivalent  in  men  for  an  officer  of  every  rank 
was  drawn  up,  and  the  allowance  of  food  to  be  provided  daily  by  the 
surrendering  government  to  prisoners  while  on  board  the  cartels  was 
fixed.  Moreover,  it  w^as  agreed  that  men  incapacitated  by  wounds, 
age,  or  infirmities,  and  boys  under  twelve  years  of  age,  should  be  at 
once  surrendered  without  equivalent,  and  that  Surgeons,  Pursers, 
Secretaries,  Chaplains,  Schoolmasters,  and  non-combatant  passengers, 
should  not  be  detained  as  prisoners  of  war.  Provision  was  also 
made  for  the  liberation,  on  parole  not  to  serve  again  during  the  war 
until  regulai'ly  exchanged,  of  combatant  officers.  But  in  1799, 
when  the  balance  of  prisoners  ^  was  even  more  against  France  than 
it  had  been  in  1798,  the  government  of  the  Republic  refused  anj' 
longer  to  support  or  clothe  its  prisoners  in  Great  Britain,  the  idea, 
no  doubt,  being  that  a  captor  could  not  well  refuse  to  keep  his 
captives  alive,  and  that  the  expense  of  doing  so  would  help  to 
weaken  his  resources.  There  ceased  also,  for  a  time,  to  be  any 
regular  system  of  exchange.  Remonstrance  was  made,  but  without 
effect,  and,  pending  negotiations,  the  prisoners  in  Great  Britain 
suffered  gi-eat  hardships.  Eventually,  so  heavy  was  the  mortality, 
that  it  w^as  ordered,  on  January  1st,  1801,  that  the  French  prisoners 
in  Great  Britain  should  be  supplied  with  warm  clothing  at  the 
public  expense. 

Among  the  nmnerous  improvements  which  were  effected  during 
the  period,  three  of  the  most  important  were  the  construction  of 

'  At  that  time  tliere  were  in  Britain  30,205  French  prisoners,  besides  300  officers 
on  pardle,  contineil  at  Portsmouth,  Plynioutli,  Norman  Cross,  Liverpool,  Edinburgh, 
Cliatliam,  and  Stapleton  ;  and  in  France  only  al>out  4000  liritish  prisoners. 

''  There  were  then  in  Great  Britain  25,64U  French  prisoners,  ami  in  France  only 
about  1470  British.     '  Keport  to  Transiwrt  Board '  of  December  21st,  17US). 


1S(J        CIVIL  IIISTOHY  OF  THE  ROYAL  NAVY,  1793-1802.     [1793-1802. 

signal  towers  along  the  coasts  of  England  to  facilitate  the  rapid 
transmission  of  intelligence  from  point  to  point ;  the  creation  of  lines 
of  telegraph  stations  between  London  and  Deal,  with  a  branch  to 
Sheerness,  and  between  London  and  Portsmouth  ;  and  the  institution 
of  the  force  known  as  the  Sea  Fencibles.  The  signal  towers,  to  the 
number  of  eighty-seven,  were  built  in  1795,  and  to  each  of  them 
were  allotted  a  Lieutenant  at  7s.  6d.  a  day  over  and  above  his  half- 
pay,  a  Midshipman  at  2s.  a  day,  with,  in  addition,  the  pay  of  a 
Midshipman  of  a  fourth-rate,  and  two  seamen  at  Is.  a  day.  This 
staff  lodged  in  a  house  adjoining  the  tower,  and  was  allowed  coals 
and  candles.  The  telegraph  stations  were  erected  in  1795  and  179G. 
The  method  whereby  messages  were  transmitted  was  by  semaphore, 
the  invention  of  the  Eev.  Lord  George  Murray,  later  Bishop  of 
St.  David's,  and  the  various  stations  were:  (1),  Between  London  and 
Deal,  Admiralty,  West  Square,  New  Cross,  Shooter's  Hill,  Swans- 
combe,  Gadshill,  Galium  Hill,  Beacon  Hill,  Shottenden,  Barliiuu 
Downs,  Bettishanger,  and  Deal;  (2),  Between  Beacon  Hill  and 
Sheerness,  Tong,  Barrow  Hill,  and  Sheerness;  and  (3),  Between 
London  and  Portsmouth,  Admiralty,  Chelsea,  Putney,  Cabbage  Hill, 
Netley  Heath,  Hascombe,  Blackdown,  Beacon  Hill,  Portsdown,  and 
Portsmouth.  The  Sea  Fencibles  were  raised  in  the  spring  of  1798 
at  the  instance  of  Captain  Home  Eiggs  Popham.  The  corps  was 
composed  of  fishermen,  sailors  employed  in  coasters,  and  other 
persons  engaged  on  the  water  ;  and  the  men  were  trained  in  the  use 
of  the  pike,  and,  whenever  possible,  in  gunnery  also.  For  the 
purpose,  the  coast  was  divided  into  districts,  to  each  of  which  a 
Post-Captain,  and  one,  two  or  three  Commanders  were  appointed,  the 
Captains  receiving  £.1  10s.  a  day  as  pay  and  allowance,  besides  5s.  for 
the  expense  of  a  clerk,  stationery,  and  traveUing,  and  the  Com- 
manders receiving  £1  a  day,  besides  Is.  Sid.  for  contingencies.  The 
men  were  given  protection  against  impressment,  and  were  paid  Is. 
each  at  every  muster  or  drill.  Aljout  nine  thousand  were  raised, 
chiefly  in  the  southern  counties  and  in  Yorkshire ;  but,  upon  the 
signing  of  the  preliminaries  of  peace,  the  Sea  Fencibles  were  dis- 
continued, and  their  officers  were  discharged.  The  corps  was,  in 
some  respects,  the  prototype  of  the  modern  Coastguard. 

In  1795  it  was  decided  to  establish  a  Hydrographical  office  at 
the  Admiralty,  and  the  post  of  Hydrographer  was  offered  to,  and 
accepted  by,  Mr.  Alexander  Dalrymple,  who,  since  1779,  had  been 
Hydrographer   to   the   East   India    Company.      For   more   than    a 


1793-1802.]  IMPROVEMENTS.  187 

hundred  j^ears  previously  there  had  been  government  hydrographers 
in  France,  but  Dahymple's  appointment  was  the  first  of  its  kind  in 
Great  Britain.  Dahymple  did  good  work  for  some  years,  but  was 
dismissed  from  his  post  on  May  28th.,  1808,  and  died,  it  is  said  of  a 
broken  heart,  on  June  li^tli  following. 

Other  improvements  were ;  the  appointment,  in  1795,  as  gover- 
nors of  the  Koyal  Naval  Hospitals  there,  of  Post-Captains,  each  with 
three   Lieutenants   under  him,   to   Plymouth   and   Haslar,  and   of 


k 


■'^/ 


.* 
"^ 


AI.EXASDEli    DAI.RYMPI.R,    1733-1808. 
FIRST   HYDROGRAPHER   TO   THE    AUMlllAI.TV,    1795-1808. 

iFi'om  BtoosTs  cngraiinfj  a,fter  a  ilratciitg  by  John  Brown.') 

Lieutenants  to  Deal  and  Great  Yarmouth  ;  the  allowance  of  servants, 
in  1799,  to  some  of  the  principal  shipwrights  in  the  dockyards;  the 
abolition,  in  1801,  of  the  ancient  but  iniquitous  practice  of  per- 
mitting shipwrights  to  remove  chips  from  the  yards,  and  the 
allowance  to  them  instead  of  6d.  a  day  ;  the  creation  of  a  Victualling 
Yard'   at   Deptford ;    and   the  adoption,  about   the  year   1799,   of 

'  The  sliipbiiililing  premises  known  as  Duiimuu's  Dock  were  puichased  for  that 
purpose. 


188       CIVIL  HISTORY  OF  THE  BOYAL  NAVY,  1793-1802.     [1793-1802. 

appliances  for  filtering,  before  use,  the  water  supplied  to  ships' 
companies.  The  fitting  of  locks  to  heavy  guns  for  the  pui-pose  of 
firing  them,  in  substitution  of,  or  as  alternative  to,  the  firing-irons 
and  smouldering  ropes'  ends  then  generally  in  use,  was  experi- 
mented with  during  the  period,  but  was  not  generally  adopted  until 
some  years  later. 

At  the  beginning  of  1800,  a  new  scale  of  fees  was  established  for 
the  issue  of  Admiralty  commissions  and  warrants.  The  more 
important  of  these  were :  commission  to  a  flag-officer,  £5  7.s.  dd. ; 
to  a  Captain  or  Commander,  £2  3s. ;  to  a  Lieutenant,  £1  Is.  ijd. ; 
warrant  to  a  Purser,  Gunner,  Boatswain,  or  Carpenter  of  a  ship  of 
one  of  the  three  higher  rates,  £2  3s. ;  to  a  Chaplain  of  a  man-of-war, 
10s.  6d. ;  warrant  to  admit  a  scholar  into  the  Eoyal  Naval  Academy, 
£1  Is.  6(7.  Fees  also  had  to  be  paid  on  orders  for  superannuation, 
on  orders  for  pensions,  on  the  granting  of  passes  to  piotect  against 
Moorish  pirates  and  against  impressment,  on  letters  of  leave,  and  on 
the  issue  of  various  certificates. 

The  national  ensign  had  remained  unchanged  since  the  time  of 
the  union  with  Scotland,  when,  on  January  1st,  1801,  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  Union  between  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  necessi- 
tated an  addition  to  the  Union  Flag  of  an  emblem  to  represent 
Ireland.  The  emblem  fixed  upon  was  what  is  vulgarly  called  the 
cross  of  St.  Patrick.  A  cross  is  the  attribute  only  of  a  martyr,  and 
St.  Patrick,  not  having  been  a  martyr,  has  no  cross.  But  the 
saltire  adopted,  besides  figuring  in  the  coat  armour  of  the  Fitz- 
geralds,  long  one  of  the  greatest  of  Irish  families,  seems  to  have 
been  recognised  before  the  Union  as  a  badge  of  Ireland,  and,  though 
its  origin  as  such  is,  perhaps,  obscure,  it  was  wisely  made  use  of  in 
preference  to  the  harp  or  to  the  shamrock,  neither  of  which  would 
have  readily  lent  itself  to  inclusion  in  the  general  heraldic  scheme  of 
the  old  Union  Flag.^   At  the  same  time  the  Royal  Ensign  was  altered, 

"  The  Proclam.ation  of  .January  1st,  1801,  contained  tlie  fullowiiig  descriptive 
paragraph : — 

"  The  Union  Flag  shall  be :  Azure,  the  cro.sses  saltire  of  St.  Andrew  and 
St,  Patrick  quarterly  per  saltire,  couiiterchanged  Argent  and  Gules,  the  latter 
fimbriated  of  the  second;  surmounted  by  the  cross  of  St.  George  of  the  third, 
finiliriated  as  the  saltire." 

According  to  the  practice  of  the  Koyal  Navy,  the  Union  Flag  has  ever  since  been 
constructed  of  the  following  proportions:  All  British  naval  flags  are  of  twice  the 
length  of  their  breadth.  Assuming,  therefore,  that  it  be  desired  to  construct  a  Union 
Flag  60  in.  in  length,  then,  the  total  breadth  will  be  30  in. ;  the  breadth  of  the  red 
St.  George's  cross,  6  in. ;  the  breadth  of  the  fimbriation,  or  white  border,  on  each  side 


1801.] 


TUE    UNION  FLAG. 


189 


the  arms  of  England  figuring  in  the  first  and  fourth  quarters,  those 
of  Scotland  in  the  second,  those  of  Ireland  in  the  third,  and  those  of 


of  the  St.  George's  cross,  2  in.  (tluis  making  the  whole  breiuUh  of  the  upright  cross  an'l 
its  borders  10  in.);  tlie  breadth  of  the  visible  part  of  the  rid  Irish  saltire,  2  in.;  tlie 
breadth  of  its  narrow  fiuibriatiou,  1  in. ;  and  the  breadth  of  the  visible  part  of  the 
white  cross  of  St.  Andrew,  3  in.  (thus  making  the  whole  breadth  of  the  comjxjsite 
diagonal  cross,  6  in.). 

The  diagrams  given  herewith  will  help  to  make  clearer  the  scheme  of  composition 
of  the  Union,  which  is  very  often  improperly  made,  and  which,  in  the  British  mercliant 
service,  as  forming  part  of  the  Blue  and  Red  Ensigns,  is  almost  invariably  incorrect. 
The  diagrams  will  also  explain  tlie  heraldic  process  known  as  "  counterchanging," — a 
proce.-s  here  ap[ilied  with  the  olijcct  of  giving  erpial   pronunence  to  the  two  saltires. 


THK    UNIOX    FLAG    OF   JAN.    IST,    1801. 

Tlie.flgures  at»ve  show  (1)  the  saltire  intriKluceJ  to  rcpreser.t  Irelaud  ;  and  (2)  the  method  of  "countcr- 
chaugiug"  the  saltires  of  Scotland  and  Irt-lauJ  in  the  Cuiou  Flag  as  it  has  stood  since  1801. 

The  Scots  saltire,  as  representing  an  older  member  of  the  Union  than  the  Irish,  takes 
the  suiierior  jiosition  in  the  upper  corner  of  the  flag,  next  the  staft';  and  the  flag  should 
not,  of  course,  be  hoisted  so  as  to  exhibit  it  in  any  other  position. 

On  the  same  day  (January  1st,  1801)  it  was  further  proclaimed  that  :— 
"  Whereas,  according  to  ancient  usage,  the  ensigns,  flags,  '  Jacks,'  and  pennants 
\vorn  by  our  ships,  and  appointed  as  a  distinction  for  the  same,  ought  not  to  be  worn 
on  board  any  sh'p  or  vessel  belonging  to  any  of  our  subjects,  so  that  our  ships  and 
those  of  .mr  sulijects  may  be  easily  distinguished  and  known,  we  have  therefore 
thought  fit,  by  aiid  with  the  advice  of  our  Privy  Council,  to  order  and  apiwint  the 
ensig'n"(the  Hed  Knsign),  "  dcsciibeil  on  the  side  or  margin  hereof,  to  be  worn  on 
l-xjartl  of  all  ships  or  vessels  of  any  of  our  subjects  whatsoever,  and  to  issue  this  our 
Royal  Projlamation  to  notify  the  same  to  all  our  loving  subjects,  hereby  strictly 
char^iD"  and  comuiandiug  the  masters  of  all  merchant  ships  and  vessels  belonging  to 


lUO         CIVIL    HISTORY   OF   THE  ROYAL    KAVY,    1793-1802.        [ISOI. 

Hannovei-,  etc.,  being  borne  on  an  escutcheon  of  pretence.  From 
the  new  Koyal  Ensign,  as  from  the  arms  of  the  United  Kingdom,  the 
arms  of  the  Eoyal  House  of  France,  which  had  figured  for  centuries 
as  a  quartering  in  the  arms  of  the  Kings  of  England,  were  very 
sensibly  expunged.  The  omission  was  made  the  more  appropriately 
at  a  time  when  Great  Britain  was  victorious  over  her  hereditarj-  foe, 
when  the  French  Koyal  Family  was  in  exile,  and  when  the  tricolour 
had  become  the  flag  of  France. 


our  subjects,  whether  employed  in  our  service  or  otherwise,  to  wear  the  said  ensign  on 
board  their  shijis  or  vessels:  And  we  do  strictly  charge  and  command  all  our  subjects 
whatsoever  that  they  do  not  presume  to  wear  in  any  of  their  ships  or  vessels  our 
'  Jack,'  commonly  called  the  '  Union  Jack,'  nor  any  pendants,  nor  any  such  colours  as 
are  usually  borne  by  our  ships,  without  particular  warrant  for  their  so  doing  from  us  or 
our  High  Admiral  of  Great  Britain." 

This  proclamation  gave  the  Red  Ensign  (a  red  flag  with  the  Union  in  the  upper 
canton  next  the  stall")  as  the  flag  of  the  merchant  service ;  but  it  did  mit  remove  it 
from  the  Eoyal  Navy.  On  the  contrary,  until  the  distinction  in  the  colours  of  flag- 
officers  was  abolished,  more  than  half  a  centur}'  later,  flag-ofKcers  of  the  Ked,  the 
White,  and  the  Blue,  and  the  ships  of  their  divisions,  continued,  as  before,  to  fly, 
respectively,  the  Red  Ensign,  the  White  or  St.  George's  Ensign  (which  is  now  the  flaw 
of  the  Eoyal  Navy),  and  the  Blue  Ensign,  in  order  to  indicate  their  rank  and  place. 
But,  when  several  Flag-officers  of  difi'erent  ranks  and  colours  were  together  in  a  fleet,  the 
senior  officer  often  ordered  the  ships  of  all  the  squadrons  to  fly,  for  convenience,  a 
single  ensign.  So  it  haj)peDed  that,  at  the  Glorious  First  of  June,  all  ships  fought 
under  the  Eed,  and  that,  at  the  Nile  and  Trafalgar,  all  fought  under  the  White  Ensjo-n 
which  was  pre-eminently  Nelson's  favourite. 


C.\UI,KEirs   lUOX    PITCH    FfRNACE. 


(     191     ) 


APPENDIX   TO   CHAPTEK   XXXIV. 

List,  in  contitiuiitii.n  of  the  list  in  vol.  iii.  pp.  5(i5-568,  or  British  Flag-Officers 
o.\'  THK  Active  list  at  the  outiiueak  hk  the  War  with  France  in  1703, 
and  of  all  officers  who  were  subsequently  iironioteJ  to  flag-raiik  on  the  active  list 
up  to  the  conclusion  of  the  war  in  1802. 

Note. —  Tlie  jyvomotions  of  the  fuUowing  officers  are  given  in  d<t<iil  in  the  list  ahove- 
menti'oned.  The  names  are  repeated  here  only  to  show  the  complete  list  us  it  stood  at 
the  opening  of  the  u-ar. 


Admiral  ok  the  Fleet. 
lion.  John  Forbes,  General  of  Marines. 

Apmirals  of  the  White. 

ITarrj',  Duke  of  Bolton. 

Sir  Francis  Geary,  Bart. 

George,  Earl  Mount  Edgcumbo. 

John  Montagu. 

Richard,  Earl  Howe,  Vice-Adm.  of 
England  (K.G.,  17!>7). 

Mulyneux,  Lord  Shuldham. 

Sir  Hugh  Palliser,  Bart.,  Gov.  of  Green- 
wich Hospital. 

Matthew  Barton. 

Admirals  ok  the  Blue. 
Sir  Peter  Parker  (1),  Bart. 
Hon.  Samuel  Barrington,  Lieut.-General 

of  Marines. 
JIarriot  Arbiithnot. 
Robert  Roddain.' 
William  Lloyd  (1). 
Sir  Edward  Hughes,  K.B. 
John  Evans. 
Mark  Milbanke. 

Vice-Admirals  of  the  Red. 
Nicholas  Vincent.' 
Sir  Edward  Vernon,  Kt. 
Richard  Edwards. 

Thomas  Graves  (2)  (Lord  Graves,  1794). 
Hon.  Robert  Digby.' 
Benjamin  JLarlow. 

Sir  Ale.xander  Artliur  Hood,  K.B.,  Kear- 
Adm.  of  England  (Lord  Bridport,  1794).' 


Sir  Chaloner  Ogle  (2),  Kt.  (Bart.,  1816).' 
Samuel,    Lord    Hood    (Viscount,    179G ; 
G.C.B.,  1815).' 

Vice-Admirals  of  the  White. 

Sir  Richard  Hughes  (:',),  Bart.' 

John  Elliot.' 

William  Hotham  (Lord  Hotham,  1797).' 

Joseph  Peyton  (1). 

John  Carter  Alien. 

Sir  Charles  Middleton,  Bart.  (Lord  Rar- 

ham,  1805).' 
Sir  John  Laforey,  Bart. 
John  Dalrymple. 

VlCE-AmilRALS   OF   THE    BlUE. 

Herliert  Sawyer. 

Sir  Richard  King,  Bart.' 

Jonathan  Faulknor  (1). 

Philip  Aflleck. 

Sir  John  Jervis,  K.B.  (Earl  St.  A'incent, 

1797).' 
Adam  Duncan  (Visct.  Duncan,  1797). 
Richard  Brathwaite. 
Phillips  Cosby.' 

Rear-Admirals  of  the  Red. 

Thomas  Fitzherbert. 

Samuel  Pitchford  Cornish.' 

Jolin  Brisbane.' 

Charles  Wolselej-.' 

Samuel  Granston  Goodall. 

Hon.  Keitli  Stewart. 

H.R.H.  William  Henry,  Duke  of  Clarence.' 


'  These  officers  were  promoted  to  be  Admirals  of  the  Red  at  the  creation  of  that 
rank  on  November  9th,  1805.  The  fact  is  noted  here,  as  promotions  to  the  rank  of 
Admiral  of  the  Red  are  not  given  in  the  list  in  vol.  iii.  pp.  565-5G8. 


102 


FLA  O-OFFICEIiS.    1703-1802 


[170;!-1S02. 


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FLAG-OFFICEBS,    1793-1802. 


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(      1!'6      ) 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

MAJOR    OPEEATIONS    OF    THE    EOYAL    NAVY,    1793-1802. 

Tlie  fleet  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  of  the  French  Revohition — British  superiority — 
British  allies — Sercey  to  the  West  Indies — -Howe  in  the  Channel — Mutiny  in  the 
French  Heet— Howe  and  Vanstabel — Jervis  to  the  West  Indies — Hood  in  the 
Mediterranean — Toulon  occupied — Evacuation  of  Toulon  and  destruction  of  French 
ships — Liuzee  to  Corsica — Proceedings  at  Genoa  and  Spezzia — St.  Pierre,  Miquelon 
and  Tobago  taken- — Miscarriage  at  Martinique — Commodore  Ford  at  San  Domingo 
— Successes  in  India — Reorganisation  of  the  French  Navy — ^Villaret-Joyeuse  and 
Jean  Bon  St.  Andre — Cruise  of  Howe — Manceuvres — Battle  of  the  Glorious  First 
of  June — Montagu's  cruise — Mutiny  in  the  CuUoden — Loss  of  the  Alexander — 
Destruction  of  the  Ardent — Operations  in  Corsica — Nelson  at  Bastia — Fall  of 
Calvi — Chase  of  Martin — Hotham  in  the  Mediterranean — Mutiny  in  the  Windsor 
Castle — Capture  of  Martinique — Gallantry  of  Bowen  and  Faulknor — Capture  of 
St.  Lucia  and  Guadeloupe — Guadeloupe  retaken — Ford  at  San  Domingo— Raid 
upon  Sierra  Leone — The  Diamond  reconnoitres  Brest — Disasters  to  the  French 
fleet — Henaudin  to  Toulon— Cornwallis's  retreat — Bridport's  action  off  Groix — 
Warren's  expedition  to  Quiberon — Loss  of  the  Berwick — Hotham's  action  ofl' 
Genoa — Loss  of  the  Illustrious — Hotham  off  Hyeres — Operations  of  Nelson — 
Chase  of  de  Richery — Loss  of  the  Censeur — Cruise  of  Ganteaume — Jervis  in  the 
Mediterranean — Holland  allied  with  France — Duncan  in  the  North  Sea — Reinforce- 
meul  and  successes  of  Hugues — Capture  of  Cape  Colony — Rainier  off  Ceylon — 
Malacca  taken — Blockade  of  the  Texel — Nelson  on  the  Genoese  coast — Evacua- 
tion of  Leghorn — Spain  joins  France — Difficulties  of  Jervis — Man  and  de  Langara 
— De  Langara  to  Toulon — Man's  desertion — French  successes  in  the  Mediterranean 
— Evacuation  of  Corsica — Sailing  of  Villeneuve — Loss  of  the  Counujeux — Jervis 
abandons  the  Mediten-auean — De  Richery  in  North  America — Capture  of  Demerara, 
etc. —  Christian  takes  St.  Lucia,  St.  A'ineent  and  Grenada — Repulse  at  Leogane — 
Colombo  captured — Amboyna  and  Banda  siu'rcndered — Dutch  squadron  surrenders 
in  Saldanha  Bay — Exjiedition  of  Hoche  to  Ireland — The  French  evade  Colpoys — 
Failure  of  the  expedition — The  IndefatiguUe  and  Droits  de  T Homme — Jervis  lein- 
forced — Howe  resigns  command — Sailing  of  de  Cordova — Battle  of  Cape  St.  Vincent 
— Intrepidity  of  ^elson,  Troubridge  and  Collingwood — Berkeley  and  the  Santisima 
Trinidad — Bowen  and  the  same — Cadiz  bombarded  and  blockaded — Nelson  at 
Santa  Cruz — Battle  of  Camjierdown — Capture  of  Trinidad — Failure  at  Puerto  Rico 
— Operations  off  San  Domingo — Loss  of  the  Tribune — The  conmiands  in  1708— 
The  Mars  and  the  Berciile — Dreams  of  an  invasion  of  England — Najioleon's 
projects — The  Invasion  Flotilla — Operations  at  St.  Marcou — Failure  at  Ostend — 
Burning  of  the  Conjiante — Humbert's  expedition  to  Ireland — A\'arren's  action — 
Fate  of  Rompart's  squadr(m — Chase  of  Savary — Nelson  to  the  Mediterranean — 
Napoleon's  Egyjitian  schemes — Sailing  of  the  Toulon  fleet — Nelson  in  chase — The 
Battle  of  the  Mle— Malta  blockaded — Flight  of  King  Ferdinand — Operations  at 
Corfu — Blockade  of  Alexandria — Capitulation  of  Minorca — Events  in  San  Domingo 


1793.]  THE  NAVY  AT  THE   OUTBREAK   OF    WAIi.  197 

— Defence  of  Belize — The  coiiimamls  in  1799 — Bruix  leaves  Brest — Keith  in  chase 
— Massaredo  leaves  Cadiz — Caiiture  of  French  frigates — Failure  of  Keith — Junction 
of  Massaredo  and  Bruix — The  allies  enter  Brest — Pole  oflf  the  Isle  of  Aix — French 
progress  in  Italy — Blockade  of  Naples — Oi)erations  of  Nelson — Suwarofl'  in  Italy — 
Foote  at  Naples — Nelson  and  the  Neapolitan  rebels — Execution  of  Caracciolo — 
Najiles,  Gaeta,  and  Rome  taken — Nelson  "  sicilified  " — Na]X)leon  in  Syria — 
Bombardment  of  Alexandria-- Sidney  Smith  on  the  coast  of  Syria — Raising  of  the 
siege  of  Acre — Napoleon  returns  to  France — Operations  in  the  Red  Sea — French 
difficulties  in  Egypt — Combuied  exjiedition  to  Holland — Surrender  of  the  Dutch 
squadron  in  Nieuwe  Dieii — Surrender  of  the  Dutch  squadron  in  the  Vlieter — 
Evacuation  of  Holland — Surinam  captured — -The  commands  in  1800 — Loss  of  the 
Repulse — Operations  in  Quiberon  Bay — Loss  of  the  Marlborouyh — Blockade  of 
Malta — liurning  of  the  Queen  Charlotte — Operations  near  Genoa — French  successes 
in  Italy — Capture  of  the  Genereux — Nelson  returns  to  England — Capture  of  the 
GuiUaume  Tell — Capture  of  the  Diane — Cai)itulation  of  Malta — The  French  in 
Egypt — Exiie<lition  to  Ferrol — SiuTender  of  Cura9oa — Union  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland — Confederation  of  the  Northern  Powers — Capture  of  the  Freja — The  Armed 
Neutrality — Parker  to  the  Baltic — Battle  of  Co])euhagen — The  lleet  in  the  Baltic — 
Murder  of  the  Tsar  Paul — Russia  and  Sweden  make  concessions— Nelson  in  the 
Downs — The  Invasion  Flotilla — Operations  oft"  Boulogne — Ganteaunie  to  the 
Mediterranean — Search  for  the  Brest  fleet — Keith  to  Egypt — Operations  near  Elba 
— Ganteaume  flees  from  the  Egyptian  coast — Loss  of  the  Swi/tsure — Keith  at 
Alexandria — Expulsion  of  the  French  from  Egyjit — Operations  in  the  Red  Sea — 
Enforced  hostility  of  Portugal — Linois  leaves  Toulon — Action  oft"  Algeciras — 
Saumarez  in  the  Gut  of  Gibraltar — Swedish  and  Danish  colonies  cajitured — 
JIadeira  occupied — Losses  of  Holland — The  Peace  of  Amiens — Gains  and  losses  of 
the  war. 


y^^^^y!^. 


a: 


T  the  time  of  the 

outbreak    of 

war  with  Frauce  in 

Febri:arj\  1793,  the 

SIGNATURE  OF  TUB  HON.  SAMUEL  BARKixGTON,  British      squadroiis 

AS  ADMiBAL.  ^^  foreigii    stations 

were  very  weak.  In 
the  Mediterranean  there  were  one  50-gun  ship  and  five  small  vessels  ; ' 
on  the  Leeward  Islands  station  there  w'ere  two  50-gim  ships  and 
six  small  craft ;  ^  at  Jamaica  there  was  one  50-gmi  with  nine  small 
craft ;  ^  at  Hahfax  and  Newfoundland  there  were  one  .50-gun  ship 

'  Romney,  50,  Rear- Admiral  Samuel  Granston  Goodall,  Capt.  William  Domett; 
Aquilon,  32,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Robert  Stopford ;  Lapiving,  28,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Henry 
Curzon ;  Fury,  IG,  Com.  the  Hon.  William  Paget;  Bulldog,  14,  Com.  George  Hoj*  (1); 
and  Mutiiie,  cutter,  14,  Lieut.  Hum]>hrey  West. 

^  Trusty,  50,  Vice- Admiral  Sir  Jolm  Laforey,  Capt.  John  Drew(l');  Centurion, 
50,  Capt.  Samuel  Osbom ;  Blanche,  32,  Capt.  Christopher  Parker  (2)  ;  Hermione,  32, 
Capt.  John  Hills ;  Perseus,  20,  Capt.  George  Palmer ;  Orestes,  18,  Com.  Augustus 
Fitzroy  ;  Fairy,  16,  Com.  Francis  Laforey  ;  and  Serpent,  14,  Com.  Richard  Lee. 

'  Europa,  50,  Commod.  John  Ford,  Capt.  George  Gregory ;  Penelope,  32,  Capt. 
Bartholomew  Samuel  Rowley ;    Proserpine,  28,  Capt  James  Alms  (2) ;    Triton,  28, 


198  MAJOl!    OFEIiATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1793. 

and  four  small  craft ;  '  in  the  East  Indies  there  were  five  frigates 
and  small  craft ;  -  and  on  the  coast  of  Africa  there  was  one  44-gun 
ship.^  But  at  home  and  in  the  Channel  there  was  a  large  force 
in  commission,  including  twenty-five  ships  of  the  line,  three  50-gun 
ships,  forty-six  frigates  of  twenty-four  guns  and  upwards,  and  above 
thirty  smaller  craft.  There  were,  moreover,  iu  serviceable  condition 
in  ordinary  fifty-nine  ships  of  the  line,  one  50-gim  ship,  and  twenty- 
five  frigates ;  and  numbers  of  other  ships  of  all  classes  were  either 
undergoing  repairs  or  awaiting  them.  In  addition,  twelve  ships 
of  the  line  and  three  50-gun  ships  were  building.  It  may  be  said 
that  there  were  available  for  immediate  service  about  seventy-five 
ships  of  the  line,  and  that  forty  others  were  nearly  ready.  As 
against  this  total  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen,  or  thereabouts,  France 
could  dispose  of,  at  most,  seventy-six,  though  she  added  to  them 
vdth  feverish  rapidity.  Great  Britain,  therefore,  went  into  the 
conflict  with  a  substantial  nimierical  majority  of  ships  in  her  favour. 
She  had,  it  is  true,  wider  interests  than  France  to  defend  ;  for 
France  had  ceased  in  the  previous  contests  to  be  an  American  and 
an  Asiatic  power ;  and,  almost  in  proportion  as  she  had  lost,  Great 
Britain  had  gained  in  both  hemispheres.  Great  Britain  had, 
moreover,  to  attend  to  the  needs  of  a  sea-borne  commerce  very  con- 
siderably superior  to  that  of  France,  and  she  was  dependent  upon 
the  sea  iu  a  sense  which  France  never  had  been,  and  never  can  be. 

Yet,  upon  the  whole,  France  was  at  an  enormous  disadvantage. 
The  numerically  superior  fleet  of  King  George  was  manned  by 
people  who  were  not  tainted  with  the  subversive  opinions  which 
had  turned  France  into  chaos ;  and  in  Howe,  Peter  Parker, 
Barrington,  Edward  Hughes,  Thomas  Graves,  Sir  Alexander  Hood, 
Lord  Hood,  Sir  Kichard  King,  Sir  John  Jervis,  Adam  Duncan, 
Samuel  Pitchford  Cornish,  Sir  Hyde  Parker,  and  Hon.  Wm.  Corn- 
waUis,  not   to  mention   many  more,  it  had  flag   officers  who  had 


Capt.  George  Murray  (3)  ;  Ilyxna,  20,  Capt.  William  Hargood  (1) ;  Fly,  16,  Cora. 
William  Brown  (1) ;  Falcon,  14,  Com.  James  Bissett ;  Hound,  14,  Com.  John 
Lawford ;  Helena,  14,  Com.  William  Charleton ;  and  Advice,  cutter,  Lieut.  Edward 
'J'yrrel. 

'  Assistance,  50,  Yiee-Admiral  Sir  Kicliard  King,  Capt.  Jolm  Samuel  Smith  ; 
U'inchclsea,  32,  Capt.  Richard  Fisher;  Hussar,  28,  Cajit.  Kupert  George;  Placciiiia,  12, 
Lieut,  the  Hon.  Charles  Herbert ;  and  Trepassy,  1 2. 

^  Minerva,  38,  Kear-Admiral  Hon.  AVilliam  Cornwallis,  Capt.  John  Whitby  (after 
April);  Perseverance,  36,  Capt.  Isaac  Smith;  Flmuix,  36,  Capt.  Sir  Richard  John 
Strachan,  Bart.;  Atalanta,  14;  and  Simn,  14. 

'  Charon,  44,  Capt.  Eilmund  Dod. 


1793.]  INFERlOIilTT   OF    THE   FJtEXCIf.  199 

fout;lit  well,  and  for  the  most  part  with  success,  in  the  previous 
war  ;■  who  were  full  of  experience,  and  who  possessed  absolutely 
the  confidence  of  the  service  and  of  the  country.  Above  all,  the 
British  Navy  had  fresh,  most  splendid,  and  absolutely  unbroken 
traditions  at  its  immediate  back.  But  the  numerically  inferior 
fleet  of  the  Republic  was  in  a  very  different  condition.  Discipline 
had   become   partially   demoralised    by   the   Revolution  ;    many   of 


ADHIRAL   JOHS    M.\CBH1DE. 

(Front  Ihe  enitranno  hy  Jamen  Fittler,  txfter  the  portrait  hi/  J.  ^orthcotf,  It. A.,  ijainted  ii'hi-ii 
ilacbriJe  uuis  a  Cautain,  1765-93.) 

the  old  aristocratic  officers  had  been  obliged  to  quit  the  service ; 
most  of  the  new  officers  were  without  either  experience  or 
authority ;  and  monarchical  opinions  lingered  in  m^ny  a  wardroom 
and  captain's  cabin,  and  rendered  obscure  the  path  of  duty  to 
conscientious  officers. 

In  addition  to  all   this  Great  Britain  had,  as  her  naval  allies, 
soon  after  the  conflict  broke  out,  the  Netherlands,  which  brought 


200  MAJUE    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1793. 

to  the  common  cause  about  twelve  serviceable  ships  of  the  line : 
Spain,  which  brought  about  thirty-five;  Portugal,  Sardinia,  and, 
presently,  the  two  Sicilies.  It  is  probably  within  the  mark  to 
say  that  the  confederacy  could,  in  the  early  summer  of  1793, 
dispose  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  ships  of  the  line,  or  much 
more  than  twice  as  many  as  France.  The  broadside  weight  of 
metal  of  the  French  line  is  estimated  by  James  at  73,957  lbs., 
thrown  by  6002  guns ;  that  of  the  British  contingent  alone  at 
88,957  lbs.,  thrown  by  8718  guns.  Prussia  and  Austria,  which 
were  almost  entirely  mihtary  powers,  were  also  enemies  of  the 
Eepubhc.  Russia,  Denmark,  and  Sweden  were  neutral.  On  the 
other  hand,  France  had  not  a  single  ally. 

The  French  fleet  began  to  move  within  two  or  three  weeks 
after  the  declaration  of  war.  Towards  the  end  of  February  Rear- 
Admiral  Pierre  Cesar  Charles  Guillaume  Sercey  sailed  from  Brest 
with  three  74-gun  ships '  and  some  frigates  and  small  craft  for  the 
West  Indies,  whence  he  was  to  bring  home  a  convoy.  At  about 
the  same  time,  a  fleet,  drawn  from  Brest,  Lorient,  and  Eochefort, 
began  to  assemble  in  Quiberon  Bay.  It  would  have  been  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  France  could  a  formidable  blow  have  been 
struck  at  the  British  West  India  Islands  or  at  British  commerce 
in  the  Atlantic.  But  the  hands  of  the  Republican  government 
were  bound  by  the  consideration  that  there  was  a  strong  royalist 
feehng  on  many  parts  of  the  French  littoral,  and  that  there  were 
signs  that  Great  Biitain  meditated  aiding  the  monarchists  by 
making  descents  in  their  favour.  Thus,  although  by  August  Vice- 
Admiral  Morard  de  Galles  had  with  him  off  Belleisle  twenty-one 
ships  of  the  line  and  four  frigates,  he  remained  in  an  attitude  of 
expectancy,  and  did  little  or  nothing. 

Great  Britain,  also,  was  at  first  hampered  by  ^\■hat  may  be 
called  ulterior  considerations.  She  had  to  reinforce  her  squadrons 
abroad  ;  and  not  until  she  had  done  that  was  she  able  to  send 
Lord  Howe,  with  fifteen  ships  of  the  line  and  some  frigates  and 
sloops,  to  watch  the  then  rapidly  increasing  force  of  Morard  de 
Galles.  Howe,  with  the  Channel  fleet,  sailed  from  St.  Helen's 
on  July  14th.  On  the  18th,  he  had  to  send  back  to  port  the 
BeUeroplwn,  74,  which  had  been  damaged  by  collision  with  the 
Monarch,  74.     For  her  the  London,  98,  was  promptlj'  substituted. 

'  Eoh,  Jupiter,  and  America.  The  Phocion,  74,  had  previously  sailed  to  the  West 
Indies. 


1793.]  HOWE'S   FIRST   CRUISE.  201 

On  the  23rd,  Howe  anchored  in  Torbay.  His  strength  was  later 
brought  up  to  seventeen  ships  of  the  Hne,  nine  frigates,  and  five 
small  craft ;  and  with  this  fleet  he  went  to  seek  the  French,  who 
were  supposed  to  be  lying  in  wait  to  cover  the  convoy  expected 
from  the  West  Indies  under  Eear-Admiral  Sercey.  On  the  after- 
noon of  July  31st,  the  French,  then  seventeen  sail  of  the  line, 
were  sighted  near  Belleisle ;  but  on  that  day,  and  again  on 
August  1st,  2nd,  and  3rd,  Howe  was  baffled  in  his  attempts  to 
get  near  them ;  and,  the  weather  then  becoming  stormy,  the 
British  had  to  stand  off.  On  August  10th,  they  again  anchored 
in  Torbay. 

Morard  de  Galles  had,  in  the  meantime,  anchored  once  more 
in  the  Road  of  Belleisle.  There,  owing  to  adnainistrative  mis- 
management, a  mutiny  broke  out  among  the  seamen,  who,  in 
September,  desired  Morard  de  Galles  to  carry  them  into  Brest, 
which  they  represented  as  on  the  point  of  being  surrendered  by 
its  inhabitants  to  the  British.  This  idea  was  no  doubt  inspired 
by  the  knowledge  of  what,  a  few  weeks  earlier,  had  happened  at 
Toulon.  The  Admiral  had  to  yield ;  and  on  the  29th  the  fleet 
anchored  in  the  Eoad  of  Brest. 

On  August  23rd,  Howe  had  weighed  from  Torbay  and  sailed 
to  the  westward  to  escort  to  sea  a  convoy  for  Newfomidland,  and 
to  see  home  another  coming  from  the  West  Indies.  After  a  cruise, 
he  returned  to  Torbay  on  September  4th.  In  October,  he  detached 
a  squadron,  under  Commodore  Thomas  Pasley,  to  look  for  five 
French  frigates  which  had  chased  a  British  vessel  into  Falmouth. 
On  the  27th  of  that  month,  with  the  fleet  increased  to  twenty-two 
sail  of  the  line,  he  himself  set  out  for  a  cruise  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay. 
Pasley  rejoined  on  November  7th  off  Scilly ;  and  on  the  17th  two 
ships  of  the  line  parted  company,  leaving  Howe  with  twenty-two 
sail  of  the  line.  On  November  18th,  in  lat.  48°  32'  N.,  and 
long.  1°  48'  W.,  the  Latona,  38,  Captain  Edward  Thombrough, 
signalled  a  strange  squadi-on,  which  proved  to  be  Commodore 
Vanstabel,'  with  six  ships  of  the  line,  two  frigates  and  two 
small  craft  from  Brest, ^  under  sail  in  Cancale  Baj'.  The  French 
at   first    approached,   evidently   taking    the    British    fleet   for    the 

'  Pierre  Jean  N'anstabel.  Bom  at  Dunquerque,  1746 ;  served  the  French  East  India 
Company  ;  entered  the  navy,  1778 ;  captain,  171)3. 

'  Tiyre,  74,  Aquilon,  74,  Jean  Bart,  74,  Touruilk,  74,  Impetueux,  74,  Revolution 
74,  Insurgente,  36,  Semillante,  36,  Espiegle,  and  Ballon. 


202  MAJOR    OFKltATWXS,    1793-1802.  [1793. 

expected  convoy.  But  thej'  were  chased  off  by  the  BusseU,  74, 
Captain  John  Willett  Payne,  Audacious,  74,  Captain  William 
Parker  (1),  Defence,  74,  Captain  James  Gamhier  (2),  Bellerophm,  74, 
Captain  Thomas  Pasley,  and  Ganges,  74,  Captain  Anthony  James 
Pye  Molloy.  Howe  pursued,  endeavourino;  to  keep  touch  with 
the  enemy  by  means  of  his  frigates.  In  the  afternoon  the  Latona 
drew  within  shot  of  the  two  rearmost  French  frigates,  but  was 
driven  off  by  two  French  se van tj'-f ours,  which  went  to  their 
assistance.  In  their  anxiety  to  get  into  action  several  British 
ships  carried  away  their  topmasts.  The  enemy  was  again  sighted 
on  the  19th ;  but  bad  and  thick  weather  inteiiered  with  the 
operations,  and,  although  Howe  cruised  until  the  middle  of 
December,  he  failed  to  fall  in  with  the  foe. 

M.  Vaustabel  had  sailed  from  Brest  on  November  18th  with 
the  foUovdng  object  in  view.  What  had  occurred  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean will  be  shown  later.  Suflice  it  now  to  saj-  that  Lord  Hood 
had  occupied  Toulon  in  August.  The  French  Government  learnt 
of  a  supposed  intention  of  the  British  Admiralty  to  despatch  Vice- 
Admiral  Sir  John  Jervis  in  November  with  four  sail  of  the  hne, 
and  a  convoy  conveying  stores  and  troops  to  reinforce  Hood ;  and, 
in  order  to  intercept  Jervis,  Vanstabel  had  been  sent  to  sea  with 
a  squadron  of  new  ships  chosen  especially  for  their  speed. 

But  Jervis  was  not  destined  for  Toulon.  He  sailed  from 
St.  Helen's  on  November  26th  with  three  ships  of  the  hne,  two 
44-gun  ships,  and  several  frigates,  sloops,  and  transports  to  aid 
the  French  royahst  cause,  not  in  Toulon,  but  at  Martinique. 
Vanstabel  cruised  for  a  time,  but,  not  finding  the  expected  convoy, 
retm-ned  to  Brest  on  November  30th,  having  snapped  up  part  of 
a  homeward-bound  Newfoundland  fleet,  which  recompensed  him 
for  his  disappointment.  The  French  seem  to  have  been  further 
fortunate  in  that  Eear- Admiral  Sercey,  who  had  been  sent  out  to 
bring  home  a  provision-laden  convoy  from  the  West  Indies,  saw 
it  safely  into  Brest.' 

At  the  time  of  the  declaration  of  war  France  had  a  very 
powerful  fleet  in  Toulon.  To  hold  it  in  check,  various  detachments 
were  successively  sent  out  from  England  to  the  Mediterranean  : 
one,  early  in  April,  under  Eear-Admiral  John  Gell ;  a  second,  on 
April  15th,  under  Vice-Admiral  Phillips  Cosby;  a  third,  early  in 
May,  under  Vice-Admiral  WilUam  Hotham ;  and  a  fourth,  on 
'  Sercey,  at  least,  returoed  thitlier  with  the  Eoh,  Jupiter,  and  America. 


1793.] 


DE^siGNS   AGAINST   TOULON, 


203 


May  2-2ud,  uuder  Vice-Admiral  Lord  Hood,  who,  upon  reaching 
the  station,  superseded  Kear-Admiral  Samuel  Granston  Goodall 
as  Commander-in-Chief.  Hood  arrived  off  Toulon  in  the  middle 
of  August,  when  his  force  consisted  of  the  twenty-one  or  twenty- 
two  sail  of  the  line,  and  the  other  vessels  mentioned  in  the  note.^ 
The  French  had  in  the  port,  ready  for  sea,  one  120,  one  80, 
and  fifteen  74's,  besides  one  120,  one  80,  and  two  74's  refitting, 
two  80's  and  seven  74's  repairing,  or  needing  repair,  and  one  74 
building — a  total  of  thirty-one  ships  of  the  line,  in  addition  to 
twenty-seven    frigates   and    corvettes.-      The   French    naval    com- 

*  Fleet  under  Vice-Adiuiial  Lord  Ilcnd,  emiiloycd  at  Toulon  aud  on  otlicr  services 
August  to  December,  1T?3  : — 


Ships. 


Kiiiitiaiiil'i--. 


Shii*s. 


f'i>nnn;inders. 


Victory 


Britannia   .     . 
Windsor  Castle 

Princess  lioyaf 

St.  George 

Aleide 
TeiTibU  . 
Egmont  . 
Robust    . 
CourOi/eujr 

Bedford  . 
Berwick 
Captain . 
Fortitude 

Leviatfian 
Colossus  . 
Illustrious 
Ardent  . 
Diadtm  . 
Intrepid  I 


:4 

74 
74 
74 

74 

74 
74 
64 
64 

64 


(X'icf-Ailiiiiral     Samuel, 
Lurd  H.Hj.l  (10. 
llear-Admiral  Sir  Hyde 
I     I'arkt-r  t_2)  (;W)-     1^*^ 
I     Capt. 

ICapt.  John  Knight  (21. 
iVice-Adniinil    William 
'     HothQiu(\V>. 
lOapl.  Jubii  HuUoway. 

I  Vice- Admiral    rhillips 
l'usby(Ii). 
Capt.  Sir  Thomas  Bvard, 
Kt. 
I  Rear- Admiral     Samuel 

Granston  Goodall  (K). 
K.'apt.  John  Child  Purvis. 
lUear-Admiral         John 

G.-11(B). 
leapt.  Tliomas  FoU'y. 
tOommod.  lioht-rt  Lin/fc.a 
tCapt.  Juliii  Woodley. 
(     „    Skeffingion     Lut- 
(  widge. 

I     .,     Archibald      Dick- 
(  sun(l) 

)■     „    Hon.  George  Keith 
t  Elphinstoiie. 

i     „    Hon.         William 
i  Ualdegrave  (!).■» 

,.     llob.-rl  .Man  (3). 

„    Sir  John  Collins,  Kt. 

,,    Samuel  Keeve. 

„     William  VMung(l). 

{„  Hon.  Hugh  Sey- 
mour Con  way. i 
f  ,,  i'harU'8  Mork-e 
)  Pole. 

)     „    'I'liomas        Leuo.v 
I  Frederick. 

(     „    Kobi-rt      Maimers 
\  Suttnn. 

f    „    Andrew   Sulher-      i 
I  land.  I 

f     „     Hon.  Charles  Car-    I 

t  pt'IltlT. 


Atfontemnon 
St.  Albans-  . 
Homney  . 

Aiyle.      .      . 


Inconttuit' 

J.eda  . 
Ilomuliix 
Is  is    . 
Juno. 


Aimabli- 

Lowestoft 
Meltagtr. 
Mennaid 

AquHon  - 
Castor-  . 


Tartar    .     . 

Ampkitritc  . 
liulldoij^  . 
Ihilphin,  hosp.  ship 

Gorgon,  st.  ship 

Camel,  st.  ship. 

Fury-     . 
Weazel  - 

Speedy    .     .     . 

Scout,  brig  . 

Eclair     . 

Tisiplwiie 

Conjtai/ratioii,  f.s. 
Vulcan,  f.s.. 


64 
64 

50 


36 
36 
32 
32 


32 
32 


U 
44 


20 

14 
12 

14 

14 
23 


14 
14 


Capt.  Horatio  NVUou. 
,,     .Tames  Vashon. 
,,    Hon  AVilllam Pag.t. 
(     „    John      Nicholson 
I  lugleheld. 

I     „    Angiisitus     Mont- 
[  goraery. 

,,    George  Campbell. 
„    John  Sutton. 
„    George  Lumsdalne. 
„    Samuel  H..od  (2). 
'    ,,    Sir  Harry  Burrard, 
Bi. 
,,    William  Wolseley. 
,.    Charles  Tyler. 
„    John  'Iriggc. 
■     „     Hon.  Robert  Stop- 
ford. 
„    Thomai)        Trou- 

bridge. 
„    Sir  Charles  Hamil- 
ton, Bt. 
.,    Lord         Amelius 

Beauclerk. 
,,    Thomas      Francis 

Fremantle. 
„    Anthony  Hunt. 
Com.  George  Hope  (.1). 
„     James  Mav. 
„    Charles     William 

Paterson. 
,,    Benjamin     Hallo- 
well. o 
,,    Frank  Sotheron. 
„     William  Taylor. 
„    Charles   Cunning- 
ham. 
„    .Joseph  Hanwvll. 
,,     GeoiTje         Henry 

To  wry. 
„    Thomas        By  am 

Martin. 
,.    Kdward  Browne. 
,.    Jnbn  Matthews.' 


1  Appt-ais.  not  to  have  joined  until  the  end  of  August. 
'  Employed  on  convoy  service,  etc. 
5  Apjioiuted  in  Si^ptrmber. 

*  When  he  went  home  with  dispatches,  Capt.  John  Matthews  acted. 

»  When  he  went  home  ultli  dispatche:^,  Capt.  Benjamin  Hallowell  acted. 

•  Later,  Com.  Joseph  Short. 
'  Later,  Com.  Charles  Hare. 

*  French   ships  of  the   line   at    Toulon,   distiuguishiug   their   fate : — Burnt    or 
DESTROYED:   THomphant,  80;  Dtbtin,  74;  Centaure,  74;  Duguay  Trouin,  74;  Heros^ 


204 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1703-1802, 


[1793. 


mancler  was  Kear-Admiral  the  Cointe  de  Trogoff,  a  waiin  royalist. 
Many  of  his  officers  were  royaHsts  also ;  and  a  large  part  of  the 
population  of  the  neighbourhood  shared  their  opinions. 

On  August  2'2nd,  two  envoys  came  off  from  Marseilles  to  Hood's 
flagship,  the  Victory,  to  treat  for  the  surrender  of  the  port  and 
shipping  of  Toulon  to  the  British,  with  a  view  to  aiding  the 
re-establishment  of  a  monarchical   government   in  France.     These 


ADMIRAL   JOHN    HOLLOWAY. 
(From  an  cnoraved  portrait  bij  B.  li.  Cook,  when  Holloway  was  a  Vice-Admlral,  1804-9.) 


74;  Liherte  (as.-Dictateur),  li;  Siiffisaut,  'A ;  Thiiiiust(jcle,  'i;  Tricolor  (ex-Lys),  74. 
Taken  and  fitted  oot  by  the  Bkitish:  Commerce  de  MarsecUes,  120;  Pompee,  74; 
Puissant,  74;  Scipion,  74.  Left  to  the  Fkench  :  Dauphin  Royal  (later  Sans 
Calotte),  120;  Tonnant,SO;  Languedoc  (later  Victoire),  iiO ;  Co uro7ine  (later  ^a  Ira), 
80;  Beureux,  74;  Commerce  de  Bordeaux  (later  Timoleon),  74;  Mercure,  74;  Con- 
querant,  74 ;  Barras,  74 ;  Alcide,  li  ;  Censeur,  74 ;  Guerrier,  74 ;  Souverain  (later 
Snuverain  Peujile),  li;  Genereux,  74;  Untreprenant,  li;  Apollon  (later  Oasparin), 
74  ;  Orion  (later  Trente  et  Un  Mai),  li ;  Patriote,  li.  Tlie  frigates  and  small  craft 
carried  ofi'  by  the  British  were :  Arithuse  (later  Undaunted),  40;  Topaze,  40;  Pcrle 
(later  Amdliysl),  36;  Aurore,  36;  Lutine,  36;  Poulette,  '.'.S;  Belette,  28;  Proselyte,  24; 
Mozelle,  20;  Mulct,  18;  Sincere,  18;  and  Tarlcton,  14. 


1793.]  OCCUPATION   OF   TOULON.  205 

envoys  represented  that  Toulon  and  its  inhabitants  agreed  with 
their  \aews  and  would  also  send  off  delegates  to  the  Victory,  though, 
as  subsequently  appeared,  they  had  somewhat  overstated  the  case. 
The  delegates  never  arrived.  In  Toulon  the  state  of  parties  was 
somewhat  more  evenly  balanced  than  the  people  of  Marseilles 
believed.  Hood,  however,  at  once  publicly  declared  that,  if  Toulon 
were  placed  in  his  hands,  the  people  of  Provence  should  be  assisted 
in  securing  their  desire ;  and  he  also  called  upon  the  local  population 
to  rally  to  the  monarchy.  In  the  meantime,  Eear-Admiral  Saint- 
Julien,  a  republican,  second-in-command  of  the  fleet  at  Toulon, 
declared  against  Trogofl",  and  was  instrumental  in  preventing  the 
Toulon  delegates  from  going  on  board  the  Victory.  As  the  expected 
representatives  did  not  arrive.  Hood,  on  the  '24th,  sent  Lieutenant 


Jy      ^y    erj 


SIGKATUKE   OF    LOUD    HOOD,    AS    VICE-ADMUtAI,. 

Edward  Cooke,  of  the  Victory,  to  the  town  to  ascertain  the  state 
of  affairs  there.  This  officer,  by  the  exercise  of  great  tact,  managed 
to  get  into  the  dockyard  at  night,  but  was  not  pennitted  to  land 
until  the  following  morning.  He  was  then  taken  before  the 
royalist  committee,  which  agreed  to  Hood's  proposals.  On  his 
way  back  Cooke  was  arrested,  but  was  rescued  by  the  mob.  He 
afterwards  made  a  second  trip,  returning  on  the  evening  of  the 
20th  with  Captain  Baron  d'Imbert  of  the  Apollon,  74,  as  Eoyalist 
Special  Commissioner.  D'Imbert  assured  Hood  that  Louis  XVII. 
had  been  proclaimed  in  the  town  ;  whereupon  Hood  decided  to 
land  troops  and  to  take  possession  of  the  various  w'orks  com- 
manding the  ships  in  the  road.  It  should,  perhaps,  be  mentioned 
that,  on  the  2oth,  Marseilles  had  been  compelled  to  open  its  gates 
to  the  French  Eepublican  general,  Cartaux. 

Saint   Julien,    in   whose    favour    the    republican    seamen    had 
superseded   Trogoff,'   had  already  occupied   and   manned  the  forts 

'  Trogoff  had   been   seized   with   an  attacli   of  gout,  which   was   probably  of  a 
diplomatic  tj-pe. — 'Mems.  p.  serv.  i  I'Uist.  de  Toulon  en  1793.' 


206  MAJOB    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1793. 

on  the  west  side  of  the  harbour.  Hood  on  the  ilih.  landed  1500 
troops  and  about  200  seamen  and  Marines  under  Captain  the 
Hon.  George  Keith  Elphinstone,  of  the  Robust,  to  take  possession 
of  Fort  La  Malgue/  on  the  east  side  ;  and  Saint  JuHen  was  then 
infonned  that  such  ships  as  did  not  at  once  proceed  to  the 
inner  harbour  and  land  their  powder,  would  be  treated  as  enemies. 
Saint  Julien,  and  about  5000  French  seamen,  promptly  abandoned 
the  fleet,  and  took  refuge  inland  ;  and  the  French  ships  as  a  body 
then  moved  to  the  inner  harbour,  while  the  British,  and  a  Spanish 
contingent  of  seventeen  ships  of  the  line  which  had  just  arrived 
under  Admiral  Don  Juan  de  Langara,  anchored  in  the  outer 
road.  On  the  same  day  Hood  issued  a  fresh  proclamation  to  the 
inhabitants ;  and  on  the  '28th  he  received  a  satisfactory  address 
from  the  civil  and  military  authorities  ashore.  On  that  day  Spanish 
reinforcements  were  landed  at  La  Malgue ;  and  Hood  appointed 
Eear-Admiral  Goodall  to  be  governor  of  Toulon,  and  the  Spanish 
Rear- Admiral  Gravina  to  be  military  commandant. 

During  this  time  the  French  republican  army  had  approached 
from  the  direction  of  Marseilles ;  and  on  August  31st,  its  advance 
guard  was  defeated  and  driven  back  from  Ollioules  by  the  British 
and  Spanish  under  Captain  Elphinstone. 

In  September,  Cartaux's  army  from  the  west,  and  Lapoype's 
from  the  east,  gathered  round  the  town  and  perpetually  annoyed  the 
alUes,  whose  difficulties  were  increased  by  the  turbulent  behaviour 
of  the  French  seamen,  lately  belonging  to  the  ships  in  harbour. 
Hood  deported  these  on  September  14th,  sending  them  oS  under 
flags  of  truce  in  the  French  74-gun  ships  Orion,  ApoUon,  Patriate, 
and  Entreprenant,  the  first  going  to  Kochefort,  the  second  to 
Lorient,  and  the  third  and  fourth  to  Brest.  He  also  sent  the  brig 
Pluvier,  16,  to  Bordeaux. 

On  the  18th  the  republicans  opened  two  masked  batteries  at 
the  head  of  the  north-west  arm  of  the  inner  road  near  La  Petite 
Garenne,  upon  the  prize  frigate  Aurore,  36,  Captain  Henry  Inman, 
and  a  gunboat,  which  had  been  stationed  near  the  Poudriere,  to 
defend  the  head  of  the  harbour  and  to  cover  Fort  Malbousquet.  On 
the  19th  they  opened  another  battery  ;  and  the  St.  George,  98,  Rear- 
Admiral  Gell,  Captain  Thomas  Foley,  and  a  second  gunboat  moved 
up  to  assist  the  Aurore.  The  gunboats,  however,  were  presently 
obliged  to  slip  their  cables;  but  on  the  ^Oth  they  returned  to 
'  Possession  was  not  actually  taken  till  the  2Sth. 


'4«-.   /■/.     ^Ct^/i^jfy,„ 


'""  7    ■/'"-'-' 


1793.] 


DEFENCE   OF  TOULON. 


207 


the  attack,  and  one  of  them  was  subsequently  sunk  by  the  enemy's 
fire.  Eear-Admiral  Gell  was  later  detached  to  command  the  British, 
Spanish,  and  French  Koyalist  squadron  bound  for  Genoa ;  and  the 
place  of  the  .S7.  George  was  taken  on  the  '24th  by  the  Princess 
Boyal,  98,  Captain  John  Child  Purvis.  A  Spanish  74  also  co- 
operated ;  and  so  the  engaf^ement  went  on  day  after  day,  at 
intervals,  for  several  weeks.  In  the  course  of  that  time  troops 
were  brought  from  various  quarters  by  ships  which  had  been 
detached  for  the  purpose ;  and  the  Neapolitan  74-gun  ships, 
Guiscardo   and  Tancrcdi,  ariived.      On  the  night  of   the  30th  the 


TOCLON  :     FROM    A    PLAK    IN    THE    "  I.OSDON    MAGAZINE. 
iManij  <if  llif  namea  are  misspcU;  but  all  should  be  recognUabU.^ 


French  seized  the  heights  of  Faron ;  but  on  the  following  day 
they  were  driven  from  them  with  great  slaughter  by  Brigadier- 
General  Lord  Mulgrave,  Kear-Admiral  Gravina  and  Captain  Elphin- 
stone.  Napoleon  Bonaparte  took  a  prominent  part  in  this  affair, 
and,  it  is  also  interesting  to  note,  Nelson  was  present  in  the  port  in 
command  of  the  Agamemnon.  On  October  5th  the  Neapolitan  74, 
Samnita,  escorting  more  troops,  came  into  the  harbour  ;  and  on  the 
8th  it  was  resolved  to  attempt  the  destruction  of  certain  batteries 
which  the  French  had  recently  erected  to  threaten  the  shipping. 
They  were  carried  that  night  by  a  detachment  of  British,  Spanish, 
Piedmontese  and  Neapolitans,  with  a  British  naval  brigade,  under 


208  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1793. 

Lieutenant  Walter  Serocold  ;  and  the  guns,  which  it  was  found 
impossihle  to  remove,  were  destroyed. 

But  the  circle  of  works  to  be  lield  by  the  allies  was  large  ;  there 
were  only  2100  British  troops  in  the  place ;  and  there  was  much 
friction,  and  even  jealousy,  between  the  Spanish  and  British.  On 
one  occasion  de  Langara  even  went  so  far  as  to  covertly  threaten 
Lord  Hood.  Reinforcements  of  men  were  obtained  from  the  Grand 
Master  of  Malta ;  and  other  troops  dribbled  in  from  Naples  and 
Sicily,  till,  at  the  beginning  of  November,  the  allies  had  a  nominal 
force  of  little  fewer  than  17,000  men  in  the  place.  But  only  1'2,000 
were  fit  for  duty,  and  three-fourths  of  them  had  to  be  actually  on  the 
line  of  defence.  Moreover,  they  were  of  five  different  nationalities. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  were,  round  Toulon,  at  least  30,000  men 
under  General  Dugommier.  Nevertheless,  the  allies  won  some 
slight  successes  at  Balaguier,  on  the  night  of  November  15th ;  but 
on  the  30th  they  received  a  severe  check  in  an  attempt  upon  a 
work  opposite  Fort  Malbousquet.  Early  in  December  the  besieging 
army  had  increased  to  at  least  45,000  men,  while  the  available 
strength  of  the  besieged  was  less  than  11,000  men,  the  majority 
being  distributed  over  a  line  of  works  fifteen  miles  in  length.  On 
the  night  of  December  14th,  while  a  storm  was  raging,  the  French 
approached  the  works  at  three  different  points  simultaneously,  and 
began  their  final  operations.  By  the  afternoon  of  the  17th  they 
liad  seized  Fort  Mulgrave  on  the  height  of  Balaguier,  and  had  made 
themselves  masters  of  the  works  on  Faron,  so  that  the  line  of 
defence  was  broken  in  two  essential  places.  Many  of  the  ships  had 
at  once  to  unmoor  and  retire  to  safer  points. 

A  council-of-war,  composed  of  the  aUied  naval  and  military 
commanders,  was  instantly  held,  and  it  was  unanimously  determined 
to  evacuate  Toulon  as  soon  as  the  necessary  arrangements  could  be 
made  to  carry  off  such  ships,  and  with  them  such  of  the  royalist 
insurgents,  as  could  be  taken  away ;  and  to  destroy  the  remaining 
vessels,  with  the  arsenal  and  magazine.  So  decided  was  the 
advantage  gained  by  the  besiegers  that  the  council-of-war  was 
anxious  to  begin  these  measures  that  very  night.  Admiral  de 
Langara  undertook  personally  to  see  to  part  of  the  destruction. 
The  troops  from  the  further  posts  were  speedily  yet  quietly  with- 
drawn ;  but  the  orderly  evacuation  of  Forts  Malbousquet  and 
Miessiesy  was  prevented  by  a  j)anic  which  seized  on  some 
Neapolitan   soldiers,  who  retired  to  their  ships  in  great  confusion. 


1793.]  EVACUATION   OF   TOULON.  209 

By  the  evening  of  the  18th,  however,  all  the  remaining  troops 
were  withdrawn  into  the  town  and  Fort  La  Malgue,  ready  to  be 
«nil)arked  as  soon  as  the  burning  of  the  ships  should  announce 
that  the  inght  moment  had  arrived. 

The  important  task  of  destroying  the  shipping  and  magazines 
was  entrusted,  at  his  own  request,  to  Captain  Sir  William  Sidney 
Smith,  E.N.,  who  had  come  as  a  volunteer  in  the  SicaUoir,  a  little 
■vessel  purchased  and  manned  by  himself  at  Smyrna.  On  the 
afternoon  of  the  18th,  with  the  Swallow,  and  three  Spanish  and 
three  British  gunboats,  he  entered  the  inner  harbour,  and  in  spite 
of  falling  shot  and  shell  from  the  batteries  of  the  besiegers,  of  the 
threatening  attitude  of  a  number  of  liberated  galley  slaves,  and 
finally,  of  a  heavy  fire  from  the  approaching  French  troops,  he 
began  his  business  at  about  8  p.m.  The  Vulcan,  fireship.  Com- 
mander Charles  Hare,  was  towed  into  the  basin,  and  placed  in  the 
most  advantageous  position  athwart  the  tier  of  French  men-of-war 

SIGNATURE   OF   C.VPT.    THE    HON".    GEORGE    KEITH    EI.I'HIXSTONE,    LATER    ADMIKAI, 

VISCOUNT    KEITH. 

there.  At  10  r.M.  she,  and  all  the  trains  laid  to  the  magazines 
and  storehouses,  were  simultaneously  fired,  upon  signal  being 
made.  Instantly  a  gigantic  blaze  burst  forth.  By  its  light  the 
British  hurriedly  sought  to  complete  their  mission  of  ruin,  while 
the  French  from  without,  drawing  ever  nearer,  sought  to  slay 
•or  drive  off  the  destroyers.  The  excitement  and  danger  of  the 
situation  seem  to  have  proved  too  much  for  the  Spaniards,  who 
were  co-operating  with  Smith.  They  have  even,  and  with  some 
:show  of  reason,  been  axjcused  of  deliberate  treacherj'.  Instead  of 
scuttling  the  Iris,  32,^  which  was  laden  w'ith  an  immense  quantity 
of  powder,  they  fired  her,  and  she  blew  up  with  a  tremendous 
explosion,  smashing  to  pieces  the  British  gunboat  Union,  and 
another  vessel,  which  lay  near  her.  Providentially  only  thi-ee  of 
the  Union's  people  were  killed,  the  rest  being  picked  up.  "When 
•Smith  had  finished  his  work  in  the  dockyard  to  the  westward,  he 

'  Taken  by  the  Frencli  from  the  British  in  1779. 
VOL.    IV.  P 


210  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1793. 

tried  to  enter  the  inner  basin,  which  lies  in  front  of  the  town  quaj'" 
and  to  the  eastward  of  the  arsenal ;  but  its  mouth  had  been  boomed, 
and  he  could  not  get  in.  He  destroyed,  however,  the  Hews  and 
Themistocle,  74's,  in  the  inner  road;  and  then,  having  done  all  he 
could,  he  was  about  to  retire,  when  a  second  powder  vessel,  the 
Montreal,  32,^  blew  up  close  to  him,  fortunatel}-,  however,  causing 
no  serious  damage  to  the  British.  Half  dead  from  the  effects  of 
heat  and  fatigue.  Smith  and  his  party  went  back  to  the  fleet,  Forts 
Balaguier  and  Aiguillette  sending  a  few  shots  after  them. 

Among  the  number  of  officers  who  assisted  Smith  in  this  critical 
service  were  Commanders  Charles  Hare  and  William  Edge  (of  the 
prize  sloop  Albert,  which  was  destroyed),  and  Lieutenants  Charles- 
Tupper,  Eichard  Holloway,  Matthew  Wrench,  John  Gore,  Thomas 
Foord  Kichmond,  John  Melhuish,  Kalph  Willett  Miller,  Charles 
Dudley  Pater,  John  Stiles,  Eobert  Gambier  Middleton,  Joseph 
Priest,  Francis  Cox,  James  Morgan  and  Henry  Hill.  The  loss, 
was  sUght. 

On  the  outburst  of  the  conflagratioii  in  the  dockyard  the 
evacuation  of  the  town  had  begun  under  the  direction  of  Captains 
the  Hon.  J.  K.  Elphinstone,  of  the  Robust,  Benjamin  Hollowell 
of  the  Leviathan,  and  John  Matthews  of  the  Couragcux ;  and  all 
the  troops  were  on  board  the  fleet  by  dajdight  on  the  19th,  having 
lost  not  a  single  man  in  the  process  of  withdrawal.  A  British 
fireship,  the  Conflagration,  being  under  repair,  could  not  be  moved, 
and  was  burnt  to  save  her  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
The  Robust  was  the  rearmost  ship  as  the  fleet  quitted  the  harbom\ 
During  the  operations  ashore,  as  well  as  afloat,  the  seamen  behaved 
most  admirably. 

The  fleet  carried  off  14,877  of  the  royalist  population :  it  could 
not  take  on  board  more.  The  fate  of  those  who  were  perforce  left 
behind  was  terrible.  Pm-sued  by  the  victorious  EepubHcans  to  the 
quay,  men,  women  and  children  were  shot  down  or  bayoneted 
ruthlessly  by  hundreds,  perhaps  by  thousands.  Some  rushed 
frantically  into  the  water  after  the  retreating  boats  of  the  allies,  and 
were  drowned.  The  French  Government  had  deliberately  decreed 
the  death  of  all  the  inhabitants,  and  the  demolition  of  the  town. 
General  Dugommier  protested ;  but  the  Eepublican  Deputies,  not 
content  with  the  slaughter   by  the   troops,   held   daily  executions, 

'  Captured  fii'in  tlie  Auiericans  by  the  British,  aud,  from  them,  by  the   French, 
ill  1781. 


1793.] 


DESTRUCTION   OF  FliESCH  SHIPS. 


211 


until,  so  it  was  estimated,  over  GOOO  of  the  Toulonnais  had,  in  one 
way  or  another,  paid  the  penalty. 

The  work  of  destruction  was  but  badly  done  by  the  allies.  Of 
thirty-one  French  ships  of  the  line  in  port  nine  only  were  burnt 
or  sunk,  and  four  only  carried  off;  so  that  no  fewer  than  eighteen, 
including  the  four  which  had  been  despatched  to  Atlantic  ports 
with  the  refractory  seamen,  remained  to  the  Republicans.'     Of  the 


i 


ADMIR.VI.   sni   S.\MUKL    Uiiiili       I    ,    \l-(  .1   ST    IIOOU,    li.VUT.,    Q.C.B. 
(.From  the  portrait  hij  Sir  J.  Reynolds.) 

twenty-seven  frigates  and  corvettes,  five  were  destroyed,  fifteen  were 
carried  off,  and  seven  left  to  the  Eepublicans.  Still,  looking  to 
the  suddenness  of  the  events  which  compelled  the  hasty  evacua- 
tion, to  the  jealousy  and  treachery  of  the  Spaniards,  and  to  the 
cowardice  of  the  Neapolitans  at  the  last  moment,  it  is  perhaps 
astonishing  that  so  much  was  done  as  was  done.^ 

'  For  the  names,  see  note  on  i>p.  20.t-  \. 

^  ' Mum.  p.  serv.  i\  ruistoire  lie  Toulon  en  1793':  'Hist,  de  I'Armee  des  Bouches 
du  Rhone,'  etc.  (J.  E.  Michel.     Paris,  1797) ;  Corresp.  de  Trogoff  (Sect.  Hist,  de  la 

P  2 


212  MAJOB    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [17:)3. 

Hood  detached  from  Toulon  in  September  a  small  squadron' 
under  Commodore  Kobert  Linzee,  who,  after  a  vain  endeavoiir  to 
raise  the  Eojalists  at  Ville  Franche,  stood  across  to  Corsica,  the 
garrisons  of  which  he  had  been  ordered  to  reduce  if  they  should  not 
declare  in  favour  of  the  monarchy.  A  few  peasants  came  down  to 
the  shore  in  the  country  districts  and  gladly  accepted  anus  and 
ammunition  from  the  squadron ;  but  Calvi,  San  Fiorenzo,  and 
Bastia,  the  strong  places  of  the  island,  made  no  signs  of  amity. 
It  was  obviously  impossible  for  Linzee,  with  but  three  ships  of 
the  line  and  two  frigates,  to  attempt  to  blockade  three  separate 
parts.  But  the  Conmiodore  decided  to  do  something,  and  began 
operations  with  an  attack  on  the  defences  of  Forneilli,  a  post 
about  two  miles  from  San  Fiorenzo,  which  town  lies  at  the  head 
of  a  deep  bay  near  the  north  end  of  the  island.  At  the  mouth  of 
this  bay,  on  the  west  shore,  stood  a  remarkable  tower,  said  to  be 
the  first  of  its  kind,  a  Martello,  or,  more  properly,  a  Mortella  tower. 
It  was  a  nearly  cyhndrical  stone  building,  having  one  24-poimder  and 
two  18-pounder  guns  on  its  summit.  The  only  means  of  entrance 
was  by  a  door  about  twenty  feet  up  the  wall.  After  a  couple 
of  broadsides  from  the  Loivestoft,  the  enemy  abandoned  the  tower, 
which  was  taken  possession  of  by  boats  imder  Lieutenants  John 
Gibb  and  Francis  Charles  Annesley.  The  squadron  then  entered, 
and  anchored  in,  the  bay  ;  but  instead  of  at  once  attacking  Forneilli, 
Linzee,  for  some  unexplained  reason,  delayed  until  October  1st, 
when  the  garrison  had  perfected  its  pi'eparations.  Fire  was  opened 
on  the  main  redoubt  at  3.30  a.m.  on  that  day  by  the  Anient, 
followed  by  the  Alcide  and  Courageux ;  but  no  visible  effect  was 
produced  on  the  work ;  and  at  8.15  a.m.  the  Commodore  signalled 
the  ships  to  haul  out  of  gunshot.  The  Courageux  and  Ardent  had 
hoth  suffered  severely,  and  had  lost,  the  former,  Lieutenant  Ludlow 
Jjheils  and  1  seaman  killed,  and  13  people  wounded,  and  the  latter 
1-1  killed  and  17  wounded.  The  guns  opposed  to  the  ships  on  this 
occasion  were  thirteen  2-4-pcunders,  two  8-poimders,  and  one 
4-pounder,  with  six  heavy  mortars,  mounted,  some  in  the  redoubt, 
and  some  near  the  town. 


INfariiie);  'Eevol.  Koyaliste  de  Toulon'  (d'Imbert);  'Rapport  sur  la  Trahison,'  etc. 
(.1.  B.  Saint- Andre)  ;  Afon item;  and  other  contemporary  journals.  In  addition  to  the 
luhlished  British  authorities. 

'  Alcide,  74,  Commod.  Kobert  Linzee,  Capt.  John  Woodley ;  Votirageux,  74,  Capt. 
John  Matthews;  Ardent,  64,  Capt.  Robert  Manners  Sutton;  Lowestoft,  32,  Capt. 
A\'illiani  Wolseley  ;  and  Nemesis,  28,  Capt.  Lord  Amelius  Beauclerk. 


1793.]  OPERATIONS   AT  GENOA    AND   SPEZZIA.  213 

Apart  from  the  French  fleet  at  Toulon  there  were,  cruising  in 
the  Mediterranean,  one  74-gun  ship,  twelve  frigates,  and  four 
corvettes,  belonging  to  the  French  Toulon  fleet.  Of  these  two 
were  captured  by  a  detachment  which  Hood,  while  at  Toulon, 
had  sent  in  search  of  them.  The  Modeste,  36,  was  discovered  by 
the  Bedford,  74,  Captain,  74,  and  Speedy,  14,  on  October  5th, 
with  two  armed  tartans,  at  anchor  within  the  mole  of  Genoa. 
The  French  party  being  strong  in  the  city,  it  was  decided  not  to 
respect  the  nominal  neutrality  of  the  port ;  and  in  the  afternoon, 
therefore,  the  British  ships  stood  in,  and  the  Bedford,  Captain 
Eobert  Man  (3),  warping  herself  close  to  the  Modeste,  boarded  and 
carried  her,  while  the  boats  of  the  Speedy,  Commander  Charles 
Cunningham,  took  and  brought  off  the  tartans.  The  Captain, 
Captain  Samuel  Eeeve,  afterwards  proceeded  to  Spezzia  Bay, 
where  the  Impcrieuse,  38,  was  known  to  be  lying.  On  the  morning 
of  October  12th,  Eeeve  towed  in  his  ship  and  moored  her  close  to 
the  frigate,  and  to  the  battery  of  Santa  Maria ;  and  at  8  a.m.  the 
Captain's  boats  took  possession  of  the  Frenchman,  which  was- 
found  to  be  abandoned  and  scuttled.  The  Imperieuse,  however, 
was  weighed  and,  imder  the  name  of  the  Unite,  there  being  already 
an  Imperieuse  in  the  service,  was  added  to  the  Eoyal  Navy. 

On  more  distant  stations  hostilities  began  very  early  in  the 
year.  On  May  7th,  in  pursuance  of  instructions  from  home,  a  small 
military  force  was  embarked  at  Halifax,  and,  convoyed  by  the 
Alligator,  28,  Captain  William  Affleck,  and  the  Diligente,  an  armed 
schooner,  captured  the  French  islands  of  St.  Pierre  and  Miquelon 
without  resistance  on  May  14th. 

In  pursuance  of  other  instructions  from  home,  a  militarj'  force 
embarked  on  April  12th  at  Bridgetown,  Barbados,  on  board  the 
Trusty,  50,  Vice-Admiral  Sir  John  Laforey,  Captain  John  Drew, 
Nautilus,  16,  Commander  Lord  Henry  Paulet,  Hind,  amied 
schooner,  and  Hero,  merchantman,  and,  on  the  14th,  was  landed 
on  the  French  island  of  Tobago.  The  governor  refused  to  sur- 
render, and  at  1  p.m.  on  the  15th  the  fort  of  Scarborough  was 
carried  by  assault,  the  British  losing  only  3  killed  and  25  wounded. 
The  island  then  capitulated. 

An  attempt  upon  Martinique  in  co-operation  with  some  French 
royalists  was  less  successful.  It  was  made  by  Eear- Admiral  Alan 
Gardner's  squadron,  which  included  the  Queen,  98,  Captain  John 
Hutt,  Duke,  98,  Captain  the  Hon.  George  MmTay  (2),  Hector,  74. 


•^14  MAJOR    OPERATIOKS,    1793-1802.  [1793. 

Captain  George  Montagu,  and  Motutirh,  74,  Captain  Sir  James 
Wallace,  troops  from  Barbados  co-operating  under  Major-General 
Bruce.  The  attack  miscarried  owing  to  some  misunderstanding, 
but  many  of  the  French  Koyalists  ^^■ere  taken  off.  Those,  how- 
ever, who  remained  met,  it  is  to  be  feared,  with  heavy  punishment 
for  having  assisted  the  cause  of  the  enemies  of  republican  France. 

On  the  Jamaica  station  Commodore  John  Ford  was  encouraged 
by  Eoyahst  overtm-es  from  San  Domingo  to  attempt  Jeremie  and 
St.  Nicolas  Mole.  Taking  on  board  troops  at  Port  Koyal  on 
September  9th,  he  proceeded,  with  his  broad  pennant  in  the 
Europa,  .50,  Captain  George  Gregory,  to  Jeremie,  where  he  arrived 
on  September  19th.  Accompanying  him  were  the  Goelan,^  14, 
Commander  Thomas  WoUey  and  the  Flying  Fisli,  schooner.  The 
British  were  welcomed  with  joy,  and  the  place  was  taken  possession 
of  in  the  name  of  the  French  crown.  On  the  '21st  the  Commodore 
was  off  St.  Nicolas  Mole,  which  was  found  to  be  in  expectation  of 
an  assault  from  a  body  of  blacks  and  mulattoes.  He  induced  the 
place  to  capitulate  ;  and,  later  in  the  year,  he  received  the  surrender 
of  other  towns  in  the  island,  including  Leogane. 

Information  of  the  outbreak  of  war  reached  Foi't  George  on 
June  1st,  and  Fort  William  on  June  11th.  The  French  were 
almost  powerless  in  India ;  and  Chandernagore,  Carical,  Mahe, 
and  other  ports  were  summoned,  and  yielded  without  resistance. 
But  when  Colonel  Prosper  de  Clermont,  governor  of  Pondicherry, 
was  summoned  on  August  ]  st,  he  refused  to  capitulate.  The  town 
was,  therefore,  bombarded  on  and  after  August  '20th,  and  on  the 
■23rd  it  was  induced  to  surrender.  During  the  brief  siege,  the 
•Minerva,  38,  Rear-Admiral  the  Hon.  William  Cornwallis,  Captain 
John  Whitby,  assisted  by  three  East  Indiamen,  blockaded  the  port 
and  on  one  occasion  drove  off  the  French  frigate  Cijhele,  Captain 
Pierre  Julien  Trehouart,  which,  with  three  smaller  vessels,  en- 
deavoured to  throw  supplies  and  reinforcements  into  the  town. 

"During  the  year  1793,"  says  Jauies,  "  the  British  cruisers  had  eil'ected  the  capture 
or  destruction  of  140  French  armed  vessels,  including  52  belonging  to  the  national 
navy.  Of  the  national  ships,  but  35  were  captured;  and,  out  of  these,  30  were  added 
to  the  British  N.ivy,  exclusive  of  si.\  of  the  88  captured  privateers.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  loss  sustained  by  the  latter  was  coniji.aratively  slight,  including  but  four  vessels, 
ni'.d  not  one  of  these  above  a  small  32-gun  frigate." 

The  war  had  therefore  begun  well,  although  there  had  been  no 
general  engagement  between  the  combatants. 

'  Sucli  was  the  Navy  List's  rendering  of  the  Fiench  Goilund,  i.e..  Seagull, 


1794.]  ItEOROANISATION   OF   THE  FRENCH   NAVY.  215 

After  the  French  Brest  fleet  had  returned  to  that  port  from  off 
Belleisle  in  September,  1793,  the  French  republican  Government 
remorselessly  weeded  out  all  officers  and  men  who  were  believed 
to  be  disaffected  to  the  new  order  of  things.  M.  Louis  Thomas 
Villaret-Joyeuse,  previously  a  lieutenant,'  was  promoted  to  be  rear- 
admiral,  and  was  given  command-in-chief  in  place  of  M.  Morard 
dj  Galles.  He  hoisted  his  flag  in  the  Montague,  a  r20-gun  three- 
decker,  which  had  been  previously  known  as  the  Cdte  d'Or,  and  still 
earlier  as  the  Etats  de  Bourgogne.  It  was  at  about  that  time  that 
the  tricolour  was  adopted  as  the  French  national  ensign.  It  was 
not  believed  in  Pans  that  either  the  spirit  of  the  officers  and  men 
or  the  ability  of  Villaret  was  sufficient  to  insure  that  the  fine  fleet 
assembled  at  Brest  would  do  its  duty.  The  deputy,  Jean  Bon  Saint 
Andre,  induced  the  National  Convention  to  adopt  a' decree  declaring 
that  the  captain  and  officers  of  any  ship  of  the  line  belonging  to 
the  Kepublic  who  should  haul  down  the  national  colours  to  the 
vessels,  however  mmierous,  of  an  enemj',  unless  the  French  ship 
should  be  shattered  so  as  to  be  in  danger  of  sinking  before  the 
crew  could  be  saved,  should  be  pronounced  traitors  to  their  country 
and  suffer  death  ;  and  that  the  captain  and  officers  of  any  frigate, 
corvette,  or  smaller  vessel,  who  should  sun-ender  to  a  force  double 
their  own,  unless  their  ship  was  reduced  to  the  before-mentioned 
extremity,  should  be  pmiished  in  the  same  manner.  Eventually 
Jean  Bon  Saint  Andre  himself  accompanied  the  fleet  to  sea,  in 
Older  to  encourage  or  terrorise  the  officers  and  men  into  doing  their 
best  for  the  Eepublic. 

The  British  Channel  Fleet  had  lain  at  anchor  during  the  winter; 
yet  it  had  cruisers  near  the  French  coast,  and  it  was  always  ready 
to  put  to  sea  on  receipt  of  news  that  the  Brest  fleet  had  come  out. 
But,  as  the  spring  drew  on,  additional  duties  claimed  its  services. 
Large  convoys  were  preparing  to  sail  for  the  East  and  West 
Indies,  and  for  Newfomidland,  and  these  had  to  be  seen  clear  of 
the  Channel ;  and  a  large  French-American  convoy,  under  Rear- 
Admiral  Vanstabel,  laden  with   stores,  which  were  greatly  needed 

'  Previous  to  tlie  reiirganisation  of  the  French  navy  unde.'  the  Republic,  both 
Villaret-Joyeuse  and  Bouvet  were  merely  lieutenants,  and  Nielly  was  only  a  sub- 
lieutenant. Of  the  twenty-six  captains  commanding  French  ships  of  the  line  on  the 
glorious  First  of  .June,  but  one  had  been  a  captain  under  the  monarchy.  Of  the  rest, 
fi.ur  liad  been  lieutenants,  ten  sub-lieutenants,  one  a  jietty  officer,  and  one  a  seaman  in 
the  navy  ;  two  had  been  merchant  captains,  aad  seven  h.ad  bsen  pilots,  merch.int  mates, 
masters  of  coasting  craft,  etc. — Guerin,  vi.  .503,  .504. 


216  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [17'J4. 

in  France,  was  known  to  be  on  its  way  home,  and  this  had  to 
be,  if  possible,  intercepted.  The  British  outward-bound  convoy 
assembled  at  St.  Helen's  by  May  2nd.  On  that  day  it  weighed, 
and  on  the  -Ith,  being  off  the  Lizard,  it  was  ordered  by  Lord 
Howe,  the  Commander-in-Chief,  to  part  company  with  him,  Eear- 
Admiral  George  Montagu  (B.)  being  directed,  with  six  74-gun  ships 
and  two  frigates,  to  accompany  it  as  far  as  the  latitude  of  Cape 
Finisterre,  and  Captain  Peter  Eainier,  with  the  Suffolk,  74,  one 
64,  and  fom:  or  five  frigates,  being  directed  to  see  it  further  on  its 
voyage.  These  detachments  reduced  the  fleet  to  twenty-six  sail 
of  the  line,  seven  frigates,  one  hospital  ship,  two  fireships,  one 
sloop,  and  two  cutters.  Howe  then  made  for,  and  early  on  the  5th 
arrived  off,  Ushant.  He  sent  the  Phaeton  and  Latona,  covered  by 
the  Orion,  round  the  island  to  ascertain  if  the  French  fleet  were 
still  in  port,  and  they  discovered  the  enemy  to  be  at  anchor  in 
Brest  Koad.  Howe  realised  that  there  was  great  probability  of 
the  French  coming  out  to  extend  their  protection  to  the  expected 
convoy  from  America,  and  therefore  he  made  for  the  latitude 
through  which  the  latter  would  be  likely  to  pass.  From  the  5th 
to  the  Ibth  he  cruised  in  the  Bay,  but  saw  nothing  of  the  French. 
On  the  19th,  having  returned  off  Ushant,  he  again  ordered  the 
Phaeton  and  Latona  to  reconnoitre  the  anchorage,  which  was 
found  to  be  empty  ;  and  the  reconnoitring  vessels  came  back  with 
the  information,  derived  from  an  American  craft,  that  the  French 
had  sailed  some  days  previously. 

Eear-Admiral  Vanstabel  had  left  Brest  on  September  26th, 
1793,  with  the  Jean  Bart,  74,  Tigre,  74,  two  frigates  and  a  brig, 
subsequently  reinforced  by  two  sail  of  the  line,  to  bring  home  the 
American  convoy.  He  had  reached  Virginia  in  February,  1794, 
and  had  sailed  on  his  return  on  April  2nd,  with  a  merchant  fleet 
of  117  sail.  On  May  6th,  Kear-Admiral  Joseph  Marie  Nielly  with 
the  Sans  Pareil,  80,  the  Aiidacleux,  Patriote,  Tenieraire,  and 
Trajan,  74's,  and  several  frigates  and  corvettes,  including  the 
Republicaine,  Inconnue,  and  Maire  Guiton,  had  left  Rochefort  to 
meet  Vanstabel  and  his  convoy,  and  to  see  him  into  port.  On 
May  16th,  the  main  French  fleet  under  Villaret,  consisting  of  25 
ships  of  the  line  and  a  contingent  of  frigates  and  corvettes,  had  sailed 
from  Brest  with  a  fair  north-east  wind,  its  object  being  the  same 
as  that  of  Nielly's  division,  namely,  the  safety  of  the  American 
convoy.     It  has  since  been  established   that  on    May  17th,  during 


1794.]  HOWE'S  ANXIETY  FOR   MONTAGU.  217 

a  fog,  the  French  and  British  fleets  were  quite  close  to  one  another. 
On  the  18th,  however,  when  the  fog  lifted,  they  had  passed  out  of 
sight. 

On  the  19th,  Villaret  was  joined  by  the  Patriate,  of  Nielly's 
squadron,  with  the  information  that  Nielly  had  captured  the 
Castor,  32,  Captain  Thomas  Troubridge,  and  a  large  part  of  a 
British  Newfoundland  convoy ;  and  on  the  same  day  Villaret 
himself  took  part  of  a  Dutch  Lisbon  convoy. 

On  the  19th,  also,  the  Venus,  32,  Captain  William  Brown  (1), 
from  Rear-Admiral  Montagu's  squadron,  joined  Howe  with  the 
news  that  Montagu,  having  parted  company  with  the  East  India 
convoy  on  the  11th,  had  afterwards  cruised  in  search  of  the  French 
American  convoy,  and  had,  on  the  15th,  captured  the  Maire  Guiton 
of  Nielly's  squadron,  and  recaptured  ten  sail  of  the  Newfoundland 
convoy.  Montagu  had  learned  from  these  captm-es  that  Nielly  and 
Vanstabel  were  likely  to  unite,  and  that  their  strength  would  then 
be  nine  ships  of  the  line,  besides  several  frigates  and  corvettes  ;  and 
he  had,  therefore,  detached  the  Venus  to  request  reinforcements, 
while  he  himself  steered  in  a  direction  which,  he  believed,  would 
enable  him  to  intercept  Vanstabel  before  Nielly  could  join  him,  or 
to  receive  the  solicited  reinforcement  in  time  to  give  him  power  to 
strike  at  Nielly  and  Vanstabel  imited,  should  they  join. 

Howe,  from  information  in  his  possession  as  to  the  course  of 
Villaret,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Montagu  was  in  danger ;  and 
on  the  20th,  at  4  a.m.,  he  made  sail  with  the  intention  of  joining  his 
subordinate.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  21st  he  sighted  that  part 
of  the  Dutch  Lisbon  convoy  which  had  been  taken  by  the  French 
main  fleet,  and,  in  the  course  of  the  morning,  he  took  and  burnt 
more  than  half  of  it.  The  convoy  had  quitted  Villaret  on  the  19th 
in  lat.  AT  46'  N.  and  long.  11"  22'  W. 

As,  therefore,  the  French  were  probably  quite  close  to  him, 
Howe  abandoned  his  intention  of  joining  Montagu,'  and  went  in 
pursuit  of  the  enemy.  He  was,  however,  eventually  driven  too 
much  to  the  south.  At  8  a.m.  on  the  23rd  he  came  upon  some 
captured  Dutch  vessels,  which  had  parted  from  the  French  fleet  on 

'  Howe  has  been  blamed  for  not  liavina;  ado])ted  measures  to  secure  the  junction 
with  him  of  Montagu,  when  he  liad  determined  not  himself  to  seek  further  for  that 
oflicer.  He  might  have  sent  frigates  to  look  for  him.  Even  then,  however,  he  could 
not  have  ensured  the  presence  of  Montagu  ere  the  meeting  with  the  French  fleet.  On 
the  other  hand,  any  detachment  of  frigates  would  have  weakened  himself,  and  might 
have  resulted  in  leading  the  enemy  to  Montagu. 


218  MAJOR    OI'EUATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1794. 

the  "Jlst.  The  wind  them  luNdunxl  him  ;  and  on  the  'iith,  at  noon, 
the  British  were  within  a  few  miles  of  where  the  French  were 
estimated  to  have  been  on  the  '21st,  namely  in  lat.  47°  34'  N.  and 
long.  13'  .5.j'  W.  The  British  held  a  course  about  W.S.W.  till 
4  P.M.  on  the  'i.'jth,  when  a  French  74,  towing  a  merchant  brig,  was 
discovered  far  to  windward,  and  two  other  strange  ships  were  seen 
to  the  eastward.  The  brig  was  taken  and  proved  to  be  an  Amei'icau. 
The  74,  which  cast  off  and  escaped,  was  found  to  be  the  Andacieu.r 
on  her  way  to  join  the  Brest  fleet  from  Nielly's  squadron,  which  she 
had  quitted  only  on  the  previous  evening.  She  subsequently  reached 
ViUaret  in  safety.  The  two  strange  sail,  the  liepiihUcainc,  20,  and 
Inconnue,  16,  which  were  also  from  Nielly's  squadron,  were  taken ; 
a,nd  as  Howe  did  not  desire  to  weaken  his  force  by  sending  away 
prize  crews,  they  were  burnt. 

The  fleet  tacked  in  chase,  and,  at  noon  on  the  25th,  again  hauled 
on  the  starboard  tack  with  the  wind  at  N.  by  E.  At  dawn  on  the 
26th  it  tacked  once  more,  and  at  noon,  when  the  wind  had  changed 
to  W.  by  S.,  it  steered  to  the  north.  On  the  27th,  at  9  a.m.,  Howe 
bore  up,  and  ran  to  the  eastward,  with  the  wind  then  on  his  star- 
board quarter.  On  the  28th,  at  about  6.30  a.m.,  being,  as  the 
following  noon  observation  showed,  in  lat.  47^  34'  N.  and  long. 
13°  39'  W.,  with  a  fresh  wind  from  S.  by  W.  and  a  rough  sea,  the 
British  look-out  frigates  signalled  a  fleet  to  windward.  At  8.15  a.m. 
Bear-Admiral  Pasley,  with  the  weathermost  division,  consisting  of 
his  ship,  the  Bellerophon,  and  the  liusseU,  Marlhoruugh,  and 
Thunderer,  was  ordered  to  reconnoitre ;  and  at  9  A.M.  the  strangers, 
who  had  wore,  were  seen  bearing  down  under  topgallant  sails. 
Upon  that,  Howe  signalled  to  prepare  for  action,  and,  having  re- 
called his  frigates,  directed  Pasley,  at  9.45,  to  shorten  sail.  At 
10  A.M.  the  French  fleet,  of  twenty-six  sail  of  the  line  and  five 
frigates,  being  then  within  nine  or  ten  miles,  hauled  to  the  wind  on 
the  larboard  tack,  and  lay  to.  A  little  later  it  formed  a  rather 
ragged  line  ahead.  The  British  ships  were  ordered  to  wear  in 
succession ;  and  at  10.35  they  came  to  on  the  larboard  tack  and 
pressed  to  windward  in  two  divisions,  with  Pasley's  division  as  a 
flying  squadi'on.  At  11.10  a  signal  was  made  to  the  effect  that 
there  would  be  time  for  the  men  to  have  dinner. 

Soon  after  one  o'clock  the  French  filled,  made  sail,  and  began  to 
tack.  At  1.30  Howe  ordered  Pasley  to  annoy  the  enemy's  rear,  and 
at  1.45,  as  the  French  appeared  to  be  inclined  to  make  off',  Howe 


1794.] 


IIO]yE   OS   MAY  287/1. 


219 


ordered  a  general  chase,  signalling  soon  afterwards  for  the  ships  to 
engage  the  enemy  as  they  came  up  with  him. 

At  "2.40  the  liiisscll,  which  was  nearly  a  mile  to  windward  of  the 
rest  of  Pasley's  division,  tired  a  few  rounds  at  the  rear-most  French 
ships  as  they  hauled  on  the  starhoard  tack,  and  was  fired  at  bj' 
them.  Just  before  3  p.m.,  the  enemy's  rear  ship  being  immediately 
abeam  of  her,  the  Delleroplwn   tacked ;    and  soon   afterwards   th 


AIiMlltAI.    SIU   TIUlMAS    I'ASI.EY,    BAItT. 
I  From  an  ciiijrmiwj  hy  Bohcrts,  nftrr  Ihf  iminling  Inj  J.  F.  Ahliol.) 

whole  British  fleet  did  the  same  by  signal,  except  the  Eiifi.sell, 
Mdrlburuitijli,  Thunderer,  and  frigates,  which,  in  order  to  get  into 
the  wake  of  the  Fi'ench  fleet,  then  close  hauled  on  the  starboard 
tack  in  line  ahead  with  a  fresh  and  squally  wind  from  the  south, 
stood  on  for  a  short  time  longer.  A  little  after  5  P.M.  the  French 
van  and  centre  shortened  sail  to  allow  the  lievolutionnaire,  110, 
which  was  rapidly  falling  astern,  to  regain  her  station.  This, 
however,  .she  did  not  do ;  and  at  G  p.m.  the  Bellerophon,  by  excellent 
seamanship,  got  near  enough  to  her  to  open  fire.     It  would  almost 


220  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1794. 

appear  that  the  BevolutioiuHiirc,  in  defiance  of  signals,  assumed  the 
rearmost  position  out  of  sheer  devihy  on  the  part  of  her  captain, 
M.  Vandangel.  At  (3.30  the  Marlborough,  which,  with  the  Russell 
and  Thunderer,  was  then  on  the  Bellerophon's  weather  quarter,  was 
signalled  to  engage  the  rear  of  the  French,  who,  immediately  before, 
had  made  sail.  The  Bellerophon,  being  damaged  aloft,  was  obliged 
to  take  in  her  main  topsail,  and,  after  an  hour  and  a  half's  unsup- 
ported action,  informed  the  Commander-in-Chief  that  she  was  unable 
to  continue  the  engagement,  and  bore  up.  By  that  time  the  Bussell, 
Thunderer,  and  Marlborough,  which  had  tacked  their  maintopsails, 
were  firing  at  long  range  at  the  Bevolutionnaire,  and  at  the  ships 
next  ahead  of  her.  The  French  three-decker  had  lost  her  mizen 
mast,  and  had  suffered  considerable  damage  ;  and  she  therefore  wore 
round  and  put  before  the  wind.  No  sooner  had  she  done  so  than 
she  was  engaged  by  the  Leviathan,  which,  with  the  Audacious, 
Captain  William  Parker,  had  passed  to  windward  of  the  disabled 
Bellerophon.  At  7.30  Howe  signalled  to  assist  the  ships  engaged, 
and,  a  little  later,  repeated  the  order  and  hoisted  the  pennants  of  the 
Marlborough  and  Eussell.  In  the  interval  the  Leviathan  continued 
to  engage  the  Bevolutiomiaire  until  the  Audacious  got  up.  The 
Leviathan  then  passed  on,  and  fired  a  broadside  at  the  next  French 
ship ;  but  at  8  p.m.  she  dropped  down  towards  the  body  of  the 
British  fleet,  signals  having  been  made,  to  the  Bclleroplion,  Levia- 
than, Bussell,  and  Marlborough,  to  reHnquish  the  chase,  and,  to  the 
fleet,  to  foini  a  line  ahead  and  astern  as  most  convenient. 

The  Audacious,  on  the  Bevolutionnaire' s  lee  quarter,  fired 
heavily.  The  Bussell,  until  recalled,  also  annoyed  the  Frenchman 
very  seriously.  The  Bevolutionnaire  had  by  that  time  become 
almost  unmanageable,  and  the  Audacious  had  great  difficulty  in 
avoiding  being  fouled  by  her.  At  a  little  before  ten,  the  Bevolution- 
naire, which,  besides  her  mizenmast,  had  lost  her  fore  and  main- 
yards  and  her  main  topsail  yard,  fell  athwart  the  hawse  of  the 
Audacious.  But  Captain  Parker  extricated  himself;  and  the  French 
ship  went  to  leeward.  Some  of  the  men  of  the  Audacious  reported 
that  the  Bevolutionnaire  struck  while  the  ships  were  close  to  one 
another.  The  Bussell  also  reported  that  the  three-decker  had  no 
colours  flying  when  she  passed  under  the  British  ships  astern.  But 
possibly  the  colours  had  been  mei'ely  shot  away.  The  ship,  how- 
ever, had  lost  heavily ;  and  she  might,  no  doubt,  have  been  taken, 
had  the  Thunderer,  when  hailed  by  the  Audacious  to  take  possession 


1794.]  J/OW£    ON  MAT  28T/I.  221 

of  her,  attempted  to  do  so.  The  Audacious  herself  was  not  under 
control,  and  was  for  some  time  unable  to  wear  clear  of  the  French 
line.  Her  injuries  were  chiefly  aloft.  She  had,  indeed,  lost  only 
ii  killed,  and  3  mortally  and  16  more  slightly  wounded,  while  the 
BecoUitionnaire  had  lost  nearly  400  men.  As  soon  as  Captain 
Pai-ker  had  got  clear,  he  did  his  best  to  repair  damages  with  a  view 
to  regaining  his  station  in  the  morning ;  but  when,  at  dawn,  he  saw 
nine  French  sail  to  windward,  he  judged  it  best,  looking  to  his 
crippled  condition,  to  put  before  the  wind.  At  that  time  he  had  his 
foresail  and  three  topsails  unbent,  and  his  mainsail  in  the  act  of 
being  bent.  What  the  strange  craft  were  has  not  been  ascertained. 
They  may  have  been  the  ships  and  prizes  of  Vanstabel,  or  the 
squadron  of  Nielly  ;  but  it  is  more  likely  that  they  belonged  to  one 
of  two  light  squadrons  which  at  that  time  were  cruising  out  of 
Lorient  and  Rochefort. 

The  disabled  A  udacious  was  favoured  by  rain  and  mist ;  but, 
before  she  was  again  under  anything  like  proper  sail,  the  mist 
lifted,  and  she  discovered  two  ships,  which  seem  to  have  been 
the  Audacieux  and  a  brig,  detached  by  Villaret  to  look  after 
the  Revolutionitaire.  That  ship,  without  a  mast  standing,  laj' 
then  about  a  mile  and  a  half  away.  Immediately  afterwards  the 
French  frigate  Bellone,  36,  with  a  ship  and  a  brig,  appeared  in  the 
eastward.  These  vessels,  discovering  the  state  of  the  Audacious, 
and  encouraged  by  the  proximity  of  their  friends,  stood  athwart 
Parker,  and  exchanged  shots  with  him.  The  other  craft  soon  fell 
astern,  but  the  Bellone  hung  on  the  quarter  of  the  Audacious  until 
12.30  P.M.,  when  she  hauled  to  the  wind.  During  all  this  time  the 
British  ship,  owing  to  the  state  of  her  masts,  was  powerless  to  alter 
course.  She  subsequently  sailed  into  a  fog;  and,  feeling  that,  all 
things  considered,  it  was  useless  to  attempt  to  rejoin  the  fleet, 
Parker  proceeded  for  port,  and  on  June  3rd  anchored  in  Plymouth 
Sound.  The  Bevolutionnairc  was  found  by  the  French  Audacieux 
and  towed  into  Bochefort. 

One  of  the  chief  lessons  of  this  partial  action  on  the  28th  of 
May,  seems  to  be  the  greater  relative  value  of  a  vessel  of  large 
size  as  compared  with  several  vessels  of  smaller  size  but,  in 
the  aggregate,  of  largely  superior  armament.  The  escape  of  the 
Bevolutionnairc,  after  having  had  to  deal  with  so  many  74's,  surely 
shows  this. 

The  British   and   French   fleets  continued   on   parallel   courses 


222  MAJOR    OPEllATJoyS,    lT'.i3-180'-'.  [ITO-i. 

during  the  night  of  the  •28th,  carrying  a  press  of  sail  on  tlu;  star- 
board tack.  At  dawn  on  the  '29th  tlic  wind  still  blew  freshlj-  from 
south  by  west,  and  there  was  a  heavy  head  sea.  The  fleets  were 
then  about  six  miles  apart,  the  French  being  on  the  weather-bow  of 
the  British.  By  that  time,  Howe's  signal  of  the  previous  evening 
for  the  fleet  to  form  line  ahead  and  astern  of  the  Queen  Charlotte  as 
most  convenient,  had,  of  course,  been  carried  out ;  and  the  order  of 
the  head  of  the  British  column  was,  Camr,  Queen,  Russell,  Valiant, 
lioijal  George,  Invincible,  Orion,  Majestic,  Leviathan,  Queen  Char- 
lotte and  Bellerophon.  With  the  object  of  making  some  impression 
on  the  enemy's  rear,  Howe,  at  7  a.m.,  signalled  his  ships. to  tack  in 
succession ;  and  at  7.30,  when  the  fleet  was  on  the  larboard  tack, 
he  ordered  it  to  pass  through  the  French  line,  in  order  to  obtain  the 
weather  gage.  But,  in  endeavouring  to  execute  this  manoeuvre, 
the  British  fleet  passed  astern  of  the  enemy's  rear,  the  French  firing 
when  the  ships  were  at  a  great  distance,  and  the  C(csar  and  Queen 
returning  the  comphment  w-hen  they  were  well  within  range.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  that  during  this  action  all  the  ships  in  the  fleet 
flew  the  Eed  Ensign,  although  there  were  present  flag  oflicers  both 
of  the  Ked  and  of  the  White  squadrons.  The  Commander-in-Chief, 
who  was  at  the  time  Vice-Admiral  of  England,  flew  the  Union  at 
the  main. 

At  8  A.M.  the  French  van  ships  began  to  wear  in  succession  to 
support  their  threatened  rear,  and,  running  to  leeward  of  their  line, 
edged  down  towards  the  British  van  and  centre.  When  she  was 
clear  of  the  rear  of  her  own  fleet,  the  leading  French  ship,  which 
was  then  about  three  miles  distant  from  the  British  centre,  hauled 
close  to  the  wind  ;  and  her  example  was  followed  in  succession  by 
the  ships  astern  of  her.  At  a  little  after  9  a.m.,  when  the  whole 
French  fleet  was  on  the  larboard  tack,  the  van  ships  again  bore 
away;  and,  at  10  a.m.,  opened  an  inefl'ectual  fire  upon  the  British 
van.  But  presently  the  distance  between  the  two  vans  lessened  ; 
and  the  Invincible  (which  luffed  out  of  the  line  in  order  to  get  nearer 
the  foe),  Boijal  George,  Valiant,  Russell,  Queen  and  Ccesar  exchanged 
broadsides  with  the  French  van.  In  this  brush  several  of  the 
British  ships  suffered  aloft;  and  the  leading  French  vessel,  the 
Montagnard,  received  evident  damage.  At  11.30  Howe  signalled 
to  tack  in  succession  in  order  to  pass  through  the  enemy's  line  ;  but 
when  he  found  that  his  van  was  not  still  sufficiently  advanced  to  cut 
off  more  than  a  few  ships  of  the  French  rear,  he  annulled  the  signal 


1794.]  HOWE    OX   MAV  20 r//.  223 

and  continued  to  stretch  on  as  before.  At  12.30  p.m.  he  a^ain 
signalled  to  tack.  There  was  then  much  smoke  hanging  about ; 
and  the  signal  was  only  partially  obeyed  ;  so  that,  in  the  result, 
when,  at  1.15  I'.xi.,  signal  was  made  to  engage  the  enemy  and  pass 
through  his  line,  the  ships  which  had  been  ahead  of  the  Queen 
Charlotte  were,  from  various  causes,  not  in  a  position  to  carry  out 
in  due  order  their  share  of  the  intended  niameuvre. 

This  being  so,  some  of  his  van  ships  being  engaged  at  a  consider- 
able distance,  and  the  French  having  begun  to  wear  in  succession, 
Howe,  in  the  Queen  Charlotte,  at  1.30,  set  the  example  of  breaking 
the  line,  which  he  passed  through  astern  of  the  Eolr,  the  sixth  ship 
from  the  enemy's  rear.  The  Bellerophon  and  Leriatha.i  followed 
Howe's  lead,  the  former  passing  across  the  bows,  and  the  latter  under 
the  stern  of  the  Terrible,  the  third  ship  from  the  enemy's  rear.  As 
soon  as  she  was  through,  the  Queen  Charlotte  put  about  on  the  larboard 
tack,  hoisted  the  signal  for  a  general  chase,  and  devoted  herself  to  the 
Terrible,  which  had  lost  her  foretopmast  and  was  struggling  to  regain 
her  station.  The  two  ships  astern  of  her,  the  Tyrannicide  and  Indomp- 
table,  which  had  been  previously  engaged  by  the  Queen  and  the 
Royal  George,  were  both  a  good  deal  disabled.  But  the  French  van 
had,  in  the  meantime,  wore  round  on  the  starboard  tack  ;  and  the 
Terrible  managed  to  reach  the  centre  of  her  own  fleet  ere  the  Queen 
Charlotte  could  get  near  her.  The  Indonijitable  was  afterwards 
warmly  engaged  by  the  Orion  and  Burfleur,  but  she  gallantly  kept 
her  colours  flying  till  she  and  the  Terrible  were  rescued  by  Admiral 
Villaret,  who  dexterously  led  his  fleet  on  the  starboard  tack  to  their 
assistance.  Howe,  who  had  only  the  Bellerophon  and  Leviathan, 
both  disabled,  near  him,  could  not  prevent  this,  and  was  only  able 
at  about  4  p.m.  to  obtain  sufficient  support  to  cover  the  Queen  and 
Royal  George,  which  had  suffered  severely. 

In  the  course  of  these  operations  the  two  vans  once  more  ap- 
proached one  another  within  gunshot,  and  a  partial  action  resulted, 
the  Glory  distinguishing  herself  by  the  accuracy  and  deadliness  of  her 
fire.  But  no  general  engagement  followed,  Villaret  contenting  himself 
with  saving  his  disabled  ships,  and  then  wearing  round,  and  standing 
away  large  on  the  larboard  tack  and  rejoining  his  rear.  The  British 
wore  in  the  same  direction,  keeping,  however,  the  weather  gage  ;  and 
so  the  firing  ceased.  This  was  just  after  5  p.m.  Each  fleet  then 
formed  line  on  the  lai-board  tack,  and  set  to  work  to  repair  damages. 
Among  the  officers  killed  in  this  encounter  were  Lieutenants  Georjre 


224  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    17!»3-1802.  [1794. 

Heigham,  of  the  Boyal  Georgr,  and  Roger  K.  Eawlance,  of  tbe 
Queen  Charlotte,  and  Mr.  William  Mitchell,  Master  of  the  Queen. 
Captain  Hutt,  of  the  Queen,  lost  a  leg,  and  subsequently  died  of 
his  wound.  The  total  British  loss  was  67  killed  and  128  wounded. 
Several  ships  were  much  damaged,  but  they  were  quickly  made 
again  fit  for  action  ;  and,  at  10.30  a.m.  on  the  30th,  the  only  vessel 
which  reported  herself  as  still  unready  was  the  Ccesar,^  a  ship  which 
had  been  badly  handled  during  the  engagement,  and  which  had 
probably,  bj'  her  apparent  hesitation,  encouraged  Villaret  to  attempt 
to  cover  his  crippled  ships. ^ 

On  the  night  of  the  29th  the  weather  was  thick  and  foggy ;  but 
on  the  morning  of  the  30th  it  cleared  for  a  time  and  the  French 
were  seen  in  the  north-west  on  the  starboard  tack.  After  some 
preparations  had  been  made  on  both  sides  to  renew  the  action,  the 
weather  grew  thicker  than  ever,  and  the  ships  in  consequence 
became  much  dispersed.  At  9  a.m.  on  the  81st  the  fog  lifted,  and 
the  British  ships  at  once  took  measures  to  regain  their  stations.  At 
noon  the  French  were  seen  to  the  northward,  numbering  twenty- 
six  sail  of  the  line  and  six  others.  At  2  r.M.  Howe  bore  up,  and 
the  French,  who  had  previously  edged  away  a  little,  formed  line  on 
the  larboard  tack.  Later  in  the  day  a  general  action  might  have 
been  brought  on ;  but  Howe,  mindful  of  the  confusion  which  had 
occurred  on  the  29th,  preferred  fighting  by  daylight,  when  signals 
could  be  seen.  At  a  little  after  7  p.m.,  therefore,  he  hauled  to 
the  wind  on  the  larboard  tack,  and  so  stationed  a  couple  of  his 
frigates  as  to  ensure  that  he  should  be  at  once  informed  of   any 

'  "  On  this  occasion,  we,  the  Lieutenants  on  the  quarter-deck,  were  sj^eaking  oiu- 
minds  very  freely  res)iecting  the  conduct  of  the  different  Ca]itains,  and,  upon  some 
particular  observation  made  by  Larcom,  first  Lieutenant,  on  the  conduct  of  tlie  C'sesiir, 
Lord  Howe  said :  '  1  desire  you  to  hold  your  tongue,  sir.  I  don't  desire  you  to  shut 
your  eyes,  hut  I  desire  you  to  hold  your  tongue  till  I  call  upon  you,  as  I  jirobably  shall 
do  hereafter,  lor  your  observations.'  " — Bourchier,  "Codrington,"  i.  20. 

^  Says  Mahan  :  "  The  merit  of  Howe's  conduct  upon  these  two  days  does  not  .  .  . 
depend  merely  upon  the  issue,  though  fortunate.  By  persistent  attacks,  frequently 
renewed  upon  the  same  and  most  vulnerable  part  of  the  French  order,  he  had  in  effect 
brought  to  bear  a  large  part  of  his  own  fleet  upon  a  relatively  small  number  of  the 
■enemy,  the  result  being  a  concentration  of  injury,  which  compelled  the  damaged  ships 
to  leave  the  field.  At  the  same  time  the  direction  of  tlie  attack  forced  the  French 
admiral  either  to  abandon  the  endangered  vessels,  or,  step  by  step,  to  yield  the  advan- 
tage of  the  wind,  until  it  was  finally  wrested  from  him  altogether.  By  sheer  tactical 
skill,  combined  with  a  fine  display  of  jjersonal  conduct,  Howe  had  won  a  marked 
numerical  prejionderance  for  the  decisive  action.  .  .  .  Unfortunately,  the  tactical  gain 
was  soon  neutralised  by  the  strategic  mistake  which  left  Montagu's  squadron  unavail- 
able on  the  day  of  battle."—'  Fr.  Revol.  and  Emp.'  i.  135. 


1794.]  THE   GLORIOUS  FIRST  OF  JUNE.  225 

attempt  on  the  part  of  Villaret  to  weather  the  British  during  the 
night. 

After  the  action  on  the  29th,  the  Montagnard  had  deserted  the 
French  fleet,  and  the  Seine,  frigate,  which  had  been  sent  after  her, 
had  also  failed  to  rejoin.  But  on  the  evening  of  that  day  the 
T rente-et-iin  Mai,  74,  Captain  Honore  Ganteaume,  had  joined 
Villaret  from  Cancale  Bay  ;  and  on  the  30th  the  French  admiral 
was  further  reinforced  by  the  Sans  Pareil,  Trajan  and  Temeraire, 
of  Rear-Admiral  Nielly's  squadron.  This  accession  of  force  induced 
Villaret  to  send  home  the  crippled  Indomptable,  convoyed  by  the 
Mont  Blanc,  74,  and  left  him  still  with  twenty-six  sail  of  the  hne. 

During  the  night  of  the  31st  the  British  stood  to  the  westward ; 
and  at  dawn  on  June  1st  they  were  in  lat.  47'  48'  N.,  and 
long.  18^  30'  W.,  with  a  moderate  breeze  from  south  b)'  west 
and  a  fairly  smooth  sea.  The  French  fleet,  in  line  of  battle  on  the 
larboard  tack,  was  six  miles  on  the  starboard  or  lee  bow  of  the 
British.  At  5  a.m.  the  British,  by  signal,  bore  up  together  and 
steered  north-west,  and  at  6.15  A.M.  altered  course  to  the  north. 
At  about  7.10  the  fleet  again  hauled  to  the  wind  on  the  larboard 
tack.  At  7.16  Howe  signalled  that  he  should  attack  the  French 
centre,  and,  at  7.25,  that  he  should  pass  through  the  enemy's  hne 
and  engage  from  leeward.  The  two  fleets  were  then  about  four 
miles  apart.  Howe  himself  had  scarcely  quitted  the  deck  of  his 
flagship  for  three  days,*  and  the  men  were  correspondingly  fatigued. 
The  fleet  was,  therefore,  hove  to,  and  the  men  breakfasted.  At 
8.12  A.M.,  Howe  again  filled  and  bore  down.  A  little  later,  each 
ship  was  ordered  to  steer  for,  and  to  independently  engage,  the  ship 
opposite  her  in  the  French  line  ;  and,  with  a  view  to  making  the 
combat  as  equal  as  possible,  Howe  effected  some  changes  in  his 
formation,  after  which,  the  order  of  the  two  lines  was  as  follows  : — 

'  Howe  was  then  sixty-eight.  Looking  to  his  age,  the  manner  in  which  he  bore 
the  fatigue  and  anxiety  was  marvellous.  Codrington  says:  "When  the  report  was 
brought  to  him"  (on  Juno  1st)  "th.it  the  French  fleet  showed  every  symptom  of 
determination  to  sustain  a  battle,  I  watclied  his  face  when  he  came  to  the  quarter-deck 
to  look  at  them.  It  expressed  an  animation  of  which,  at  his  age,  and  after  such 
fatigue  of  mind  and  body,  I  had  not  thought  it  capable."  ...  "He  went  to  bed 
completely  done  up  after  the  action  of  the  First.  We  all  got  round  him ;  indeed,  I 
saved  him  from  a  tumble.  He  was  so  weak  that,  from  a  roll  of  the  ship,  he  was 
nearly  falling  into  the  waist.  '  Why,  you  hold  me  up  as  if  I  were  a  child,'  he  said 
good-humouredly." — Bourchier,  '  Codrington,'  i.  27,  31.  For  nearly  five  days  he  had 
rested  only  in  a  chair.  Yet  the  strain  of  naval  warfare  would  press  more  hardly  on  a 
Commander-in-Chief  to-day  than  it  did  in  1794. 

VOL.  IV.  Q 


226  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1794. 

riisiTisH  AND  French  Links  or  Battle  on"  June  1st,  1794. 


Bbitish. 


FSESCH, 


Losses  on 
May  28,  29, 

Qang. 

Commanders. 

and  June  1. 

Ships. 

Guns. 

Ships. 

—          3 

5       ^ 

Commanders. 

Casar  .     .     . 

80 

fCapt.   Anthony   Jamest 
\     Pye  Molloy.                 / 

18 

71 

Trajan  ...        74 
SoU.     .     .     .  '     '.1 

Capi.  Dumoutier. 

f    ,.     BertrandKer- 
(             anguen.2 

(Rear-Adaiiral    Thomas) 

^ 

Bellerophon     . 

74 

1     Pasley(\V).i                1 
jCapt.  William       Jolin-( 

4 

27 

America*  .     . 

74 

(    ,,    Louis  L'Heri- 
I              tier. 

(             stone  Hope.i       j 

« 

Tanfraire .     . 

74 

,,     Morel. 

Leviathan 

74 

f    „    Lord   Hugh    Sey-i 
I             mour.i                 / 

10 

33 

Terrible     .     . 

no 

iRear-Admiral  Fran- 
■'     5018  Joseph  liouvet. 

HuuM .     .     . 

74 

f    ,,    Joba          Willetti 
I              Payne.i               / 

8 

26 

Impel  ueux  3     . 

74 

(Capt.  Juiien  Le  Ray. 
„     DouviUe. 

iVice-A'imlral     Thomasi 

Macius       .      . 

74 

„     Larreguy. 

Itm/al  Sovereign 

100 

{    Graves  (2)  {,R).i          \ 

14 

44 

Tourville    .      . 

74 

„     Langloij;. 

leapt.  Henry  NichoUs.i  | 

Gasparin  .     . 

74 

„    Tardy. 

Marlborough  . 

74 

/    „     Hon. 'Gf'ur;;eCran.i 
I             field  Berlselcy.i  / 

29 

90 

Convention      .        74 
Trente-  et  -  unt      ,,, 

.,    Joseph  Allary. 
(     .,    Houore    Gan- 

;     ,,    James      Gambler  1 
1              i2).i                     1 

Mai  ■     .     .) 

l-r 

1              teaume. 

Defence.     .     . 

74 

18         ;i9 

Tyrannicide    . 

74 

„    d'Ordelin. 

/Rear- Admiral  BenjaminJ 

Jusle3  .     .     . 

80 

„     Blav^t. 

1     Caldwell  (W).             I 
jCapt.  George      Blagdenf 
(               Westcott.             J 

rRear-Admiral  Louis 

Impregnable   . 

98 

7 

" 

Montague  .     . 

120 

1     Thomas  Villaret- 
1    Joveuse. 

Tremendous    . 

74 

„    James  Pigott. 

3 

8 

(Capt.  Bazire.2 

1  Rear- Admiral     George) 

Jacobin      .     . 

80 

„    Gassin. 

Barjleur     .      . 

98 

1     Bowyer(\V).i 
jCapt.  Cutlibert  Colling- 

9 

25     i 

Achillea     .     . 

74 

f    „    G.J.N.deLa 

i              Villegris. 

1              wood. 

Venijeur        dut 

1     „    Jean  Francois 

Invincible  .     . 

74 

f    ,,    Hun.         Thomasi 
I             Pakenham.i        / 

14 

31 

FeupUi  .     .)      " 
Patriate     .     .        74 

1              Renaudln. 
..     Lucadou. 

Culloden    .     . 

74 

„    Isaac  .SchciHberg. 

2 

5 

Xorthumber-     \      ., 

f     „     Francois  Eti- 
(              enne. 

Gibraltar  .     . 

80 

„    Thomas  Mackenzi-, 

2 

12 

land^      .      .) 

(•Admiral     Earl     Howe 

Eittreprenant . 

,,    Le  Francq. 

(Union).i 

Jemmapes  ^ 

„    Desmartis. 

Queen  Charlotte 

100 

Capt.  Sir  Roger  Curtis, 
1              Kt.  (ist)i 
1     ,,     Sir  .\ndrew  Snape 

14 

29 

yeptune     .     . 
Pellelier     .     . 

„     Tiphaigne. 
,,     Berrade. 
^Rear-Admiml  Joseph 

Brumvrick     . 

7* 

I              Douglas,  Kt.i 
„    John  Harvey .2 

41 

114 

Hi'publicain    . 

110 

)     Marie  Nielly. 
Capt.  Pierre  Jacques 

Valiant     .     . 

74 

„     Thomas  Pringle.i 

2           9 

L»>nger. 

Orion    .     .     . 

74 

r    ,,    John         Thomasi 
1              Duckworth.i       / 

5 

21 

Sans  Parens  , 

80 

f     „     Jean  Fran9ois 
[              Courand. 

iReiir- Admiral         Alani 

Scipion .     .     . 

80 

,,     Huguet. 

Queen   . 

98 

{     Gardner  (\V).l              \ 
(Capt.  John  Hutt.:           | 

36 

67 

Precieuse,  36 

Ramillies  .     . 

74 

„     Henrv  H.uvev.l 

2           7 

Ifaiade   .     . 

Alfred  .     .     . 

74 

„     John  Baz.ly  (1). 

9 

Proserpine,  *0 

il&ntagu    .     . 

74 

.,    James  ^Iontagu.2 

4 

13 

Tamise  S** 

/     „    J.M.A.LHer- 
1             mile. 

|\'ice- Admiral  .sir  Ale.'t-j 

A  .Alfkktf.'t     Um       . 

Royal  George  . 

100 

]    ander    Arthur  Hood,! 

K.B(R)1 
(Capt.  William  Domett.') 

20 

n 

Papillon 
GcUatee,  36  . 

Majestic      .     . 

74 

„    Charles  Cotton. 

3 

i» 

Gentille,  36 . 

Olory    .     .     . 

98 

f    ,,    John  Elphiustonet 
I             (2)-'                     / 

13 

39 

Aud  three  or  foil 

r  small  craft. 

Thunderei- 

74 

„    Albemarle  Bertie. 
„    William  Bentinck. 

3 

4 

rbaeton,  33. 

Latona,  38  . 

f     „     Edward       Thorn- 1 
I              brougfa,               / 

»  Received  medals,  a 

LS  having  particularly 

mger,  32     . 

f    „    Hon.  Arthur  Kaye) 
I              Legge.                 / 

signalised  themselves. 

Capt.  "William  Parker, 

ot  the  Audacious,  also 

received  a  medal  tor 

SouthampOm\ 
32  .     .     .J 

,,    Hon,  Robert  Forbes, 

bis  conduct  on  May  28t 

b,  and  Capt.  Cuthbcrt 

Collingwocxl.  of  the  Ik 

irjleur,  after  protest, 

Venus,  32    . 

„    William  Brown (1), 

received  one  at  a  later  p 

erioil. 

Aquilon,  32  . 

(    „    Hon,  Robert  Stop-i 
\             for.l.                    I 

2  Killed,  or  mortally 

wounded. 

*  Struck  and  mfliie  pr 

ize  of. 

reiiasus.  28. 

„    Robert  Barlow. 

*  Struck  and  founder 

d. 

Total     .     . 

290        8S8 

5  Struck,  but  retaken 

by  the  French. 

And  the  Pharon,  4 

4,  hosp.  ship,  Capt,  George  Countess ; 

Comet,  14,  flreshlp,  Co 

m.  WUlinm  Bradley;  Incendiary,  14, 

flreship,  Com.  John  Coo 

ke  ;  Kiniifsher,  18,  sloop.  Com.  Thomas 

Le  Marchant  Gosselin ; 

nattier,  16,  cutter,  Licnt.  Joho  Wlnne; 

and  Hanger,  14,  cutter, 

Lieut.  Isaac  Cotgrave. 

1794.]  THE   GLORIOUS   FISST  OF  JUNE.  227 

The  French  were  in  a  close  head  and  stern  Hne,'  heading  west ; 
and  both  fleets  were  under  single-reefed  topsails,  some  of  the 
Fi'ench  lying  to,  and  others  backing  and  filling,  to  presence 
station.  The  British  headed  about  north-west  with  a  fresh  breeze 
from  south  by  west ;  and  they  were  moving  at  the  rate  of  about 
five  knots. 

At  9.24  the  French  van  opened  a  distant  fire  upon  the  British 
van,  and  especially  upon  the  Defence,  which  was  a  little  ahead  of 
her  hue.  At  9.50  the  French  fire  became  genei-al,  and  the  British 
fire  opened,  the  flagship's  bearing  the  signal  for  close  action.  It 
had  been  intended  that  each  British  ship  should  pass  astern  of  her 
natural  opponent,  and  engage  her  from  leeward ;  but  only  a  few 
vessels  did  this.  The  rest  hauled  up  to  windward  and  engaged, 
some  at  short,  but  many  at  longer,  distance.  At  10.10  A.M.,  Villaret 
in  the  Moiitcujne  made  sail  ahead,  followed  by  the  second  astern, 
and  afterwards  by  such  other  ships  as  had  suffered  little  damage 
aloft.  Howe  ordered  a  general  chase  at  10.13.  By  11.30  a.m.  the 
action  was  practically  over,  though  no  ships  had  then  been  taken 
possession  of.  The  British  had  eleven,  and  the  French  twelve, 
more  or  less  dismasted  vessels.  The  latter  were  doing  their  best  to 
escape  with  such  sail  as  they  could  make  on  their  stumps ;  and 
they  fired,  from  time  to  time,  at  such  British  ships  as  came  within 
gunshot. 

The  Montague  and  Jacobin  stood  on  till  nearly  abreast  of  the 
French  van,  and  then  wore  round,  with  several  other  French  vessels 
making  twelve  sail  in  all,  and  steered  for  the  Queen,  which  la_y 
crippled  on  their  starboard  bow.  Howe  saw  the  Queen's  danger, 
and,  having  signalled  his  ships  to  form  line  ahead  and  astern  of  him, 
managed  to  wear  round  on  the  starboard  tack,  and,  followed  by  the 
Barfleur,  Thunderer,  Royal  Sovereign,  Valiant,  Leviathan  and 
others,  stood  away,  with  the  wind  abaft  the  beam,  to  assist  Kear- 
Admiral  Gardner.  This  induced  Villaret  to  relinquish  his  design, 
and  to  stretch  on  to  the  support  of  five  of  his  crippled  ships,  which 
were  towing  towards  him  in  the  eastward,  two  of  them  being  wholly 
dismasted.  He  succeeded  in  covering  and  saving  four  of  these,  the 
Bepuhlicain,  Mucins,  Scipion  and  Jemmapes.  The  fifth,  the  Terrible, 
joined  him  by  pluckily  fighting  her  way  through  her  opponents. 
There  was  no  general  firing  after  about  1.15  p.m.  ;  but  it  was  not 

'  The  Tyrannicide,  having  lost  her  upper  masts  on  May  29th,  had  to  be  towed 
iintil  the  opening  of  the  battle  of  June  1st. 

Q  2 


228  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1794. 

until  2.30  that  the  six  crippled  ships,  that  lay  nearest  the  body  of 
the  British,  were  secured.  Several  did  not  submit  without  firing 
upon  the  vessels  which  w^ere  about  to  take  possession  of  them.  A 
httle  after  6  p.m.  the  seventh  French  ship,  the  Vengeur,  was  taken  ; 
but  she  was  so  shattered  that,  ten  minutes  later,  she  went  down, 
having  still  on  board  about  200  of  her  crew,  chiefly  wounded  men. 

The  British  loss  in  the  three  days'  engagement  was  290  killed 
and  858  wounded.'  The  French  lost,  in  the  six  captured  vessels 
alone,  upwards  of  1200  killed  and  wounded,  and,  in  the  whole  fleet, 
about  7000  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners.  Among  the  British 
officers  killed  or  mortally  wounded,  in  addition  to  those  already 
mentioned,  were  Captains  James  Montagu  and  John  Harvey ; 
Lieutenants  Francis  Eoss,  of  the  Tremendous,  Richard  Dawes,  of 
the  Queen,  and  Thomas  Ireland  of  the  Boijal  George  ;  Masters 
William  Webster,  of  the  Defence,  David  Caird,  of  the  Impregnable, 


SIGNATURE    OF    ADMIRAL    SIR   THOMAS    PASLEY,    BART. 

and  George  Metcalfe,  of  the  Glory  ;  and  Captain  of  Marines  Walter 
Smith,  of  the  Bellerojjhon.  Of  the  seven  British  flag-officers,  three, 
Graves,  Pasley  and  Bowyer,  were  wounded. 

The  general  scheme  of  the  action  has  now  been  made  apparent. 
That  scheme  was  of  course  not  strictly  carried  out.  No  scheme  of 
the  kind  ever  is.  It  will,  therefore,  be  well  to  say  something  about 
the  experiences  of  individual  ships  ;  and,  for  the  sake  of  convenience, 
these  will  be  mentioned  according  to  the  order  which  they  occupied 
in  the  line. 

The  Ccesar,-  in  bearing  down  to  engage,  dropped  somewhat 
astern,  and  brought  to  about  500  yards  to  windward  of  the  enemy. 
Captain  MoUoy,  choosing   to  exercise    a   discretion,^  which,  as   he 

'  Details  will  be  found  in  the  table  on  p.  226. 

'  Howe,  owing  to  MoUoy's  previous  behaviour,  had  been  unwilling  to  put  him  at 
the  head  of  the  line.  The  unwilliiigness,  justified  when  the  action  opened,  had  been 
waived  at  the  personal  request  of  Sir  Eoger  Curtis,  to  whom  Howe  said  significantly, 
after  Molloy  had  brought  to :  "  Look,  Curtis,  there  goes  your  friend !  AMio  is 
mistaken  now  ?  " 

'  The  signal  concluded  as  follows:  "The  difi'erent  Captains  and  Commanders,  not 
being  able  to  effect  the  specified  intention  .  .  .  are  at  liberty  to  act  as  circumstances 
require."  This  qualifying  clause  was  wisely  omitted  when  the  signal  code  was  next 
revised. 


17!t4.] 


TnE   OLORFOUS   FIRST  OF  JUNE. 


229 


contended,  was  allowed  him  by  Lord  Howe's  signal  to  pass  through 
the  line  and  engage  from  leeward.  His  reason,  as  suggested  during 
the  court-martial  which  was  subsequently  held  upon  him,  was  that, 
had  he  passed  astern  of  the  Trajan,  his  proper  opponent,  he  must 
afterwards  have  shot  so  far  ahead  of  her  as  to  be  beyond  effective 
range.  When  he  realised  that  he  had  made  a  mistake,  and  when 
he  endeavoured  to  wear  and  make  sail,  his  tiller  became  jammed  ; 


ADM1U.\L   THOMAS   GRAVES   (2),    LORD   GRAVES. 
(From  a  lithograph  by  Ridley,  after  the  imrtrait  by  Northcole.) 

and  for  half-an-hour  the  ship  dropped  astern.     At   length  she  did 
bear  up  ;  but  it  was  then  too  late  to  be  of  much  use. 

The  BeUerophon  bore  dowai  upon  the  weather  quarter  of  the 
Eole,  and,  at  8.45,  opened  fire  with  good  effect.  She  continued  this 
until  the  Eole  wore  round  asteni  of  her  leader,  and  stood  on  the 
starboard  tack,  having  had  enough  of  it.  As  the  BeUerophon  had 
received  the  fire  of  both  the  Trajan  and  the  Eole,  especially  towards 
the  end,  the  British  ship  was  so  damaged  aloft  that  she  had  to 
signal  to  the  Latona  to  come  to  her  assistance.     The  Latona,  to 


230  MAJOR    Ol'E/tAnoyS,   1793-1802.  [1794. 

make  a  diversion,  gallautlj'  fired  on  the  two  French   74's   as   she 
approached. 

The  Leviathan  seems  to  have  engaged  the  America  without 
passing  through  the  hue,  and,  at  length,  to  have  dismasted  her. 
The  Bussell  did  not  pass  through  the  hne,  but  hove  to  windward  of 
the  Temeraire,  which,  at  11  A.M.,  made  sail  to  leeward,  and  was 
followed  through  the  line  by  the  Bussell,  whicn,  unable,  owing  to 
damage  aloft,  to  trim  her  sails  in  more  than  one  direction,  found 
herself  to  leeward  of  the  Trajan  and  Eole,  and  was  by  them  badly 
mauled  ere  she  could  be  assisted  by  the  Leviathan.  Later  in  the 
day  she  took  possession  of  the  America. 

The  Boyal  Sovereign  engaged  the  Terrible  at  too  great  a  distance ; 
and  a  signal  was  consequently  made  for  her  to  engage  more  closely. 
Eventiially  she  forced  the  Terrible  to  bear  up ;  and,  while  the 
French  ship  was  doing  so  and  yawing,  the  three-decker  repeatedly 
raked  her.  She  then  chased  her,  until  the  French  ship  was  aided 
by  the  Montague  and  Jacobin.  The  Valiant  assisted  the  Boyal 
Sovereign  a  little ;  and,  at  length,  the  Montagne  bore  awaj'  followed, 
for  a  short  distance,  by  Graves's  flagship.  In  the  afternoon,  not 
knowing  that  the  Bussell  had  already  taken  possession  of  the 
America,  the  Boyal  Sovereign  boarded  that  ship  and  sent  back  the 
Bussell's  men  to  their  own  vessel. 

The  Marlborough  passed  through  the  line  astern  of  the  Impetueux, 
and  ranged  up  alongside  of  her  to  leeward.  The  two  vessels 
presently  fell  on  board  one  another,  and  a  very  fierce  action  ensued. 
At  10.15  the  Mucins,  which  was  next  astern  of  the  Impetueux,  made 
sail  ahead  in  order  to  free  herself  from  her  own  opponent,  the 
Defence,  and  fell  on  board  the  bow  of  the  Marlborough  ;  so  that  the 
Marlborough,  Impetueux  and  Mucins  formed  a  triangle.  Soon  after- 
wards, the  Marlborough  lost  all  her  masts ;  but  she  nevertheless 
dismasted  both  her  opponents.  She  was,  a  little  later,  raked  by  the 
Montagne,  which  passed  by  her  stern  ;  and,  being  at  length  obliged 
to   signal   for  help,  she   was  taken  in  tow  by  the  Aquilon.^     The 

'  After  the  Marlborough  had  been  entirely  dismasted  and  otherwise  very  seriously 
disabled,  owing  to  her  succeBsive  encounters  with  the  Sans  Pareil,  Mucius,  and 
Montagne,  and  the  Captain  and  Lieutenant  Michael  Seymour  (1)  had  been  severely 
wounded,  some  whispers  of  surrender  seem  to  have  been  heard  on  board ;  whereupon 
Lieutenant  John  Monckton  resolutely  exclaimed:  "I'll  be  damned  if  she  shall  ever 
surrender :  I'll  nail  her  colours  to  the  stump  of  the  mast."  This  attitude,  and  the 
sudden  crowing  of  a  cock  that  had  found  its  way  out  of  a  smashed  coop,  and  perched 
itself  on  the  stump  of  the  mainmast,  reanimated  the  crew,  who  at  once  gave  three 


1794.]  THE   OLORIOUS   FIRST   OF  JUNE.  231 

Mucins  escaped  ;  but  the  Impetueux  was  ultimately  taken  possession 
of  by  the  Russell. 

The  Defence  got  through  the  French  line  between  the  Mucins 
and  the  Tourville,  and  was  presently  in  the  thick  of  the  action. 
She  was  so  badly  treated  that,  being  threatened  by  the  Republicain, 
she  signalled  for  help,  and  was  taken  in  tow  by  the  Phaetou.  Before 
the  latter  did  this,  she  very  pluckily  engaged  the  Impetueux  for  ten 
minutes.  The  Impregnable,  Tremendous  and  Barfleur  kept  much 
too  much  to  windward  to  produce  any  great  effect.  The  Invincible, 
instead  of  engaging  her  proper  opponent,  engaged  the  Juste,^  and 
forced  her  to  bear  up  until,  meeting  with  the  fire  of  the  Queen 
Charlotte,  she  struck.  The  Culloden  and  Gibraltar  also  engaged 
somewhat  too  far  to  windward,  and  therefore  did  little  damage. 
The  Queen  Charlotte,  steering  to  cut  the  line  astern  of  the  Montague, 
received,  as  she  approached,  a  heavy  fire  from  the  Vengeur  and 
Achille.  As  she  was  about  to  pass  astern  of  the  Montague,^  the 
Jacobin  stretched  ahead  under  that  ship's  lee,  nearly  taking  the 
place  which  the  Queen  Charlotte  was  to  have  taken.  Thanks, 
however,  to  the  promptitude  of  Mr.  James  Bowen,  Master  of  the 
Queen  Charlotte,  the  British  flagship  was  neatly  luffed  up  between 
the  two  French  vessels,  and  warmly  engaged  both,  until  the  Jacobin^ 
dropped  astern,  and  the  Montague  made  sail  and  ranged  ahead.  It 
was  then  that  Howe  signalled  for  a  general  chase.  The  Queen 
Charlotte  next  engaged  the  Juste,  which  she  dismasted,  and 
ultimately  forced  to  strike.  But,  in  the  interim,  Howe  was 
threatened  by  the  liepublicain  ;  and  he  only  escaped  receiving 
severe  damage  from  her  owing  to  the  opportime  fall  of  the  French 


cheers,  and  thought  no  iiKjre  of  aught  save  victory.  Lieutenant  Michael  Seymour 
received  a  baU  between  the  elbow  and  the  wrist,  and  the  limb  mortifying,  the  left  arm 
had  in  a  few  days  to  be  amputated  well  above  the  elbow. — Barrow,  '  Howe ' ;  '  Life  of 
Seymour.' 

'  The  Juste,  according  to  Ckxirington,  was  a  red-sided  ship,  yet,  for  a  time  she  was 
mistaken  by  Lord  Howe,  and  others  in  the  Queen  Charlotte,  for  the  Invincible. 

'  The  Montague  would  ai>i)car  to  have  iM^en  quite  unprepared  for  Howe's  mode  of 
attack,  and  to  have  had  her  starboard  or  lee  ports  closed,  and  her  guns  on  that  side 
unloaded  and  unmanned  until  about  the  time  when,  having  sutVercd  very  heavily,  she 
ranged  ahead. 

'  The  French  were  placed  at  a  disadvantage  by  the  close  proximity  of  the  two 
ships.  They  could  not  use  their  BjKDnges  and  rammers,  wliich  had  rigid  wooden  shafts. 
The  British,  however,  had  siwnges  and  rammers  with  flexible  rope  shafts,  specially 
prepared  for  such  an  eventuality.  The  French,  therefore,  could  only  use  with  freedom 
a  few  forward  and  after  girns  on  the  starboard  side  of  the  lower  deck  while  the  ships 
remained  in  contact. 


232  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1794. 

three-decker's  main  and  mizeu  masts,  thanks  to  the  distant  fire  of 
the  Gibraltar.  This  fire  was,  however,  so  carelessly  directed  that 
some  of  it  struck  the  Queen  Charlotte} 

The  Brunswick  was  well  forward  at  the  commencement  of  the 
attack,  and  received  much  of  the  fire  intended  for  the  Queen 
Charlotte.  This  did  her  great  damage  hefore  she  returned  a  single 
shot.     The  French  hne  closed  up  so  much   that    Captain   Harvey 


CAPTAIN   JOHN    HARVEY    (1),    OF   THE    "  ERUNSWIf'K." 
(From  an  oiijravino  hi/  Hidh'n,  after  the  portrait  by  Stuart.) 

could  not  pass  thi'ough  astern  of  the  Jacobin.  He  tried,  as  an 
alternative,  to  pass  between  the  Achille  and  the  Vengeur ;  but  the 
latter  stretched  ahead  and  blocked  the  opening.  The  Brnnswiclx, 
therefore,  put  her  helm  to  port,  and  ran  foul  of  the  Vengeur,  the 
starboard  anchors  of  the  British  ship  hooking  into  the  French  ship's 
larboard  fore-shrouds  and  channels.  The  master,  Mr.  George 
Stewart,  asked  Harvey:  "  Shall  I  cut  the  ship  clear,  sir?"  "No," 
said  Harvey;  "  we  have  got  her  and  we  will  keep  her."  The  two 
'  Bourchier,  'Codrington,' i.  27. 


1794.]  DEFENCE   OF   THE  BRUNSWICK.  233 

ships  at  once  swung  close  together,  and,  paying  off  before  the  wind, 
dropped  out  of  the  Hne.  The  seamen  on  the  British  ship's  lower 
deck,  finding  that  they  could  not  open  some  of  their  lower  ports 
owing  to  the  pressure  of  the  French  ship's  hull  against  them,  blew 
them  off ;  and  so,  with  their  heads  to  the  north,  the  two  vessels 
began  a  most  sanguinary  engagement.  Harvey  was  soon  wounded 
in  the  hand  by  a  musket-shot,  but  remained  on  deck.  At  11  A.M. 
the  Achille  bore  down  through  the  smoke  upon  the  British  ship's 
larboard  quarter,  and  threatened  to  board.  But  the  Brunswick  shot 
away  her  last  remaining  mast  as  she  came  up,  and,  since  the  wreck- 
age fell  over  the  starboard  or  engaged  side  of  the  Achille,  that  ship 
was  unable  to  continue  the  action ;  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  struck. 
The  Bnmswick  could  not,  however,  take  possession  ;  and  the  Achille 
subsequently  rehoisted  her  colours,  and  attempted  to  escape  by 
setting  her  spritsail.  She  had  got  some  distance  away  when  another 
ship  was  seen  bearing  down  on  the  Brunswick.  This  was  at  first 
taken  for  a  foe ;  but  she  proved  to  be  the  Bamillies,  commanded  by 
Henry  Han-ey,  brother  to  the  Captain  of  the  Brunsicick.  By  that 
time  the  fire  from  the  Brunsicick's  quarter-deck,  forecastle,  and 
poop  had  almost  ceased ; '  but  she  fought  her  principal  batteries  as 
vigorously  as  ever. 

"On  the  lower-deck,"  says  James,  "the  seamen,  profiting  by  the  rolling  of  the 
Vengeur,  frequently  drove  home  the  coins,  and  depressed  the  muzzles  of  the  guns,  each 
of  which  was  loaded  with  two  round  shot,  and  then  again  withdrew  the  coins,  and 
pointed  the  muzzles  upwards ;  thus  alternately  firing  into  their  opponent's  bottom,  and 
rijiping  up  her  decks.  During  this  deliberate  and  destructive  operation,  Captain 
Harvey  was  knocked  down  by  a  splinter ;  but,  although  seriously  hurt,  he  was 
presently  on  his  legs  again.  Soon  afterwards,  however,  the  crown  of  a  double-headed 
shot,  which  had  split,  struck  his  right  arm,  and  this  gallant  oflScer  was  compelled  to 
go  below." 

On  this  occasion  Captain  Harvey  is  reported  to  have  said  to  his 
men :  "  Persevere,  my  brave  lads,  in  your  duty.  Continue  the 
action  with  spirit,  for  the  honour  of  our  King  and  country  ;  and 
remember  my  last  words  :  The  colours  of  the  Brunsicick  shall  never 
be  struck."  After  Captain  Harvey's  disablement,  the  command  of 
the  ship  devolved  upon  Lieutenant  WiUiam  Edward  Cracraft. 

At  about  12.4.5  p.m.,  the  action  having  lasted  some  three  hours, 

'  Some  French  accounts  go  bo  far  as  to  say  that,  attracted  by  the  deserted  state  of 
the  Brunswick's  upper  deck,  a  few  French  seamen,  seeing  that  fire  had  broken  out  on 
it,  and  considering  the  ship  as  good  as  taken,  clambered  over  the  British  ship's 
bulwarks,  and  were  not  opjxjsed ;  but  that  these  people  were  withdrawn  upon  the 
approach  of  the  RamilUes.     Cf.  Guerin,  vi.  40. 


234  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1794. 

the  Brunswick  and  VeiKjeur  switng  apart,  the  Brunswick's  three 
iiuchors  being  torn  away.  The  BamiUies  then  attacked  the 
Vengeur,  the  rudder  of  which  was  spht  by  the  last  shots  from  the 
Brunswick,  and  which  also  received  a  large  hole  in  her  counter 
from  the  same  discharges.  The  BamiUies,  at  not  more  than  forty 
yards'  distance,  concentrated  her  fire  on  this  hole,  and  soon  reduced 
the  Vengeur  to  a  sinking  state.  The  BamiUies  only  desisted  when 
she  saw  the  AchiUe  making  off,  and  felt  it  her  duty  to  pursue  her. 
The  Vengeur  then  hung  out  a  Union  Jack  in  token  of  surrender. 
The  Brunswick,  which  had  no  boats  left,  could  do  nothing  to 
relieve  her  late  foe ;  and  she  put  her  own  head  to  the  north, 
intending  to  make  the  best  of  her  way  to  port.  At  3  p.m.  she 
fell  in  ^^•ith  the  Jemmapes,  which  was  dismasted  and  rolling  her 
lower  ports  under.  The  Brunswick  hiffed  up  under  her  lee,  where- 
upon  the  Jemmapes   signified    that  she   had   already  struck.     The 

SIGNATURE    OF   CAPT.    WILLIAM    EDWARD   CKACRAFT,    R.N. 

Brunswick  had  lost  her  mizen.  Her  bowsprit,  and  her  main  and 
foremasts  were  badly  wounded,  and  her  running  and  standing 
rigging  was  shot  away,  all  her  yards  being  shattered,  and  all  her 
sails  in  pieces.  She  had  also  twenty-three  guns  dismounted,  had 
been  on  fire  three  times,  had  lost  her  starboard  quarter-gallery, 
and  had  her  best  bower  anchor,  with  the  starboard  cathead,  towing 
under  her  keel. 

The  VaUant  hove  to  to  windward  of  the  Batriote,  which 
she  soon  drove  to  leeward.  She  next  engaged  the  AchiUe.  The 
Orion  engaged  the  Northumberland  and  the  Patriate  until  they 
bore  lip.  She  then  hauled  up  to  support  the  Queen  Charlotte. 
The  Queen  suffered  heavily  while  bearing  down  to  engage,  and 
failed  to  get  abreast  of  the  NorthumherlaiuJ.  She  therefore  closed 
with  the  Jemmapes,  keeping  on  her  starboard  quarter  when  the 
French  ship  made  sail  ahead,  and  bringing  down  her  mizenmast. 
The  Queen  herself  had  lost  her  main  and  sprung  her  mizen  ;  but 
she  managed,  in  another  quarter  of  an  hour,  to  shoot  away  the 
main  and  foremasts  of  the  Jemmapes,  which  struck,  though  the 
Queen  was  far  too  disabled   to   take  possession.      The  latter  had 


«  ■ 


'A 


Q 


W 

o 


1794.] 


SINKING    OF   THE    VENOEUR. 


235 


by  that  time  lost  her  mizen-topmast,  and  was  otherwise  un- 
manageable for  the  moment ;  but,  in  an  hour,  she  got  her  head 
towards  the  British  fleet,  and  was  steering  to  leeward  of  it,  when 
she  saw,  at  1'2.30  p.m.,  twelve  French  ships  standing  towards  her. 
She  was  fired  at  by  ten  of  them,  and  by  two  frigates,  which  were 
towing  the  Terrible  ;  but  she  pluckily  returned  the  fire,  and  was 
presently  reheved   by  the  Queen    Charlotte  and   the   newly-formed 


ADMIRAL   SIR   ROGER   CURTIS,    B.iRT. 
{From  an  engraving  hy  Ridley,  after  the  picture  by  Rivers.) 


British  line.     The  escaping  French,  however,  rehoisted  the  colours 
of  the  Jemmapes  and  towed  her  away. 

Of  the  British  ships  towards  the  rear  of  the  line  little  need  be 
said.  The  Bamillies,  after  succouring  the  BrunswicJi\  secured  the 
Achille.  The  Alfred,  assisted  by  the  Culloden  and  Battler,  cutter, 
took  ofif  great  part  of  the  crew  of  the  gallant  Vengeur  ere  the  ship 
foundered.  As  she  went  down  a  few  of  her  people  cried,  "  Vive  la 
Nation ! "  and  "  Vive  la  Repuhlique  !  "  and  some  one  is  said  to  have 


236  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1794. 

waved  a  tricolour  flag  from  her  deck.  Her  brave  captain,  Eenaudin,' 
was  happily  saved. '^  The  Montagu  engaged  the  Neptune.  The 
Royal  George,  after  engaging  the  Sans  Pared  and  Bepublicain, 
passed  through  the  French  line  between  those  ships,  subsequently 
rendering  very  valuable  service.  The  Glory,  sailing  badly,  was 
slow  in  getting  into  action,  but  at  last  cut  the  French  line  astern 
of  the  Sclpion,  which  she  engaged  from  leeward,  losing  her  own 
foretop-mast  and  mizen  topgallant-mast,  but  entirely  dismasting 
her  opponent.  Then,  ranging  ahead,  she  engaged  the  Sans  Pareil, 
and,  with  the  Royal  George,  attacked  the  Republicain,  which  was 
driven  off  greatly  injured  aloft.  The  Scipion  and  Sans  Pareil, 
completely  silenced,  had  dropped  astern,  but  could  not  be  taken 
possession  of,  the  Royal  George  having  lost  her  foremast,  and 
main  as  well  as  mizen  topmast,  and  having  had  her  wheel 
rendered  useless,  and  the  Glory  also  being  seriously  disabled. 

Having,  as  has  been  seen,  saved  what  he  could  from  the  wreck 
of  his  fleet,  Villaret  went  off  to  the  northward,  and,  by  6.15  P.M., 
was  almost  out  of  sight.'    Not  until  5  a.m.  on  June  3rd  had  Howe 

^  Renaudin,  exchanged  soon  afterwards,  was  made  a  rear-admiral  on  November  16th, 
1794,  and  died  on  May  1st,  1809. 

"  Jean  Bon  Saint- Andre,  in  his  report,  makes  no  mention  of  the  affair  of  the 
Vengeur.  Not  until  July  10th,  1794,  was  the  exaggerated  story,  much  of  which  is 
still  accepted  in  France,  put  forward  by  Barere  in  the  Convention.  Barere  then 
announced,  not  only  that  three  British  vessels  had  been  sunk,  but  also  that  the  Venyeur 
had  gone  down  firing  at  the  enemy  and  with  all  her  colours  flying,  while  her  people, 
preferring  death  to  captivity  in  the  hands  of  tyrants,  cheered  for  the  Republic,  for 
Liberty,  and  for  France.  All  this  implied,  of  course,  that  the  Vengeur  never  struck. 
Barere  further  suggested,  if  he  did  not  actually  declare,  that  Eenaudin  and  the  entire 
ship's  company  had  shared  the  fate  of  the  vessel.  Thiers,  by  the  way,  also  makes 
Renaudin  to  have  perished.  Upon  the  strength  of  Barere's  declamations,  the  Con- 
vention decided  that  a  small  ivory  model  of  the  Vengeur  should  be  suspended  from  the 
ceiling  of  the  Salon  de  la  Liberte.  But  when  Renaudin  reappeared,  and  when  scores  of 
other  survivors  of  the  gallant  ship  returned  to  France,  the  truth  began  to  be  realised 
by  those  in  authority,  and  the  project  was  not  pursued.  Not  only  Barere  and  Thiers, 
however,  but  also  Lebrun  and  Lamartine,  have  allowed  themselves  to  be  carried  away 
by  the  story  of  what  never  happened.  The  truth  will  be  found  in  a  proces-verbal, 
dated  Tavistock,  ler  Messidor,  an  II.,  and  signed  by  Renaudin  and  other  officers,  which 
was  first  printed  by  M.  Jal. — ('  Rev.  Brit.'  vol.  xxiii.  4th  ser.) 

'  French  authorities  for  the  action  of  the  9th,  10th,  and  13th  Prairial :  "Journal 
de  J.  B.  Saint-Andre  '  (untrustworthy  at  all  points,  yet  suggestive)  :  "  Precis  des  princ. 
Evenements,'  by  Admiral  Kerguelen  :  procis-vtrhal  signed  by  Renavuliu,  etc. ;  account 
by  M.  E.  Dupaty,  later  of  the  Academic  Franfaisc,  who  was  in  the  Patriote ;  orders  of 
Villaret-Joyeuse  (Arch,  de  la  Marine) ;  reports  of  various  captains  (Sect.  Hist,  de  la 
Marine);  Report  of  Villaret-Joyeuse  (published  by  M.  Chasseriau),  etc.  The  chief 
published  English  authorities,  in  addition  to  the  official  ones,  are :  Barrow,  '  Life  of 
Howe';  'Mems.  of  Collingwood ' ;  'Life  of  Codrington';  'The  Naval  Chronicle,' 
passim ;  '  A  Narr.  of  the  Procs.  of  H.M.  Fleet,'  etc.     (4to,  London,  1796) ;  Marshall, 


1794.]  MONTAGU  AND    THE  FRENCH  FLEET.  237 

sufficiently  refitted  his  fleet  to  be  able  to  make  sail.  He  then 
steered  north-east,  and  at  11  A.M.  on  the  13th  anchored,  without 
further  adventure,  at  Spithead,  with  his  six  prizes  and  all  his 
fleet,  except  nine  vessels  of  the  line,  which  he  had  scut  into 
Plymouth. 

Rear-Admiral  George  Montagu  had  been  ordered  to  cruise  on 
the  lookout  for  Vanstabel  until  May  '20th,  and  then,  if  unsuccessful, 
to  rejoin  Howe.  But  in  consequence  of  information  which  reached 
him,  he  took  upon  himself  to  cruise  a  little  longer.  In  the  interval, 
he  recaptured  some  vessels  of  the  Lisbon  convoy,  and  from  them 
he  learnt  that  Villaret  was  at  sea,  looking,  as  he  himself  was,  for 
Vanstabel.  Montagu  also  learnt  that  Howe  was  no  longer  at  the 
rendezvous  off  Ushant,  but  far  to  the  westward.  He,  therefore, 
in  comphance  with  the  spirit  of  his  orders,  turned  his  head  home- 
wards, and  on  May  30th  anchored  in  Plymouth  Soimd.  The 
Admiralty,  however,  anxious  to  have  the  French-American  convoy 
intercepted,  at  once  ordered  him  to  sea  again,  with  a  reinforcement, 
which  brought  his  strength  up  to  that  set  forth  in  the  note.'  He 
was  directed  to  proceed  off  Ushant,  and  there  await  news  from 
Howe,  and,  in  the  event  of  an  action  between  the  French  and 
British  fleets,  to  be  ready  to  afford  assistance  in  protecting  damaged 
friends  or  in  captmiug  damaged  foes ;  but,  above  all  things,  to 
look  out  for  the  American  convoy. 

The  Audacious  reached  Plymouth  on  June  3rd,  with  intelligence 
of  the  partial  action  between  the  fleets ;  but,  no  further  orders 
reaching  Montagu,  he  sailed  on  the  -Ith,  and  on  the  8th  aiTived 
on  his  station.  At  3.30  that  afternoon  he  sighted  and  chased 
twelve  sail  in  the  E.S.E.,  there  being  a  moderate  breeze  from  the 
N.N.E. ;  and,  half-an-hour  later,  he  discovered  eight  of  the  strangers 
to  be  French  line-of-battle  ships ;  whereupon  he  formed  a  line  of 
battle,  and  stood  on  to  meet  them.  But,  crowding  sail,  they  stood 
into  Bertheaume  Bay,  and  Montagu  at  night  tacked  and  stood  off 


'  Roy.  Nav.  Biog.' ;  Steel, '  Navy  List,'  and  '  Naval  Chronologist ' ;  Ealph, '  Nav.  Chron.' ; 
Charnock,  '  Biog.  Nav.,'  and  Brenton's  and  James's  histories.  The  logs  of  the  ships 
engaged  have  also  been  consulted. 

'  Hector,  7-t,  Rear-Admiral  George  Montagu  (B),  Capt.  Lawrence  William  Halsted ; 
Alexander,  7-t,  Capt.  Richard  Rodney  Bligh;  Ganges,  74,  Capt.  William  Truscott; 
Colosstis,  74,  Capt.  Charles  Morice  Pole ;  Bellona,  74,  Capt.  George  Wilson ;  Theseus,  74, 
Capt.  Robert  Calder;  Arror/anl,  74,  Capt.  Richard  Lucas;  Minotaur,  li,C3\>t.  Thomas 
Louis ;  Muby,  64,  Capt.  Sir  Richard  Hussey  Bickerton  ;  Pallas,  32,  Capt.  Hon.  Henry 
Curzon,  and  Concorde,  36,  Capt.  Sir  Richard  John  Strachan. 


238 


MA  JOE    OPERATIONS,    1793-1S02. 


[1794. 


under  easy  sail.     This  French  squadron,  under  Eear-Adniiral  Comic,' 
seems  to  have  been  sent  from  Cancale  Bay  to  look  out  for  A'illaret. 

On  the  9th  at  7  a.m.,  when  the  wind  blew  light  from  the  north, 
Montagu  sighted  a  fleet  bearing  west.  It  was  soon  made  out  to  be 
a  French  fleet  of  nineteen  ships  of  the  line,  three  frigates,  and  two 
smaller  vessels.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  the  remains  of  Villaret's 
force  retm-ning  to  port.     Five  of  the  French  ships,  being  wholly  or 


ADMIRAL   ALAN,    LORD   GARDNER. 

(From  a  drawing  by  Geo.  Dance,  after  a  portrait  by  W.  Daniell,  painttd  in  17M,  soon  nfter 
Gardner  hatl  become  a  rice-Admiral.) 

partially  dismasted,  were  in  tow  of  others.     Yet,  even   deducting 

these,   Villaret    had    a    great    superiority.      Moreover,   inshore   of 

Montagu  was  Comic's  squadron  of  eight  sail  of  the  line.     In  these 

circumstances,    the   British   Eear-Admiral   deemed   it   ad\'isable   to 

avoid  an  action,  and  stood  away  to  the  southward.     Villaret  chased ; 

but  at  5  P.M.,  when  his  headmost  ships  were  within  four  miles  of 

'  An  inexperienced  man  who  liad  been  lately  raised  to  flag-rank,  and  who  appears 
not  to  have  been  in  the  French  Navy  at  all  in  1791. 


1794.] 


EONOURS   AND   HE  WARDS. 


239 


the  British  rear,  he  hauled  upon  a  wind  to  the  eastward,  on  the 
larboard  tack,  fearing  lest,  with  his  crippled  vessels,  he  should  be 
drawn  to  leeward  of  his  port.  Montagu  then  for  a  short  time 
sought  in  vain  for  Howe  ;  and,  at  4  p.m.  on  the  10th,  bore  away 
for  the  Channel.  On  the  I'ith  he  anchored  in  Cawsand  Bay. 
Villaret,  in  company  with  Rear-Admiral  Cornic,  had  anchored 
in  Bertheaume  Bay  on  the  11th;  and  on  the  I'Jtli,  Kear-Admiral 
Vanstabel,  with  the  long-expected  American  convoy,  also  arrived 
there.  He  had  been  previously  joined  by  the  Montagnard,  and 
apparently,  also,  by  the  Mont  Blanc. 

For    their    services   in    these    engagements,   Howe    received   a 
diamond-hilted  sword  and  a  gold  chain,  and  was  visited  on  board 


C0MMEM0H.\T1VE    MEDAL    OF    LOltll    HOWe"s    VICTORY    OF   JUNK    IsT,    17'J4. 
(From  an  original  lent  by  H.S.B.  Gii'tain  Prince  Louis  of  Battenberg,  B.X.) 

the  Queen  Charlotte  at  Spithead  by  the  King  and  the  royal  family ; 
Vice-Admiral  Thomas  Graves  (2)  was  made  Baron  Graves  in  the 
Irish  peerage  ;  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Alexander  Arthur  Hood  was  made 
Viscount  Bridport ;  Kear-Admirals  Bowyer,  Gardner,  Pasley,  and 
Curtis  were  created  Baronets  ;  and  Bowyer  and  Pasley  also  received 
a  pension  of  £1000  a  year  each,  on  account  of  their  wounds. 
Certain  Captains  and  Flag  officers,  who  are  indicated  in  the  table 
on  page  226,  were  given  medals  ;  and  the  surviving  first  Lieutenants 
of  every  ship  which  had  been  in  the  line  on  June  1st,  as  well  as 
he  of  the  Audacious,  were  made  Commanders.  Several  Lieutenants 
of  the  various  flagships  were  also  promoted.  The  officers,  seamen, 
Marines,  and  soldiers  who  had  been  present  received,  of  course,  the 
thanks  of   both   Houses.     For   INIr.  James   Bowen,  who,  both   on 


240  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1794. 

May  29th  and  on  June  1st,  had  specially  distinguished  himself, 
as  Master  of  the  Queen  Charlotte,  special  provision  was  made. 
In  the  navigating  line  he  could  not  obtain  further  promotion.  He 
Avas  therefore  reduced  from  the  rank  of  Master,  and  Vi^as  appointed 
11  Lieutenant.  He  was  rapidly  promoted  in  his  new  career,  being 
made  a  Commander  in  1795  for  his  conduct  in  Lord  Bridport's 
action,  and  a  Post-Captain  on  September  '2nd  of  the  same  year. 
He  died  a  retired  Rear- Admiral  in  1835. 

Several  British  ships  had  notoriously  behaved  themselves  some- 
what ill,  both  on  May  29th  and  on  June  1st.  It  would,  therefore, 
have  been  but  natural  if  courts-martial  had  followed ;  but  the 
Government,  anxious  not  to  do  anything  to  detract  from  the  effect 
of  the  victory,  did  not  take  the  initiative.  Thus,  only  one  court- 
martial  was  held.  This  was  applied  for  by  Captain  Molloy,  of 
the  Ctpsar.  The  court  sat  on  board  the  Glory,  at  Portsmouth, 
from  April  25th  to  May  15th,  1795  ;  and,  in  the  result,  while 
admitting  Captain  MoUoy's  personal  courage,  it  decided  that  he 
had  not  done  his  best  to  pass  through  the  enemy's  line  on 
May  29th,  nor  to  take  up  his  proper  station  on  June  1st.  He 
was  therefore  sentenced  to  be  dismissed  his  ship,  and  he  was 
never  again  employed. 

The  Culloden,  one  of  the  other  ships  which  had  least  distinguished 
themselves  on  June  1st,  rendered  herself  further  notorious  towards 
the  end  of  the  year.  She  had  been  commanded,  during  the  action, 
by  Captain  Isaac  Schomberg,  and  that  officer  had  been  followed 
by  Captain  Eichard  Bundle  Burges,  and  he  again  by  Captain 
Thomas  Troubridge.  When,  on  December  3rd,  the  vessel  lay  at 
Spithead,  the  greater  part  of  her  crew  suddenly  burst  into  a  state 
of  mutiny,  and  barricaded  themselves  below.  News  of  what  had 
occurred  was  sent  to  the  Admiral  commanding  in  the  Channel, 
and  to  Captain  Troubridge,  who  was  on  shore ;  and  the  Marines 
were  got  under  arms.  On  the  morning  of  the  4th  it  was  found 
that  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  her  people  remained  mutinous, 
and  that  the  rest,  including  all  the  Marines  but  six,  were  well 
disposed.  That  afternoon.  Admirals  Lord  Bridport,  the  Hon. 
William  Cornwallis,  and  Colpoys  went  on  board,  and  in  vain 
endeavoured  to  persuade  the  men  to  return  to  their  duty.  Matters 
continued  unsettled  mitil  the  11th,  when  Captain  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Pakenham,  going  on  board,  succeeded  in  restoring  discipline.  The 
men  were  then  mustered,  and  ten  of   the  ringleaders  seized  and 


1794.]  LOSS    OF   THE  ALEXANDER.  241 

sent  away  for  trial.  They  were  court-martialled  on  December 
15th.  Two  were  acquitted  and  eight  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  On 
January  13th,  five  of  the  eight  were  executed  on  board  the 
CuUoden.     The  other  three  were  pardoned. 

On  June  22nd,  Kear-Admiral  the  Hon.  William  Comwallis,  in 
the  Excellent,  74,  Captain  John  Whitby,  with  eleven  other  sail  of 
the  line,  one  50-gun  ship,  and  three  frigates,  sailed  from  Plymouth 
to  escort  an  East  India  convoy  clear  of  the  Soundings,  and  to  cruise 
in  the  Bay  of  Biscay.  On  September  7th,  Lord  Howe,  in  the 
Queen  Charlotte,  100,  with  thirty-four  sail  of  the  hne,  including 
five  Portuguese  under  Admiral  de  Valle,  and  with  a  number  of 
frigates,  left  Torbay  to  cruise  on  the  coast  of  France.  After 
having  made  an  ineffectual  attempt  to  look  into  Brest  Road,  he 
steered  down  the  Channel  to  protect  the  British,  Spanish,  and 
Dutch  outgoing  and  incoming  convoys.  Bad  weather  supervened  ; 
and,  on  the  21st,  Howe  returned  to  Torbay.  He  again  sailed  in 
November ;  but  he  had  no  opportunity  of  again  meeting  the  French 
fleet. 

The  main  body  of  that  fleet  did  not,  in  fact,  put  to  sea  until 
the  last  week  of  the  j'ear  ;  but  Eear-Admii-al  Nielly,  w^ith  five  74"s, 
three  frigates,  and  a  corvette,  sailed  from  Brest  early  in  November, 
in  order  to  endeavour  to  intercept  the  homeward-bound  British 
convoy  from  Portugal.  On  November  6th,  at  2.30  a.m.,  in 
lat.  48'  25'  N.  and  long.  7'  53'  W.,  he  feU  in  with  the  British  74's 
Alexander,  Captain  Richard  Rodney  Bligh,  and  Canada,  Captain 
Charles  Powell  Hamilton,  which  had  been  engaged  in  escorting 
merchantmen  out  of  Soundings.  The  British  ships  stood  to  the 
north-west  and  were  chased.  At  daybreak,  in  order  to  confuse 
the  enemy,  they  separated  somewhat,  the  Alexander  continuing 
her  course,  and  the  Canada  steering  more  to  the  north.  Of  the 
enemy,  two  ships  of  the  line  and  two  frigates  followed  the  Canada, 
and  three  ships  of  the  line  and  one  frigate  pvu-sued  the  Alexander. 
Between  8  and  9  a.m.,  both  vessels  had  been  gained  upon  sufli- 
ciently  to  allow  of  a  running  fight  to  begin.  The  British  ships  then 
endeavoured  to  rejoin  for  mutual  support,  but  were  prevented  from 
doing  so  by  the  French  admiral.  At  about  11  A.M.  the  Alexander 
was  brought  to  close  action  bj'  a  vessel  supposed  to  be  the  Jean 
Bart,  which,  in  half-an-hour,  was  obliged  to  sheer  off.  The  Ti(ire 
took  her  place  ;  but  in  another  half  hour  she  lost  her  maintop- 
mast,  main  yard,  and  mizen  topmast.     A  third  ship  then  took  up 

VOL.    IV.  K 


242 


MAJOIi    OrERATIONS,    1793-1802. 


[1794. 


the  contest,  until,  at  a  little  after  1  p.m.,  the  Alexander  had  lost 
her  main  yard,  spanker  boom,  and  all  three  topgallant  yards.  She 
had  all  her  other  masts  and  yards  wounded  ;  her  rigging  and  sails 
cut  to  pieces  ;  her  hull  badly  damaged  and  set  on  fire ;  and-  her 
hold  nearly  full  of  water.  As  the  other  French  vessels  were 
rapidly  coming  up,  she  struck.  The  Canada  got  safely  into  port. 
The   Alexander    appears    to   have    lost    only   forty   killed    and 


.\L1M1K.41.    Sill    lilCHARD   RODNEY    BLIGH,    G.C.B. 
(F;v)»i  a  lillioriraiih  hij  RUUcii,  after  the  portrait  lii/  Opie.) 


wounded,  and  to  have  caused  her  opponent  a  loss,  according  to 
French  accounts,  of  no  fewer  than  four  hundred  and  fifty  men. 
She  was  carried  into  Brest.  Her  Captain,  who,  in  the  meantime, 
had  be&n  promoted  to  be  Eear-Admiral,  was  very  kindly  treated  by 
Captain  Eenaudin,  the  late  commander  of  the  gallant  Vengeur  ; 
but  there  is  ground  for  fearing  that  his  people  fared  much  less  well. 
Bligh,  after  his  exchange,  was  tried  by  court-martial  on  May  27th, 
1795,  and  was  most  honourably  acquitted. 


1704.]  LIXZEE   ON   THE   COAST   OF  CORSICA.  243 

After  the  evacuation  of  Toulon,  Lord  Hood,  with  the  Mediter- 
ranean fleet,  proceeded  to  Hyeres  Bay,  and  thence,  hearing  that  the 
repubhcans  in  Corsica  were  in  difficulties  owing  to  lack  of  provisions 
and  stores,  detached  several  cniisers  to  prevent  supplies  from  being 
thrown  into  the  island.  It  was  while  engaged  upon  this  duty  that 
a  sudden  and  terrible  fate  overtook  the  Ardent,  64,  Captain  Robert 
Manners  Sutton.  She  was  stationed  off  Villa  Franca  to  watch  two 
French  frigates  and  a  convoy,  and,  it  is  supposed,  caught  fire  and 
blew  up ;  but  not  a  single  soul  survived  to  tell  the  tale. 

Hood,  however,  meditated  more  active  measures  than  a  mere 
blockade ;  and,  having  opened  communication  with  General  Paoli, 
he  got  under  sail  on  January  24th,  and  made  for  the  Bay  of  San 
Fiorenzo.  On  the  25th  the  fleet  was  dispersed  by  a  gale ;  and  on 
the  29th,  not  without  difficulty,  it  made  Porto  Ferrajo,  in  Elba. 
From  that  place  Hood  detached  the  74's,  Alcidc,  Commodore  Robert 
Linzee,  Captain  John  Woodley ;  Egmont,  Captain  Archibald  Dick- 
son, and  Fortitude,  Captain  William  Young  (1) ;  and  the  frigates 
Lowestoft,  32,  Captain  WiUiam  Wolseley,  and  Juno,  32,  Captain 
Samuel  Hood  (2),  with  transports,  containing  troops  commanded  by 
Major-General  Dundas,  to  Mortella  Bay,  where  they  arrived  on 
the  7th.  The  troops  were  landed  that  evening  ;  and  on  the  8th  a 
combined  attack  by  land  and  sea  was  made  on  Mortella  Tower,  the 
Fortitude  and  Juno  battering  it  for  two  hom-s  and  a  half.  The 
attempt  miscarried,  and  the  ships  had  to  draw  off,  the  Fortitude 
having  lost  6  killed  and  5G  wounded,  and  having  been  set  on  fire. 
The  fire  from  the  artillery  on  shore,  however,  obliged  the  tower  to 
surrender,  after  its  little  garrison  had  made  a  really  magnificent 
defence.  The  next  post  attacked  was  the  Convention  Redoubt, 
which  mounted  twenty-one  hea^^'  guns,  and  was  considered  the  key 
of  San  Fiorenzo.  The  seamen  from  the  squadron,  by  incredible 
exertions,  dragged  some  18-pounders  into  a  commanding  position 
which  had  been  supposed  to  be  inaccessible,  and,  after  a  bombard- 
ment on  the  16th  and  17th,  the  redoubt  was  successfulh-  stormed. 
The  French  retired  to  San  Fiorenzo,  where,  on  the  19th,  thej-  burnt 
the  Fortunie,  one  of  the  two  frigates  which  they  had  with  them, 
and  allowed  the  other,  the  Minerve,  38,  to  sink  from  the  effects  of 
the  damage,  which  she  had  sustained  from  the  fire  of  the  British. 
They  then  retreated  to  Bastia.  San  Fiorenzo  was  occupied  the 
same  evening;  and,  within  a  few  days,  the  Minerve  was  weighed 
and  carried  off.     There  being  already  a  Minerve  in  the  service,  the 

R  2 


244  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1794. 

prize  was  added  to  the  Navy  as  the  Sail  Fiorenzo,  36.  In  this  affair 
the  British  loss  was  small.  General  Paoli  had  heen  at  hand  to 
co-operate  in  case  his  assistance  should  be  required. 

Hood  desired  next  to  reduce  Bastia  ;  but  Major-General  Dundas 
considered  the  scheme  impracticable  with  so  small  a  force.  Hood, 
therefore,  who  had,  in  the  meantime,  moved  with  the  body  of  the 
fleet  to  San  Fiorenzo,  left  his  anchorage  on  the  •23rd  and  made  a 
demonstration  off  Bastia,  cruising  there  for  a  fortnight,  and  gathering 
intelligence.  He  returned  to  San  Fiorenzo  Bay  on  March  5th  ;  and, 
as  Dundas  still  declined  to  act  pending  the  arrival  of  2000  troops 
from  Gibraltar,  the  Commander-in-Chief  merely  embarked  such 
soldiers  as  would  supply  the  deficiency  of  Marines  in  his  ships, 
together  with  a  handful  of  artillerymen,  and  sailed  on  April  2nd, 
leaving,  however,  part  of  his  fleet  to  watch  Toulon.  He  anchored 
off  Bastia  on  April  4th,  and  disembarked  the  troops,  under  the 
command  of  Lieut. -Colonel  Vilettes,  and  some  seamen,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Horatio  Nelson,  of  the  Agamemnon,  at  a  spot 
a  little  to  the  north  of  the  town.  Exclusive  of  the  Corsican  patriots 
who  co-operated,  only  1248  officers  and  men  were  employed ;  while 
the  garrison  numbered  fully  3000.  Hood  moored  his  fleet  in 
crescent  formation  round  the  harbour,  just  out  of  reach  of  the 
batteries,  and  entrusted  the  inshore  blockade  of  the  harhom^'s 
mouth  to  Captain  Benjamin  Hallowell,  with  a  flotilla  of  gunboats 
and  armed  launches.  The  Imperieuse,  Captain  William  Wolseley, 
was  detached,  as  a  precautionary  measure,  to  watch  the  island  of 
Capraja,  where  the  republicans  had  a  depot  of  stores. 

On  April  11th,  when  several  British  batteries  had  been  erected 
in  the  heights  and  were  ready  to  be  opened.  Hood  summoned  the 
town.  But  the  French  governor.  General  Lacombe  Saint-Michel, 
refused  even  to  read  the  communication.  The  batteries  were, 
therefore,  opened  on  the  enemy's  works,  and  were  promptly  and 
hotly  replied  to.  The  Proselyte,  a  12-pounder  bomb,  brought  from 
Toulon,  and  under  the  orders  of  Commander  Walter  Serocold,  was 
directed  to  act  against  one  part  of  the  defences,  but,  owing  to  a 
heavy  swell,  became  for  a  time  unmanageable  under  the  guns  of  the 
batteries,  and  was  set  in  flames  by  red-hot  shot.  Serocold,  however, 
fought  her  gallantly,  until  he  and  his  people  were  taken  off  by  the 
boats  of  the  squadron.  The  Prosehjte  was  ultimately  burnt  to  the 
water's  edge. 

The  siege  continued  with  varying  fortunes.     Among  the  naval 


17'J4.]  NELSON  AT  CALVI.  245 

officers  who  assisted  Nelson  on  shore  were  Captain  Antony  Hunt  ('2), 
Commanders  Joseph  Bullen  and  Walter  Serocold,  and  Lieutenants 
John  (lOre,  Henry  Hotham,  John  Stiles,  George  Andrews,  and  Charles 
Brisbane.  On  May  '21st,  after  a  siege  lasting  for  thirty-seven,  and 
negotiations  lasting  for  four,  days,  the  town  and  citadel  surrendered. 
The  capture  cost  the  British  anny  only  7  killed  or  mortally  wounded, 
and  27  wounded  or  missing.  The  naval  loss  was  Lieutenant  Cary 
Tupper,  of  the  Victory,  and  0  seamen  killed,  and  1  lieutenant  and 
12  seamen  wounded.  As  a  result  of  this  success,  the  island  was 
induced  by  General  Paoli  to  formally  transfer  its  allegiance  from 
France  to  Great  Britain.  The  transfer  was  made  to  Sir  Gilbert 
Elliot,'  as  viceroy,  on  June  I'Jth  ;  and  the  members  of  the  Assembly 
took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  King  George. 

Ere  that  time,  the  expected  reinforcements  of  troops  from 
Gibraltar  had  arrived  ;  and  preparations  had  been  made  to  attack 
Calvi,  which  was  still  held  by  the  republicans.  Hood  had  gone 
away  to  watch  Toulon,  leaving  Nelson  as  senior  naval  officer;  and 
the  latter  transported  troops  to  Port  Agra,  three  miles  from  Calvi, 
and  there  landed  them  on  June  19th.  Hood  sent  a  detachment  of 
the  Victory's  seamen,  with  guns,  etc.,  under  the  orders  of  Captain 
Hallowell  and  Commander  Serocold,  to  assist ;  and  on  the  27th  he 
himself  arrived  before  the  beleaguered  town,  and  landed  some  guns. 
The  siege  lasted  for  .51  days,  but,  at  length,  on  August  10th,  the  place 
capitulated.  The  British  loss  on  the  part  of  the  army  was  23  killed 
and  53  wounded,  and  on  the  part  of  the  Navy,  Commander  Walter 
Serocold,  1  Midshipman,  and  5  seamen  killed,  and  (>  seamen 
wounded.  Nelson  was  not  reported  as  having  been  wounded  ;  but, 
nevertheless,  he  was  badly  hurt  b}'  some  particles  of  sand  or  gravel 
which  had  been  driven  up  by  a  round  shot ;  and  eventually  he  lost 
the  sight  of  one  eye,  though  the  injury  does  not  appear  to  have  kept 
him  from  duty  even  for  a  day.  With  Calvi  were  captured  the 
French  frigates  Mignonnc,  28,  and  Melpomene,  40.  The  former, 
being  in  bad  condition,  was  never  commissioned  by  her  new  owners ; 
but  the  latter  was  added  to  the  Navy  as  a  38-gun  frigate. 

Lord  Hood's  anxious  watch  on  Toulon  had  been  instigated  by 
the  knowledge  that  the  French  there  were  rapidly  refitting  such 
ships  as  had  been  left  to  them  after  the  evacuation.     The  French, 

'  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot  was  the  4tli  Bart,  of  the  creation  of  1700.  Born  in  17.J1,  he 
was  created  Baron  Slinto,  of  Minto,  in  1797,  ami,  having  served  as  Governor-General 
of  Bengal,  was  made  Viscount  Melgund  and  Earl  of  Minto  in  1813.     He  died  in  1814. 


246  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [179-'. 

indeed,  had  actually  put  to  sea  on  June  5th,  with  seven  sail  of  the 
line  and  four  or  five  frigates  under  Rear-Admiral  Pierre  Martin  ; 
and  Hood  had  at  once  proceeded  in  search  of  them,  with  a  fleet 
which,  although  it  numbered  thirteen  sail  of  the  line  and  four 
frigates  only,  had  in  it,  owing  to  recent  promotions,  no  fewer  than 
eight  flag-officers.  Hood  sighted  the  enemj-  on  the  10th,  and 
chased ;  and  on  the  11th  he  di'ove  the  French  into  Gourjean  Baj', 
the  only  British  ship  fortunate  enough  to  get  within  gunshot  being 
the  Dido,  '28,  Captain  George  Henry  Towry.  The  Commander-in- 
Chief  intended  to  follow  the  French,  and  to  destroy  them  at  their 
anchors ;  but  he  was  prevented  by  unfavourable  weather  from 
making  the  attempt.  A  scheme  for  attacking  the  enemy  with  fire- 
ships  had  also  to  be  abandoned ;  and  Hood,  with  part  of  the  fleet, 
proceeded,  as  has  been  seen,  to  Calvi,  leaving  Vice- Admiral  Hotham, 
with  eight  ships  of  the  line  and  four  frigates,  to  watch  Eear-Admiral 
Martin,  who,  however,  during  a  spell  of  bad  weather,  managed  to 
get  out  and  re-enter  Toulon. 

At  the  beginning  of  November  Hood  went  home  in  the  Victory, 
leaving  the  command  to  Vice-Admiral  William  Hotham  (1),  who 
had  his  flag  in  the  Britannia,  Captain  John  Holloway.  A  few  days 
later,  on  the  11th,  a  most  serious  mutiny  showed  itself  in  the  Windsor 
Castle,  98,  Eear-Admiral  Eobert  Linzee,  Captain  Wilham  Shield. 
The  crew  expressed  a  disUke  for  the  Rear-Admiral,  Captain,  first 
Lieutenant  and  Boatswain,  and  demanded  that  all  should  be  changed. 
Vice-Admiral  Hotham  and  Eear-Admiral  Sir  Hyde  Parker  ('2)  tried 
to  settle  the  difliculty,  and  Shield  asked  for  a  court-martial,  which 
honourably  acquitted  him.  Nevertheless,  Hotham,  who  seems  to 
have  behaved  with  regrettable  weakness  in  this  matter,  sent  to  the 
Windsor  Castle  a  new  Captain,  John  Gore,  and  a  new  first  Lieu- 
tenant and  Boatswain,  and  even  went  the  length  of  pardoning  the 
mutineers.  This  incident  thi'ows  some  light  on  the  condition  of 
the  Mediterranean  fleet,  save  so  far  as  particular  ships  were  con- 
cerned, up  to  the  time  when  the  command  passed  into  the  firmer 
hands  of  Sir  John  Jervis. 

Nothing  of  great  importance  happened  during  the  year  on  the 
North  American  station,  but  in  the  West  Indies  events  were  manj' 
and  rapid.  Vice-Admiral  Sir  John  Jervis,  K.B.,  arrived  at  Barbados 
in  the  Boijne,  98,  at  the  end  of  January,  1794,  to  take  command. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Lieut. -General  Sir  Charles  Grey,  K.B., 
who  was  to  command  the  troops  to  be  employed  against  the  French 


1794.] 


CAPTURE   OF  MARTINIQUE. 


247 


colonies.  On  February  2nd,  an  expedition  composed  of  the  ships 
mentioned  in  the  note,'  with  about  6100  troops  on  board,  sailed 
from  Bridgetown,  and  on  the  5th  arrived  off  Martinique,  of  which 
island  General  Rochanibeau  was  governor,  and  in  which  there 
were  about  600  soldiers,  including  militia.  But,  although  the  island 
was  ill-manned,  its  forts  were  well-ai-med,  mounting  as  they  did 
about  ninety  guns.  The  only  French  ships  of  war  there  were  the 
Bienvenue,  32,  at  Fort  Koyal,  and  an  18-gun  corvette  at  St.  Pierre. 
The  troops  were  disembarked  at  three  several  points,  and,  by 
March  16th,  all  the  island  except  Fort  Eoyal  and  Fort  Bourbon,  was 
in  the  possession  of  the  British,  who,  however,  by  that  time  had 
lost  71  killed  and  196  wounded  or  missing.  The  seamen  co-operated 
with  the  troops  on  shoi'e,  and  were  most  useful  in  dragging  up  guns 
and  mortars.  A  division  of  200  of  them,  under  Lieutenants  Thomas 
Eogers  and  William  Gordon  Rutherford,  also  greatly  distinguished 
themselves  in  actual  fight ;  and  another,  of  300  seamen  with  a  few 
Marines,  under  Captains  Ehab  Harvey,  William  Hancock  Kelly  and 
Lord  Garlies,  materially  aided  in  the  reduction  of  Fort  Bom-bon. 
Lieutenant  Richard  Bowen  of  the  Boijne,  under  the  fire  of  Fort 
Louis  and  in  broad  daylight,  boarded  and  attacked  the  Bienvenue 
on  March  17th,  but  subsequently  had  to  abandon  her,  as  men  could 
not  be  sent  aloft  to  bend  the  sails  on  her  vards.     The  success  of 


1  Ships. 

Guui^. 

(JuinmaiKKra. 

iVlce-Aduiiral  is\i  John 

Soyne     .... 

98 

'    Jervis,  K.B. 
'Capt.  (jeorge  Grey. 
Commodore     Charles 

Vengeance    .     .     . 

74 

Thompson. 
Capl.     Lord      Henry 
I'auUt. 

JrresittMe  .     .     . 

U 

„    John  Henry. 

Asia 

64 

„    John  Hr<>wn. 

Veteran  .... 

64 

r     ,,    Charles    Edmund 
I              Nugent. 

„    John  Salisbury. 1 

Beaulieu      .     .     . 

*0 

Hanta  Margaritta. 

36 

rt    E.lttb  Harvey. 

Ships. 


blonde 

Solebay  .     .     . 

Queb^  .  .  . 
Ceres.  ,  .  . 
Winchelsea  .  , 
Jtose  .... 
yautilus 

Rattlesnake,     . 

Zebra  .  .  . 
Avenger  .  .  . 
Vfsuviuit  bomb 
Dromedary,  st-s. 
Woolwick,  Bt.8. 


32 
32 
3-2 
28 
16 


24 
44 


John  Markham. 

f     ,.  Wlltiam  H.ncock 
I  Kelly 

,.  Josias  Rcpers. 

„  Kiclmrd  Inch-duii. 

,,  Viscount  Carllos. 

„  Edward  ICiou.2 
Com.  James  Carpenter. 

f     ,,  Matthew      Heiiry 
L  .-■cott. 

,,  Robert  Faulknor.* 

,,  James  Milne  (1).* 

,,  Charles  .*<a%vyer. 

„  Sandford  Tatham. 

„  John  Parker. 


Thf  /ot lowing  also  shared  in  the  operations  at 
Guadeloupe,  St.  Lucia,  etc. 


Assurance    .     . 

Experim*nt,  st.s. 
lifiebuck  . 
Vlyise<,  St.*. 
Tcf psichore  .     . 

Itlanihe  .     .     . 

i:esouice. 

i'ndaunted  .     . 
Inspector 
Itulldog  .      .      . 

Seajloxier,  cut.  . 

TickUr,  g.b. 

I'ernon,  g.b. 

Teaser,  g.b.  .     . 
Vexer,  g.b.  . 

Spile/ul,  g.b.     . 

Tormenlor,  g.b. 


I  Capl.  Wltets    Cornwall 
\      Berkeley, 
("om   Simon  Miller. 
1  Capt.  AlexanderChrislie. 
,  Com.  Itichard  Muriee. 
Capt  Sanip!H)ii  Edwards. 
f     „    Chri^UtI>her     Par- 
l  k.T  [_'i\i 

(Com.      Hon.      Charles 
I     Herbert  (i;.  act. 
Capt.  Kobert  l-aulknor.< 
Ci'Ui.  Wyndham  Itrycr. 

.,     t^iwurd  Browne. 
(Lieut.  Wmi..m    Plerrc- 
[  point. 

„     Henry  Wray. 
f    „     Thomas      Henry 
[  Wilson. 

,.      J Hope. 

„      K Smith. 

(     ,,     John  Hlndes 

i  Sparkes. 

„      William  Wells  (2) 


'  Succeeded  by  Capt.  Edward  Kiovi. 

-  „  »,      Matthew  Heno' Scott. 

3  „  Com.  Richard  Bowen. 


<  Succeeded  by  Com.  Henry  William  Riyiituii. 
i  ,,  Capt.  Robert  Faulknor. 

«  „  „     James  Cariteoter. 


248  MAJOR    OrEBATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1794. 

this  daring  ventui-e  of  Bowen's  led  to  an  attack  on  the  town  of  Fort 
Eoyal  and  its  chief  work,  Fort  Louis,  under  cover  of  the  Asia,  64, 
and  Zebra,  sloop,  the  hoats  of  the  fleet  being  led  in  by  Captains 
Nugent  of  the  Veteran,  and  Riou,  of  the  Rose,  under  the  direction 
of  Commodore  Charles  Thompson.  On  the  '20th  this  attack  was 
made,  though  the  Asia  was  unfortunately  unable  to  get  into  her 
assigned  position.  Commander  Robert  Faulknor,  however,  more 
than  made  up  for  the  Asia's  inability  to  co-operate  ;  and  running 
the  Zebra  close  under  the  walls  of  Fort  Louis,  he  jmnped  over- 
board with  his  ship's  company  and  stormed  and  carried  the  work, 
greatlj'  facilitating  the  success  of  the  day's  operations.  The  boats, 
meanwhile,  attacked  and  took  Fort  Royal,  the  result  being  that,  on 
the  22nd,  General  Rochambeau  at  Fort  Bourbon  surrendered,  and 
the  island  passed  into  British  hands.  The  British  naval  loss 
between  the  16th  and  the  22nd  was  Commander  James  Milne  (1),  of 
the  Avenger,  and  13  seamen  killed,  and  Commander  Sandford 
Tatham,  of  the  Dromedary,  Lieutenants  Thomas  Henry  Wilson 
and  Thomas  Clarke,  and  25  others  wounded.  The  Bienvenue  was 
added  to  the  Navy  as  a  28-gun  frigate,  under  the  name  Undaunted, 
and  the  gallant  Robert  Faulknor  was  posted  to  the  command  of 
her.  Lieutenant  Richard  Bowen  being  made,  in  his  stead.  Com- 
mander into  the  Zebra. 

A  garrison  and  a  small  squadron,  under  Commodore  Charles 
Thompson,  were  left  at  Martinique ;  and  on  March  31st  troops 
were  embarked  at  Fort  Royal  for  an  attack  on  St.  Lucia.  The 
fleet  arrived  there  on  April  1st,  and,  in  the  course  of  the  evening, 
the  troops  were  landed  at  three  different  places.  On  the  4th, 
General  Ricard  surrendered.  On  the  5th,  the  greater  part  of  the 
troops  returned  to  Martinique  ;  and  on  the  8th,  Jervis  sailed  thence 
to  attack  Guadeloupe.  On  the  10th,  he  anchored  in  Gosier  Bay  in 
that  island  ;  but  all  his  transports  did  not  arrive  till  the  12th.  On 
the  11th,  however,  some  troops  were  landed  under  cover  of  the 
Winchelsea,  82,  which  silenced  the  enemy's  batteries.  Her  captain. 
Lord  Garlics,  was  the  only  person  wounded  on  that  occasion.  On 
the  12th,  Fleur  d'Epee  was  taken  by  Major-General  Dundas  and 
Captain  Robert  Faulknor,  and  soon  afterwards  Fort  St.  Louis, 
Point  a  Pitre  and  a  battery  on  Islot  a  Cochon  were  abandoned,  thus 
handing  over  Grande  Terre  to  the  British.  The  conquest  cost  the 
Navy  only  13  wounded.  In  the  meantime  a  detached  squadron, 
consisting  of   the    Quebec,   32,    Captain   Josias   Rogers,    Ceres,    32, 


1794.] 


GUADELOUPE    TAKEN  AND    BETA  KEN. 


249 


Captain  Eichard  Incledon,  Bose,  28,  Captain  Matthew  Henry  Scott, 
and  a  sloop,  had  carried  the  works  on  the  Saintes,  on  the  10th, 
without  loss.  Leaving  small  garrisons  at  Fleur  d'Epee, Point  a  Pitre 
and  other  places,  the  rest  of  the  troops  quitted  Grande  Terre  in  trans- 
ports on  the  14th,  and  went  round  to  Petit  Bourg,  on  Basse  Terre, 
where  the}'  landed  without  opposition.  On  the  20th,  after  some 
batteries  had    been  carried,  General    Collot  snrrendcrred    th(>  entire 


^SII1    CI1.\1U,ES    KU.MUXI)    KUGKNT,    (i.e. 11.,    ADMIHAL   OP   THE    FLEET. 
iFrom  (I  lithiifjrafth  hi/  Jiidlvy,  after  the  jnfrtrait  hij  It.  Coswaij.  It. A.) 

island  but  its  dependencies.  Major-General  Dundas  was  placed 
in  command,  and  the  Yice-Admiral,  with  Sir  Charles  Grey,  left  the 
island. 

But  the  British  occupation  of  Guadeloupe  was  not  for  long 
accepted  by  the  French.  On  June  4th,  a  squadron  of  nine  vessels 
bearing  the  French  flag  appeared  off  Cape  Fran9ois,  and,  in  the 
afternoon,  anchored  in  Gosier  Bay,  there  disembarking  troops 
under  Victor  Hugues.  The  Royalist  inhabitants  behaved  badly, 
and   deserted   the   British;    and   Lieut. -Colonel   Druimuond,  com- 


250  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [179-1. 

manding  in  Basse  Terre,  had  to  retreat  in  boats  to  Grande  Terre. 
The  situation  was  reported,  early  on  the  5th,  to  the  Vice-Admiral, 
who  was  at  St.  Christopher ;  and  he  at  once  despatched  reinforce- 
ments, following  on  the  same  day,  with  Sir  Charles  Grey,  in  the 
Boyne,  with  the  Veteran  in  company,  having  sent  the  Winchchea  to 
Antigua,  and  the  Nautilus  to  Martinique,  for  troops. 

On  June  7th,  the  Vice-Admiral  and  General  arrived  off  Guade- 
loupe, and  were  there  joined  by  Commodore  Charles  Thompson  in 
the  Vanguard,  74,  Captain  Charles  Sawyer,  with  the  Vengeance,  74. 
Sir  Charles  landed  on  Basse  Terre,  and  Sir  John  Jervis,  with  the 
Boy  lie,  Vanguard,  Vengeance  and  Veteran,  proceeded  off  Point  a 
Pitre.  A  landing  on  Grande  Terre  was  eilected  on  June  19th, 
under  cover  of  the  Solebay  and  Wiiichelsca,  at  Anse  a  Canot 
without  loss,  two  battalions  of  seamen  co-operating  under  Captain 
Lewis  Eobertson,  of  the  Veteran,  and  Captain  Sawyer.  Several 
skirmishes  occurred,  but  without  definite  result ;  and,  after  a  failure 
at  Point  a  Pitre,  the  British  forces  were  re-embarked  on  July  3rd. 
The  Navy  lost  in  the  operations  Captain  Eobertson,  of  the  Veteran, 
and  6  men  killed,  and  Lieutenant  Isaac  Wolley,  Lieutenant  of 
Marines  John  Mercer,  and  '27  men  womided,  besides  16  men  miss- 
ing. The  French  remained  at  Grande  Terre  till  September  27th, 
when,  having  received  reinforcements  from  France,  they  landed  at 
Goyanne  and  Lamentin  in  Basse  Terre,  whence  they  attacked  the 
British  camp  at  Berville.  The  British  defended  their  position  until 
October  6th,  when  they  surrendered  to  Victor  Hugues.  The  only 
post  then  remaining  to  them  on  the  island  was  Fort  Mathilde,  the 
garrison  of  which,  after  a  two  months'  siege,  was  cleverly  taken  off 
on  the  night  of  December  10th,  by  Captain  Richard  Bowen,  of  the 
Terpsichore.  Bowen  had  the  misfortune  to  be  badly  wounded  while 
leaving  the  shore  in  the  last  of  the  boats.  Vice-Admiral  Sir  John 
Jervis,  who  had  gone  home  in  November,  had  by  that  time  been 
relieved  by  Vice-Admiral  Benjamin  Caldwell. 

It  has  been  seen  that  at  the  end  of  1793,  Commodore  Ford  was 
in  possession  of  Jeremie,  and  other  places  in  the  French  part  of 
San  Domingo.  Meanwhile  the  Spaniards  had  taken  possession  of 
many  posts  on  their  side.  On  January  2nd,  1794,  Ford  detached 
the  Penelope,  32,  Captain  Bartholomew  Samuel  Eowley  offering 
terms  of  capitulation  to  Port  au  Prince.  These  were  refused  ; 
and,  in  consequence,  the  Commodore  blockaded  the  harbour.  On 
February  3rd,  Cape  Tiburon  was  taken,  after  slight  resistance ;  and 


1794.]  SUCCESSES  IN  SAN  DOMINGO.  251 

on  the  11th  Aoul  was  carried.  On  May  Blst,  the  Europa,  50,  Com- 
modore Ford,  Captain  George  Gregory  ;  Irresistible,  74,  Captain  John 
Heniy ;  Bdliqtieux  64,  Captain  James  Brine  ;  Sceptre,  64,  Captain 
James  Eichard  Dacres  (1),  and  three  frigates  and  three  sloops,  with 
1465  effective  troops  on  board  imder  Brigadier-General  White,  arrived 
in  the  Bay  of  Port  au  Prince  from  Cape  Nicolas  Mole.  On  June  1st, 
the  Belliqueux,  Sceptre  and  Penelope  opened  fire  on  Fort  Brissoton, 
the  Europa  and  Irresistible,  under  sail,  lending  occasional  assistance  ; 
and,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  troops  were  disembarked  under  the 
direction  of  Commander  Thomas  Affleck,  of  the  Fly,  sloop.  The 
operations  were  interrupted  at  6  p.m.  by  a  most  tremendous  storm  ; 
but,  in  the  consequent  confusion  and  obscurity,  the  fort  was  rushed 
and  carried.  On  the  3rd,  the  Hermione,  32,  Captain  John  Hills, 
and  the  Iphigenia,  32,  Captain  Patrick  Sinclair,  bombarded  a  work 
at  Bemadou  to  make  a  diversion  during  the  advance  of  the  troops ; 
and,  on  the  4th,  Port  au  Prince  was  taken  possession  of.  There 
was  little  loss,  the  Hermione  having  5  killed  and  6  wounded,  and  the 
Belliqueux  10  wounded. 

Tiliuron,  after  its  capture,  was  garrisoned  by  a  small  force  under 
Lieutenant  George  Bradford  of  the  ^Srd  Foot.  Its  main  defences 
were  a  battery  of  three  inefficient  18-pounders,  and  an  armed 
transport,  the  King  George.  On  December  25th,  at  dawn,  a  body 
of  French  from  Aux  Cayes  made  a  descent,  and  sank  the  King 
George  after  she  had  made  a  plucky  fight.  They  then  drove  out  the 
garrison,  who  retired  to  Cape  Donna  Maria. 

On  the  coast  of  Africa  the  French  won  a  small  and  not  par- 
ticularly creditable  success.  On  September  28th,  a  small  squad- 
ron, under  Captain  Z.  J.  T.  AUemande,  approached  Sierra  Leone 
under  British  colours,  and,  suddenly  changing  them  for  French, 
began  a  bombardment  of  the  town,  which  was  entirely  improtected, 
and  which  quickly  hauled  down  the  British  flag.  In  spite  of  this, 
firing  was  continued  for  nearly  two  hours ;  after  which  the  French 
landed  and  began  to  plunder.  The  French  commander  studioush' 
protected  the  mulattoes  and  half  castes,  but  burnt  the  church,  ware- 
houses and  residences  of  all  British  inhabitants.  He  later  captured 
Banca  ;  the  garrison  of  which  escaped.  The  French  remained  at 
Sierra  Leone  until  October  23rd,  and  then,  being  very  sickly,  with- 
drew, destroying  the  Guineamen  and  other  craft  along  the  coast,  and 
then  returning  home.  They  claim  to  have  burnt  or  sunk  during 
this  raid  210  sail  of  British,  Spanish  and  Portuguese  vessels. 


•25"2  MAJOR    OPEBATIOXS,    1793-1802.  [1795. 

In  spite  of  the  numerous  French  losses,  there  were  still  in  Brest, 
at  the  end  of  1794,  thirty-five  sail  of  the  line  more  or  less  ready  for 
sea,  besides  five  others  that  were  being  built  or  repaired.'  But 
there  was  a  great  scarcity  of  stores,  and  there  was  immense  difficulty 
in  feeding  the  seventy-two  thousand  people  in  the  town,  who  were 
more  or  less  dependent  on  the  government.  It  was,  therefore, 
considered  to  be  desirable  to  send  some  of  these  elsewhere,  in  order 
to  relieve  the  pressiire ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  it  was  thought  ex- 
pedient to  strengthen  the  French  fleet  at  Toulon.  In  pursuance  of 
these  designs,  six  sail  of  the  line,  under  Kear-Admiral  Eenaudin, 
who  had  been  captain  of  the  Vengeur,  were  filled  up  with  six 
months'  provisions,  and  sent  out  of  Brest  under  convoy  of  the 
remainder  of  the  Brest  fleet,  which  was  instructed  to  see  them 
beyond  the  usual  cruising-grounds  of  the  British  Channel  fleet. 
This  last  had  been  joined  by  a  weak  Portuguese  contingent.  Owing 
to  the  scarcity  at  Brest,  that  part  of  the  force  which  was  merely  to 
go  out  and  return  had  but  a  fortnight's  stores  on  board,  and  was, 
upon  the  whole,  hardly  fit  to  put  to  sea.  The  fleet,  under  the 
command  of  Vice-Admiral  Villaret-Joyeuse,  and  consisting  of  thirty- 
five  sail  of  the  line,  thirteen  frigates,  and  sixteen  small  craft,  sailed 
in  the  last  week  of  December  during  a  gale  of  wind,  but,  in  going 
out,  lost  the  Bepuhlicain,  110,  and  sustained  so  much  other  damage 
that  it  had  to  put  back,  and  was  not  able  to  make  an  offing  until 
December  31st. 

Vague  news  of  this  reached  England  on  January  '2nd,  179.5  ;  and 
the  British  frigates  Flora,  Captain  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren, 
Arethusa,  Captain  Sir  Edward  Pellew,  and  Diamond,  Captain  Sir 
"SVilliam  Sidney  Smith,  were  on  that  day  despatched  from  Falmouth 
for  Brest  to  ascertain  what  had  really  occurred.  On  the  3rd,  being 
ofl'  the  French  port,  Warren  ordered  the  Diamond  to  look  into  the 
harbour,  and,  with  an  east  wind,  that  ship  began  to  beat  up  towards 
the  entrance.  At  2  p.m.,  Smith  observed  that  three  men-of-war, 
evidently  French,  were  also  working  in.  At  .5  p.m.  he  anchored,  so 
as  to  take  advantage  of  the  next  flood  tide,  but  he  discovered  that  he 
was  barely  two  miles  from  a  ship  of  the  line,  apparently  one  of  those 
vessels  which  he  had  seen  beating  to  windward.  At  11  p.m.  the 
Diamond  again  began  to  work  in,  and,  when  the  ebb  tide  made, 

'  In  addition,  tlierc  were  building  at  Lorient  one  80  and  two  74's,  and  at  Kochefort, 
one  110,  one  80,  and  one  74.  These,  with  all  the  ships  at  Brest,  brought  up  the  total 
of  ships  of  the  line  in  the  French  Atlantic  jiorts  to  t'orty-six. 


1795.]  THE  DIAMOND    SECONNOITRES    BREST.  253 

tacked  between  Bertheaiuue  and  Camaret  Koads,  so  as  to  create 
as  little  suspicion  as  possible.  She  had  previously  passed  close  to  a 
French  frigate  at  anchor  in  Basse  Buzee.  At  dawn  on  the  4th, 
Smith  saw  two  vessels  coming  out,  and  fifteen  small  craft  at  anchor 
in  Camaret  Koad,  but  he  discovered  nothing  in  Brest  itself,  and 
therefore  bore  up  towards  St.  Mathieu.  A  little  later,  signals  were 
made  to  him  from  the  shore  at  Bertheaume,  and,  in  consequence. 


ADMIRAL    SIl!    JOHN'    BOKI.ASK    «  .M;l!EN,    BART.,    K.I!. 
(From  II  litUtiiiriiph  bi/  Bidleij,  lifter  the  portrait  by  Opie.) 

the  Diamond  hoisted  the  French  national  colours.  She  stood  on, 
and  passed  within  hail  of  the  hne-of-battle  ship,  which  was  anchored 
off  St.  Mathieu,  and  which  had  jury  yards  and  topmasts,  and 
appeared  to  be  very  leaky.  Sir  Sidney  was  bold  enough  to  ask  the 
French  captain  if  he  needed  help,  and  received  a  reply  in  the 
negative,  and  the  information  that  the  ship  was  the  Nestor,  74, 
which,  having  suffered  in  a  gale  of  wind,  had  left  the  Brest  fleet 
three   days   earlier.      Upon    this    the    Diamond   crowded   sail,   and 


2.54  MAJOR    OPERATIOXS,    1793-1802.  [1795. 

rejoined  her  consorts,  and,  although  the  French  frigate  Virginie,  40, 
and  the  Fougueux,  74,  which  had  lately  been  launched  at  Kochefort, 
and  which  had  been  escorted  up  the  coast  by  the  frigate,  were  quite 
close  at  hand,  she  safely  rejoined  WaiTcn. 

This  exploit  deserves  attention  because  it  indicates  very  pointedly 
the  immense  value  to  naval  officers  of  a  first-rate  colloquial  know- 
ledge of  a  foreign  language.  Smith  happened  to  speak  French  with 
admirable  facilitj^  and  purity.  No  one  who  did  less  could  have 
accomplished  what  he  effected.  Seeing  how  exceedingly  rare  a 
thing  it  is  to-day  to  encounter  a  British  naval  officer  who  can 
speak  any  language  but  his  own,  without  at  once  betraying 
his  lack  of  familiarity  with  it,  it  is  unhappily  doubtful  whether, 
even  if  she  were  disguised  as  carefully  as  the  Diamond  was,  and 
if  she  knew  the  private  signals,  a  British  cruiser  could  now,  in 
war  time,  repeat  the  Diamond's  audacious  and  successful  recon- 
naissance.^ 

The  gale,  which  had  sent  the  Nestor  back  to  port,  damaged 
several  other  ships  of  the  Brest  fleet,  and  so  much  delayed  the  rest 
that  the  vessels  destined  for  Toulon  had  to  share  their  six  months' 
stores  among  their  consorts,  and  to  surrender  all  idea  of  prosecuting 
the  voyage  at  that  time.  A  little  later,  during  a  fog,  a  division  of 
eight  sail  of  the  line  and  some  frigates  pai'ted  company,  and  returned 
to  port,  but  the  other  divisions  still  cruised  together,  chiefly  perhaps 
for  exercise,  until  January  28th,  when  they  encountered  a  very 
violent  storm,  in  which  the  Neuf  Thermidor  (ex  Jacobin),  80,  the 
Scipion,  80,  and  the  Superbe,  74,  foundered,  with  considerable  loss 
of  hfe,  and  the  Neptune,  74,  was  wrecked  on  the  rocks  of  Peros. 
The  Temeraire  made  St.  Malo ;  the  Convention  made  Lorient,  and 
the  other  part  of  the  fleet,  very  crippled,  made  Brest  on  February  2nd. 
During  its  absence  from  port  it  had  captured  or  destroyed  about  one 
hundred  sail  of  merchantmen,  besides  the  Daphne,  20,  Captain 
^Yilliam  Edward  Cracraft. 

In  the  meantime,  Howe,  with  the  Channel  fleet,  had  been 
lying  at  anchor,  waiting  for  definite  news  of  the  French.  On 
February  14th  he  sailed  from  Torbay,  and,  on  the  1.5th,  was  joined 

'  In  1892,  when  the  author  was  a  passenger  in  H.M.S.  Korthampton,  the  Brazilian 
training  ship,  Almirante  Barroso,  entered  Queenstown  Harbour,  where  the  cruiser  laj' 
at  anchor.  Upon  the  Brazilian  captain  putting  oif  in  his  boat  to  visit  his  British 
colleague,  inquiry  was  made  for  an  interpreter ;  but  no  one  among  the  officers  of  tlie 
British  ship  was  foimd  wlio  could  speak  even  Frencli — much  less  Portuguese.  The 
author,  tlierefore,  bad  to  act  as  interpreter  to  the  two  captains. 


1795.]  COIiNWALLIS'S  RETBEAT.  255 

off  Plymouth  b}'  a  British  74,  and  five  Portuguese  ships,'  which 
brought  up  his  strength  to  forty-two  sail  of  the  hne,  and  about  an 
equal  number  of  frigates  and  small  craft.  He  saw  some  foreign- 
bound  convoys  safely  out  of  the  Channel,  and  then,  learning  that 
the  French  were  again  in  Brest,  proceeded  to  Spithead. 

As  soon  as  Yillaret  had  returned  to  port,  every  effort  was  made 
to  again  complete  for  sea  the  six  French  sail  of  the  line  intended  for 
Toulon.  By  great  exertions,  this  was  done  in  time  to  enable  Eear- 
Adniiral  Eeuaudin  to  sail  on  February  22nd.  He  reached  his 
destination  without  serious  misadventure  on  April  4th,  with  the 
Formidable,  80,  Jupiter,  74,  Mont  Blanc,  74,  Jemmapes,  74,  Revolu- 
tion, 74,  Tyrannicide,  74,  three  frigates,  and  two  or  three  small 
craft.  This  opportune  reinforcement  made  the  French  fleet  in  the 
Mediterranean  supei'ior  to  the  British. 

SuppUes  were  still  short  at  Brest,  and  there  was  continued 
difficulty  in  refitting  the  ships  there.  Yet,  early  in  May,  it  was 
found  possible  to  send  out  Bear- Admiral  Jean  Gaspar  Vence,  with 
three  seventy-fours,  and  six  or  seven  frigates,  to  bring  in  a  convoy  of 
coasters,  which  had  been  collected  at  Bordeaux,  in  order  to  proceed 
up  the  coast. 

It  does  not  appear  whether  the  sailing  of  this  force  was  known 
in  England  ;  but,  on  May  30th,  1795,  Vice-Admiral  the  Hon.  William 
Cornwallis,  with  a  squadron  which  is  described  in  the  note,^  was 

'  Vasco  da  Oama,  Maria  Primeira,  L'ainha  de  Portugal,  Conde  de  Henrique  anil 
I'linrissa  de  Beira,  all  74'p. 

-  Ships.  Guus.  Coiiimautiers. 


Boyal  Sovereign  .      ...  100  {SSiStSlt.''""^™ '°™"^"'- 

Mars          I     74  I       „     Sir  Charles  Cotton,  Bt. 

Triumph |     74  I       „     Sir  Erasmus  Gower,  Kt. 

Brunswick 74           „     Lord  Charles  Fitzgerald. 

Bellerophon 74            „     Jame-i,  Lord  Cranstoiin. 

Phaeton I     38  I       „     Hon.  Kobert  Stopford. 

Pallas !     32  I       „     Hon.  Henry  Curzon. 

Kiiijlfisher' IJ^        Com.  Thomas  Le  Marchant  Gosseliii. 

1  Detached  on  Jime  lltb,  with  prizes. 

The  united  French  squadrons,  after  the  junction  of  MM.  Villaret-Joyeuse  and 
Vence  on  June  15th,  were  composed  as  follows : — Peuple,  120  ;  Aleocandre,  74  ;  Droits 
de  V Homme,  74 ;  Formidable,  74 ;  Fougueux,  74 ;  Jean  Bart,  74 ;  Mucins,  74  ; 
Nestor,  74;  Bedoutable,  74;  Tigre,  74;  Wattignies,  74;  Zile,  74;  Brave  Cras^),  50; 
Scevola  (rase),  50;  Virginic,  40;  Proserpine,  40;  Insurgenie,  36;  Dryade,  36; 
Fraternite,  40;  Fi'lele,  36;  Cocarde,  30;  Begeneree,  40;  with  another  frigate,  three 
armed  ships,  two  brigs  and  two  cutters. 


256  MAJOn    OPJi/iATinxS,    17!)3-1802.  [1795. 

detached  from  the  fleet  at  Spithead  to  cruise  off  Ushant.  On 
June  Sth,  being  off  Point  Penmarck,  Cornwalhs  sighted  a  number 
of  sail  E.  by  N.  These  ships  were  Vence's  squadron  returning  with 
its  convoy,  which  was  a  very  large  one.  As  soon  as  Vence  had 
assured  himself  that  the  vessels  in  sight,  and  now  in  chase  of  him, 
were  British,  he  stood  for  Belle  Isle  under  a  press  of  sail.  The 
British  sailed  very  unequally,  and  when,  at  2  p.m.,  the  Kingfisher, 
Phaeton  and  Triumph  began  to  fire  on  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  one 
at  least  of  their  consorts  was  hull  down.  As  the  leading  French 
ships  were  already  well  under  the  island,  Cornwallis  signalled  his 
vessels  to  close.  At  4  p.m.  he  chased  two  French  frigates,  one  with 
a  ship  in  tow,  in  the  S.W.,  and  took  the  ship,  which  was  cast  off 
and  abandoned  as  he  approached.  A  little  later,  the  leading  British 
vessels  exchanged  shots  with  the  batteries  of  Belle  Isle.  In  the 
meantime,  a  few  other  vessels  of  the  French  convoy  had  been  taken, 
and,  having  recalled  his  chasing  ships,  the  Vice-Admiral  stood  off, 
leaving  the  enemy  plying  to  windward  for  the  anchorage  in  Palais 
Road.  On  the  11th,  Cornwallis  sent  the  Kingfisher  into  port  with 
the  prizes,  and  stood  back  to  the  S.E.  to  watch  M.  Vence. 

By  that  time,  news  of  what  had  occurred  had  reached  Brest,  and, 
as  it  was  supposed  by  some  French  officers,  and  by  the  deputies  there, 
that  Vence  was  blockaded,  all  the  available  ships  were  ordered  to 
proceed  to  his  rescue,  although,  in  fact,  he  could  have  reached 
Lorient  in  perfect  safety  without  any  assistance.  On  June  12th, 
therefore,  Vice-Admiral  Villaret-Joyeuse,  in  the  Peuple  (ex  Mon- 
tagne),  120,  with  Eear-Admirals  Y.  J.  Kerguelen  and  Eustache 
Bruix,  got  under  way,  with  nine  sail  of  the  line,  two  fifty-gun  rases, 
seven  frigates,  and  four  corvettes,  and  on  the  15th,  off  Isle  Groix, 
fell  in  with  M.  Vence,  who  was  then  on  his  way  to  Brest.  The 
combined  French  fleet  was  then  as  given  in  the  note  above.  On  the 
16th,  at  10.30  A.M.,  while  working  off  the  land  near  Penmarck,  with 
the  wind  W.N.W.,  the  French  sighted  Cornwallis  direct  to  wind- 
ward, making  for  Belle  Isle. 

The  Phaeton,  after  signalling  that  the  enemy  was  of  superior 
force,  did  not  haul  her  wind,  but  stood  on.  Cornwallis,  who  pro- 
bably had  in  his  mind  that  he  was  in  the  presence  merely  of  Vence 
and  his  convoy,  did  the  same,  and  thus  drew  much  nearer  than  he 
would  have  approached  had  he  known  how  strong,  as  well  as  how 
numerous,  were  the  French.  But  at  11  a.m.,  being  obviously  too 
weak  to  offer  battle,  be  hauled  to  the  wind  on  the  starboard  tack. 


1795.]  CORNWALLLVS  RETREAT.  257 

under  all  sail,  and  foniied  a  line  ahead,  the  order  being  :  Brunswick, 
liojial  Sovereign,  Bellerophon,  Triumph,  Mars.  At  2  p.m.,  the 
French,  then  on  the  same  tack  as  the  British,  separated  into  two 
divisions,  one  tacking  and  standing  to  the  north,  and  the  other 
continuing  its  course  to  the  south.  A  little  later  the  wind  shifted  to 
the  north,  and  thus  enabled  the  northern  division  to  weather,  and 
the  southern  division  to  lie  well  up  for,  the  British  squadron.  At 
that  time  one  French  division  bore,  E.  by  N.  from  the  Bellerophon, 
about  eight  miles,  and  the  other,  S.E.,  about  ten  miles,  the  one 
being  on  her  starboard,  and  the  other  on  her  port  (juarter.  In  the 
night,  however,  during  which  the  Bellerophon  and  the  Brunswick 
had  to  cut  away  their  anchors,  and  to  throw  overboard  a  quantity  of 
gear  and  provisions  in  order  to  improve  their  sailing,  the  French 
formed  in  three  divisions,  and,  at  daylight  on  the  17th,  were  seen 
coming  up  fast,  the  weather  division  consisting  of  three  sail  of  the 
line  and  five  frigates  ;  the  centre  division  of  five  sail  of  the  line  and 
four  frigates,  and  the  lee  division  of  four  sail  of  the  line  and  five 
frigates,  two  brigs,  and  two  cutters  ;  and  the  weather  division  being 
already  abreast  of  the  British  rear. 

At  about  9  A.M.,  the  French  van  ship,  a  seventy -four,  opened  on 
the  Mars,  and  the  frigate  Virginie,  40,  ran  up  on  the  lee  quarter  of 
the  Mars,  and  repeatedly  yawed  to  fire  at  her,  the  British  ship,  of 
course,  replying.  At  9.30  a.m.,  as  the  Bellerophon,  of  all  the  ships 
of  the  squadron,  could  least  afford  to  lose  a  spar  or  a  sail,  Cornwallis 
ordered  her  ahead.  She  passed  to  leeward  of  the  Royal  Sovereign, 
which  shortened  sail  for  her,  and  the  order  of  the  line  then  stood  : 
Brunswick,  Bellerophon,  lioijal  Sovereign,  Triumph,  Mars.  Just 
before  noon,  all  the  British  ships  were  engaged,  each  firing  her  stern 
and  quarter  guns  as  they  could  be  brought  to  bear.  At  1  p.m.,  the 
second  ship  of  the  French  van  took  up  the  action,  and  at  1.30,  the 
leading  ship,  having  lost  her  main  topgallant  mast,  sheered  off,  and 
dropped  astern.  For  the  following  three  or  foiir  hours  the  French 
van  harassed  the  British  rear,  and,  at  length,  the  Mars,  considerably 
damaged  aloft,  began  to  fall  to  leeward.  Observing  this,  Cornwallis 
signalled  her  to  alter  course  to  starboard,  or  away  from  the  French 
lee  division,  which  was  most  troublesome  to  her ;  and  then,  in  the 
Royal  Sovereign,  the  Vice-Admiral  himself  bore  round  towards  her, 
followed  by  the  Triumph,  and  delivered  raking  broadsides  into  the 
bows  of  those  French  ships  which  were  closest  up  with  the  chase. 
This  manoeuvre  saved  the  Mars,  and  presently  enabled  ComwaUis  to 

VOL.    IV.  s 


258 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802. 


[iT'Jo. 


form  anew  a  close  order  of  battle.  Four  French  van  ships,  which 
had  bore  up,  hoping  to  secure  the  Mars,  considered  it  wise  to  haul 
to  the  wind,  and,  although  distant  and  desultory  firing  continued  for 
a  time,  it  entirelj'  ceased  at  6.10  p.m.  Half-an-hour  later  the  French 
shortened  sail,  and  relinquished  the  pursuit.' 

In  the  coiu'se  of  this  admirably  managed  and  celebrated  I'etreat 
of  Cornwallis,  the  Mars  and  Triumph  were  the  only  British  ships 


.\DMIR.\I,    SIU    CHAIiLliS   COT!  OX,    llAltT. 
(From  im  eiitjravirig  by  I\ujr,  ii/ltr  a  fttiiiili/  miiiialtor.) 

that  suffered  from  the  enemy's  fire.  The  Mars  had  her  mainmast 
and  her  fore  and  main  topsail  yards  damaged,  and  much  standing 
and  running  rigging  destroyed ;  but  she  had  only  twelve  people 
wounded.  The  Triumph  also  was  somewhat  injm-ed  aloft ;  but  she 
had  no  one  hurt.  All  five  ships,  however,  sacrificed  their  stern 
frames  and  galleries  more  or  less  in  order  to  keep  up  the  heaviest 
possible  stern  fire  ;  and  the  Triumph  cut  away  a  large  part  of  her 
stern,  except  the  timbers,  so  as  to  improvise  the  necessary  ports. 

'  '  Precis  des  Ev&einents,'  by  Kerguclen. 


1795.]  COSNWALLIS'S  RETREAT.  259 

The  failure  to  capture  Cornwallis's  little  squadron  is  explained  in 
French  accounts  by  the  statement  that  some  of  the  French  leading 
ships  disobeyed  signals  and  were  badly  handled,  and  that  Bridport's 
fleet  was  sighted  at  the  critical  moment.  The  truth  is  that  Brid- 
port's force  was  never  sighted  at  all.  James  points  out  that  it  is 
probable  that  the  real  cause  of  the  failure  was  the  moral  effect 
produced  by  a  ruse  which  was  practised  by  the  Phaeton  on  the 
morning  of  the  17th.  Detached  some  miles  ahead  of  her  squadron, 
she  made  the  signals  for  a  fleet  in  the  W.N.AV.,  and,  later,  began 
pretended  communications  with  this  imaginary  force  to  windward, 
indicating  at  the  same  time  to  Cornwallis  that  the  supposed  ships 
were  of  the  line.  This  comedy  was  pursued  until  6  p.m.,  when,  by 
a  strange  chance,  several  small  sail  appeared  in  the  quarter  towards 
which  all  French  eyes  were  by  that  time  directed.  The  Phaeton 
then  wore  to  rejoin  her  friends.  That  w^as  enough.  A  short  time 
afterwards  Villaret  tacked  to  the  eastward.  Thus,  thanks  to  ex- 
cellent discipline  and  faultless  behaviour,  combined  with  sound 
tactics,  did  five  ships  of  the  line  make  a  triumphant  escape  from 
twelve,  and  from  more  than  as  many  frigates.'  CornwaUis  in  his 
modest  dispatch  said  : — 

"I  shall  ever  feel  the  impiession  which  the  guixl  cduilnct  of  the  Captains,  officers, 
seamen,  ilarines,  and  soldiers  in  the  squadron  has  made  on  ray  mind  ;  and  it  was  the 
greatest  pleasure  I  ever  received  to  see  the  spirit  manifested  hy  the  men,  who,  instead 
of  being  cast  down  at  seeing  thirty  sail  of  the  enemj^'s  ships  attacking  our  little 
squadron,  were  in  the  highest  spirits  imaginable.  I  do  not  mean  the  Royal 
Sovei'eiijn  alone  :  the  same  spirit  was  shown  in  all  the  ships  as  they  came  near  me ; 
and  although,  circumstanced  as  we  were,  we  had  no  great  reason  to  complain  of  the 
conduct  of  the  enemy,  yet  our  men  could  not  help  repeatedl}'  expressing  their  contempt 
of  them.  Could  common  prudence  have  allowed  me  to  let  loose  their  valour,  I  hardly 
know  what  might  not  have  been  accomplished  by  such  men." 

It  is  characteristic  of  Cornwallis  that  his  only  allusion  to  the 
most  gallant  episode  in  the  whole  affair  is  the  following :  — 

"  In  the  evening  they  made  show  of  a  more  serious  attack  upon  the  Mars,  and 
obliged  me  to  bear  up  for  her  support." 


'  Cornwallis's  thanks  to  his  squadron  were  thus  handsomely  conveyed :  "  Royal 
Sovereign,  June  18th,  1795.  Vice-Admiral  Cornwallis  returns  his  sincere  thanks  to  the 
Captains,  officers,  seamen,  and  Marines  of  the  fleet  under  his  orders,  for  their  steady 
and  gallant  conduct  in  the  presence  of  the  French  fleet  yesterday ;  which  firmness,  he 
has  no  doubt,  deterred  the  enemy  from  making  a  more  serious  attack.  It  would  give 
the  Yice-Admiral  pleasure  to  put  the  whole  of  their  exertions  in  effect  by  meeting  a 
more  equal  force,  when  the  country  would  receive  advantage,  as  it  now  does  honour, 
from  the  spirit  so  truly  manifested  by  its  brave  men." 

s  2 


260 


MAJOR    OPEIiATIONlS,   1793-1802. 


[1795. 


The  thanks  of  both  Houses  were  unanimously  given  to  the 
participators  in  this  action. 

Coi-nwalhs  proceeded  to  Plymouth  with  his  intelligence,  and 
Villaret  made  for  Brest ;  but,  before  he  reached  it,  a  gale  from  the 
north,  lasting  for  twenty-seven  hours,  dispersed  his  fleet  and  drove 
him  to  take  shelter  iinder  Belle  Isle.  There  he  collected  his  vessels, 
and,  weighing,  made  sail ;  but  scarcely  had  he  done  so  ere,  on 
June  '22nd,  the  British  Channel  fleet  appeared.  Howe  being  ill,  it 
was  commanded  by  Admiral  Lord  Bridport.  It  had  sailed  from 
Spithead  on  June  I2th  and  consisted  of  the  ships  set  forth  below.' 

The  Channel  fleet  had  put  to  sea  to  protect  an  expedition  bound, 
under  Commodore  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren,  in  the  Pomoiie,  40,  for 
Quiberon  Bay.  This  expedition,  the  proceedings  of  which  will  be 
narrated  presently,  had  parted  company  on  the  19th,  near  Belle  Isle  ; 
and  Bridport  had  then  stood  out  from  the  coast  with  a  view  to 
preventing  any  interference  from  the  direction  of  Brest,  the  absence 
from  which  of  Villaret's  fleet  was  then  unknown.  WaiTen's  ad- 
vanced frigate  soon  afterwards  saw  the  French  coming  out  from 
under  Belle  Isle ;  and  the  Commodore,  altering  course,  sent  a  vessel 
with  the  information  to  Bridport.  On  the  20th  Warren  himself 
sighted  the  Commander-in-Chief ;  but  he  had  already  received  an 
order  from  him  to  detach  to  the  main  fleet  the  three  line-of-battle 
ships  Robust,  74,  Captain  Edward  Thornbrough,  Thunderer,  74, 
Captain  Albemarle  Bertie,  and  Standard,  G4,  Captain  Joseph 
Ellison,  as  a  reinforcement. 

Bridport,  with  his  own  fourteen  sail  of  the  line,  kept  between 

'  Lord  Bridport's  fleet  in  the  action  off  Groix,  June  23rd,  1795  : — 


Ships. 


Commanders. 


Royal  Geor(ie  . 
Queen  Charlvttt 
Quien     .     .     . 

London  .     . 

Princt  of  Waits 

Prince  .  .  . 
Sarjleur  .  . 
Prince  Gtovfje  . 

Sam  Par  til 


98 
98 


Ships. 


Cummandere. 


Admiral  Lord  Riidport 

Capt.  William  Domett. 
,,    Sir  Andrew  Siuipe 
Douglas.  Kt. 

{Vice- Admiral  Sir  Alan 
Gardner. 
Capt.  William  Bc-df.ml. 
iVice-Aiimiral  Jubn  Col- 
<    poys(B). 
(Capt.  Kdward  Oriffith. 

{Rear  -  Admiral     Heury 
Harvey  (R). 
Ciipt.  John  Bazely  (2). 
f     „     CI  aries        Powell 
I  Hamilton. 

f    ,,    James       Richard 
\  Dacres(l). 

„    William  Edge. 

(Rear  -  Aduiiral       Lord 
Hugh  Seymour  (R). 
Capt.  William  Browell. 


Orion 

Irresistible 

Jiussell  . 
Colossus . 
Rt'volutionnairti 
Thalia  . 
A'l/mplte  . 
Aquilon  . 
Astraa  . 
Babtt      .     . 

Afegara,  f.s. 

Incendiary,  f.s. 
Charon,  hosp.  s, 
Argus,  lugger 
Dollyt  lugger. 


,,  (Capt.  Christopher  Parkei 

"  X             (2). 

-,  i     „  Sir      James     Sau- 

i  marez,  Kt. 

74  ,,  Richard  Griudall. 

74  „  Thomas  Larcom. 

74  „  John  Munktoa. 

4  I  ,,  Franris  Cole. 

3(i  ,.  Lord  Henry  Paiilet. 

3G  „  George  Murray  (3). 

32  ,,  Robert  Barlow. 

32  ,,  Richard  Lane. 

20  M  Edward  Codringtou. 

, ,  f     ,,  Hon.  Heury  Black- 

^■*  I              wood. 

14  ,,  John  Draper. 

44  Com.  Walter  Locke. 

14  j 


1795.] 


BRIDPORTS   ACTION   OFF   OROTX. 


261 


Warren  and  the  French  fleet,  while  Warren's  three  ships  of  the  hne 
were  endeavouring  to  join  from  the  N.W. ;  but,  owing  to  a  shift 
of  wind,  the  Commander-in-Chief  did  not  sight  the  enemy  until 
3.30  A.M.  on  June  '22nd.  The  British  were  then  in  lat.  47'  4'  X., 
and  long.  4r  16'  W.  with  Belle  Isle  bearing  E.  by  N.^N.,  distant 
forty-two  miles ;  and  they  were  standing  upon  the  starboard  tack 
with  a  light  w^nd  from  the  S.  by  E. 

Villaret   appearing   to   have   no   desire   for   battle,    Bridport   at 


.\dmii;al  su;  kr.\smus  (jowku,  kt. 
(From  a  lithograph  by  liidley,  after  the  portrait  In/  Livcm'j.) 

6.30  A.M.  signalled  the  Sans  Pareil,  Orion,  Colossus,  Irresistible, 
Valiant,  and  Russell,  his  best  sailing  ships,  to  chase,  and,  at 
6.45  A.M.,  ordered  the  entire  fleet  to  do  the  same.  Each  ship 
thereupon  set  all  possible  sail  that  could  be  carried  on  a  wind ;  and 
by  12  noon  the  centre  of  the  French  fleet,  which  was  then  standing 
in  for  the  land,  bore  E.S.E.,  distant  about  twelve  miles.  It  was 
then  nearly  calm ;  but  such  wind  as  there  was  had  southed  some- 
what.    At  7  P.M.  the  Commander-in-Chief  signalled  to  harass  the 


262  ^[AJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1795. 

enemy's  rear,  and,  at  7. '25,  to  engage  as  the  ships  got  up  and  to 
take  stations  for  mutual  support.  B_y  sundown  the  British  fleet  had 
gained  considerably;  but,  at  about  10.30  iMi.,  the  ships  were  all 
taken  aback,  and  it  afterwards  fell  nearly  calm.  At  3  a.m.  on  the 
23rd,  however,  a  light  breeze  rose  from  the  S.W.  by  S.,  and  at 
daylight  the  French  fleet  was  visible  directly  ahead,  all  the  ships 
being  in  a  crowd  except  three  or  four  which  tailed  out.  The 
rearmost  of  these  was  not  more  than  three  miles  from  the  British 
van.  The  British  were  then  much  scattered,  the  Irresistible 
leading,  the  Queen  Charlotte,  which  had  been  most  excellently 
handled,  being  on  her  starboard  quarter,  and  all  the  rest  being 
astern.  Behind  the  Queen  Charlotte  the  next  ships  were  the  Orion, 
Sans  Pareil,  Colossus,  and  Russell. 

At  4  A.M.  Isle  Groix  bore  on  the  Queen  Charlotte's  lee  bow,  that 
is  nearly  east,  distant  eight  miles.  The  rearmost  ship  of  the  French 
fleet  was  then  the  Alexandre,  which,  as  the  Alexander,  had  been 
captured  in  the  previous  year  from  the  British.  She  was  a  wretched 
sailer;  and,  at  5  A.M.,  she  was  taken  in  tow  by  a  French  frigate. 
Just  before  6  a.m.  she  and  a  few  of  the  ships  next  ahead  of  her 
began  to  fire  their  aft  guns  at  the  Irresistible,  and  at  6  the  latter 
opened  on  the  Alexandre,  the  example  being  soon  followed  bj'  the 
Orion.  Upon  this,  the  Alexandre  was  abandoned  by  the  frigate 
which  had  been  towing  her. 

At  about  6.15  a.m.  the  Queen  Charlotte  l)egan  to  fire  her  star- 
board guns  into  the  Formidable,^  the  next  ahead  of  the  Alexandre, 
the  Formidable  reph'ing ;  but,  at  6.30,  after  receiving  in  addition 
some  shot  from  the  Sans  Pareil,  the  French  ship  caught  fire  on  the 
poop.  From  that  moment  she  suffered  very  severely,  and  began  to 
drop  astern ;  and  when,  at  length,  she  lost  her  mizen  mast,  she  bore 
i;p  and  struck.  By  that  time,  besides  the  Irresistible,  Queen  Charlotte, 
Sans  Pareil,  and  Orion,  the  Colo.ssus,  Russell,  London,  and  Queen, 
on  the  British  side,  and  the  Peuple,  Mucins,  Wattignies,  Nestor, 
Tigre,  and  Redoutable,  in  addition  to  the  Alexandre,  on  the  French 
side,  were,  or  had  been,  all  more  or  less  engaged.  The  other  French 
ships,  Zele,  Fougueux ,  Jean  Bart,  and  Droits  de  VHomme,  were  too 
far  ahead,  and  the  remaining  British  ships  too  far  astern,  to  partici- 
pate. The  Queen  Charlotte,  which  had  already  done  so  much,  was 
so  injured  aloft  as  to  have  become  almost  unmanageable ;  but  at 
7.14  she  was  still  able,  by  opening  her  broadside  on  the  crippled 
'  Comiiiandeil  by  the  celebrated  C.  A.  L.  Durauil,  Comte  de  Linois. 


1795.] 


BRIDPOnrS  ACTION   OFF   GBOI.X. 


2(53 


Alexandre,  to  compel  that  ship  to  surrender.  At  about  the  same 
time  the  Ticjre,  which  had  been  already  engaged  by  the  Queen 
Charlotte  and  Sans  Pareil,  stn;ck,  after  receiving  the  fire  of  the 
Queen  and  London. 

It  was  not  until  a  few  minutes  before  8  a.m.  that  Lord  Bridport's 
flagship,  the  Royal  George,  passed  ahead  on  the  starboard  side  of  the 
Queen  Charlotte,  which  then  lay  repairing  her  damages  aloft,  but 
which  almost  immediately  afterwards  hauled  her  fore  and  main 
tacks  on  board  to  assist  the  Commander-in-Chief.  At  8.15,  although 
Rear- Admiral  Kerguelen  wrote  of  the  British  at  that  time  that  "  s'ils 
avait  bien  manreuvre,  ils  auraient  pu,  ou  prendre  tous  nos  vaisseaux, 


'.mmi:mu1!.\tivk  .mkd.vi.  of  i.ui:i)  biudpout's  actiux,  junk  li.ji;D,   IT'.L"). 
(From  an  original  lint  hii  n.S.H.  Capt.  Priihr  Dmis  of  Butliiihf ly.  7?..Y.) 


OU  les  faire  perir  a  la  cote."  Bridport  signalled  the  Cohssus,  then  a 
mile  and  a  half  on  the  Queen  Charlotte's  starboard  or  weather  bow. 
to  discontinue  the  action  ;  and,  at  8.20,  he  made  a  similar  signal  to 
the  Sans  Pareil,  which  was  about  a  mile  and  a  half  on  her  port 
bow,  lying  imder  the  quarter  of  the  Peuple.  Directly  afterwards 
the  Royal  George,  being  about  half  a  mile  from  the  west  point  of 
Isle  Grois,  bore  up,  and  fired  her  starboard  broadside  into  the  stern 
and  port  quarter  of  the  Peuple,  and  her  other  broadside  into  the 
Tigre,  which  she  did  not  then  know  had  struck.  She  thereupon 
wore  round  from  the  land,  and  from  the  French  fleet,  and  was 
followed  by  the  other  British  ships.  The  Admiral  ordered  the 
Prince,  Barfleur,  and  Prince  George  to  take  the  prizes  in  tow ;  and 
the  fleet  stood  awav  with  them  to  the  S.W.     The  French,  thus 


264  MAJOIi    OPEIIATIOSS,    1T'J3-18U2.  [1795. 

unexpectedl_y  relieved,  kept  their  wind,  and,  after  making  several 
tacks,  took  refuge  between  Isle  Groix  and  the  entrance  to 
Lorient. 

None  of  the  British  ships  lost  any  spars  ;  and  the  only  ones 
which  had  any  seriously  damaged  seem  to  have  been  the  Queen 
Charlotte,  Sans  Pareil,  and  Irresistible.  Among  the  ofticers  killed 
were  Lieutenant  Charles  Maurice  Stocker,  and  Second  Lieutenant 
of  Marines  Wilham  Jephcott,  both  of  the  Sans  Pareil,  and  Captain 
Bacon  of  the  118th  Eegiment  of  Foot,  who  was  in  the  Eussell. 
Among  the  wounded  were  Captain  Grindall,  of  the  Irresistible,  and 
Lieutenant  Robert  Mends,  of  the  Colossus.  The  total  loss  in  the 
British  ships  engaged  was :  Irresistible,  8  killed,  11  wounded ; 
Orion,  6  killed,  18  wounded  ;  Queen  Charlotte,  4  killed,  32  wounded  ; 
Sans  Pareil,  10  killed,  2  wounded;  Colossus,  5  killed,  30  wounded; 
Russell,  3  killed,  10  wounded ;  London,  none  killed,  3  wounded  ;  and 
Royal  George,  none  killed,  7  wounded  :  total,  31  killed,  and  113 
wounded. 

The  total  French  loss  cannot  be  stated ;  but  the  losses  in  the 
prizes  were  heavy,  the  Tigre  losing  130,  the  Alexandre  220,  and  the 
Formidable  320 ;  total,  670  killed  and  wounded  in  those  three  ships 
alone.  The  Tigre  awA  Alexandre  Y;eve  aAAei  to  the  Navy  by  their 
old  names.  As  there  was  already  a  Formidable,  the  prize  of  that 
name  was  adopted  as  the  Belleisle,  under  the  mistaken  impression 
that  the  action  had  been  fought  off  Belle  Isle,  instead  of,  as  was 
actually  the  case,  off  Isle  Groix. 

As  soon  as  Villaret  was  in  comparative  safety,  he  called  a  council 
of  his  flag-officers,  who  assured  him  that,  if  he  anchored  on  the 
coast,  he  would  imperil  the  rest  of  his  fleet,  which  the  British  would 
certainly  attack  from  windward.  Under  their  advice,  therefore,  he 
anchored  in  the  port  of  Lorient  before  8  p.m.^ 

Bridport's  strange  and  almost  unaccountable  forbearance  pro- 
vokes from  Mahan  the  following  remarks  : — 

"  Such  was  the  extivme  circumspection  characterising  the  early  naval  operations  of 
the  British,  until  Jervis  and  Nelson  enkindleil  their  service  with  the  relentless  energy 
and  spirit  inspired  by  Bonaparte  on  laud.  Those  to  whom  St.  Vincent  and  the  Nile, 
Algeciras  and  Copenhagen,  have  become  history,  see  with  astonishment  nine  ships  of 
capital  importance  permitted  to  escape  thus  easily  from  fourteen,  forgetting  the  hold 


'  'Precis  des  Evenements,'  by  Kerguelen,  who  was  present  with  his  flag  in  the 
Fraiernile;  Disp.  of  A^illaret-Joyeuse ;  MS.  notes  of  Adni.  Linois:  Eeport  of 
M.  Veuce. 


1795.] 


BSIDP0RT8  ACTION  OFF   OEOIX. 


265 


tradition  has  on  the  minds  of  men,  and  tliat  it  belongs  to  genius  to  open  the  way  into 
which  otliers  tlien  eagerly  press.  How  the  Admiralty  viewed  Bridport's  action  may  be 
inferred  from  his  retaining  command  of  the  fleet  until  April,  1800.  The  ships  that 
reache<l  Lorient  bad  to  remain  till  the  winter,  when  they  slipped  back  two  or  three  at 
a  time  to  Brest."  ' 

Of  the  five  British  flag-officers  present,  three,  viz.,  Bridport, 
Alan  Gardner  and  Lord  Hugh  Seymour,  received  the  thanks  of 
Pariiament.     As  James  hints,  it  is  difficult  to  understand  the  reason 


ADMinAI.    SIK    WILLIAM    IlOMETT,    V.X'.V.. 
(From  a  litluxjmjili  hij  ItMlei/  ami  HoII,  aflcr  the  itoiirait  hi/  Bowi/cr.) 


for  the  selection,  and  why,  while  Gardner,  whose  flagship,  the 
Queen,  was  not  in  action,  was  included,  Colpoys,  whose  flagship, 
the  London,  was  in  action,  was  omitted.  The  anomaly  was 
probably  due  chiefly  to  the  meagre  and  almost  grudging  terms  of 
Bridport's  dispatch,  wherein,  for  example,  the  Queen  Charlotte, 
which    had   distinguished   herself   above  all   other  ships  that   day, 

'  Some,  however,  went  elsewheie. 


2(56  MAJOR    Ol'EIiAriOXa,    1793-1802.  [1795. 

was  passed  over  unmentioned.  That  the  action  was  a  victoiy 
was  trae,  but  it  left  much  to  be  desired.  We  may  be  pretty 
sure  that  had  a  Nelson,  a  Hawke,  or  even  a  Boscawen,  com- 
manded on  the  occasion,  the  fleet  of  Villaret  would  have  been 
annihilated. 

But,  though  the  victory  was  thus  unsatisfactoiy,  it  eventually 
cleared  the  way  for  the  expedition  to  Quiberon.  Consisting  of  the 
ships  mentioned  below,'  and  of  manj'  small  craft  and  fifty  sail  of  trans- 
ports, having  on  board  about  2500  French  emigrants,  commanded  by 
the  Comte  de  Puisaye,  it  entered  the  Bay  of  Quiberon  on  Jmie  '2bth. 
On  June  '27th  the  troops  were  landed  without  loss,  and  drove  back 
the  few  Republicans  who  opposed  them.  A  vast  quantity  of  arms 
for  the  disaffected  population  was  also  put  ashore.  Fort  Penthievre, 
on  the  northern  extremity  of  the  peninsula  of  Quiberon,  soon  fell ; 
but  on  July  16th  an  attack,  shared  in  by  200  British  Marines,  upon 
the  French  Eepubhcan  army,  under  General  Hoche,  was  repulsed  ; 
and  the  Eoyalists  owed  their  safe  retreat  to  the  coveriiag  fire  of 
some  British  small  craft. ^  This  misfortime  led  to  desertion  and 
encouraged  treachery  ;  and  on  the  20th  the  fort  was  sm-reptitiously 
handed  over  to  the  Eepublicans,  and  a  terrible  massacre  ensued. 
Only  about  1100  of  the  troops,  and  about  2400  inhabitants  of  the 
district,  escaped  to  the  fleet,  leaving  behind  them  about  10,000 
stand  of  arms,  and  an  enormous  quantity  of  stores.  Six  newlj-- 
arrived  transports  also  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Warren 
took  possession  of  the  islands  of  Hoat  and  Hoedic,  and  disembarked 
near  Lorieut,  at  their  own  request,  2000  of  the  people  who  had  been 
brought  from  Quiberon.  He  also,  but  in  vain,  summoned  Belle 
Isle.     An  attempt  upon  the  Isle  of  Noirmoutier,  at  the  mouth  of 

1  ships.  Guiis.  Cummau'lere. 


Bobust 74        Caiit.  Edward  Tliorubrough. 

lliunderer 74  „     Albemai'Ie  Bertie. 

Standard 64  I       „     Joseph  Ellison. 

Pomona 44  1  Commodiire  Sir  Joliii  Borlase  Warren. 

Anson 44  !  Capt.  Philip  Oalderwood  Durham. 

Artois         38  „     Sir  Edward  Nagle,  Kt. 

Areihusa 38  „     "Mark  Robinson  (2). 

Concorde 3(5  „     Anthony  Hum  (2). 

Oalatea 32  „     Kichard  Goodwin  Keats. 

with  several  cutters,  gunboats,  etc. 
^  Tlie  Fdter  and  Lark. 


1795.]  LOSS    OF   THE  B KB  WICK.  267 

the  Loire,  was  unsuccessful ;  but  later,  the  little  Isle  of  Yeu  was 
occupied. 

In  October,  Warren  was  reinforced  by  the  Jason,  32,^  Captain 
Charles  Stirling,  with  transports  containing  4000  British  troops 
under  Major-General  Doyle.  Troops  and  stores  were  landed  on 
Yeu,  but  the  KoyaHst  cause  looked  so  black  that,  towards  the  end 
of  the  year,  Yeu  was  evacuated,  and  the  troops  and  stores  were  sent 
back  to  England. - 

Lord  Bridport  cruised  to  protect  the  ill-fated  expedition  until 
September  20th,  when  he  went  to  Spithead  with  some  of  his  ships, 
leaving  Kear-Admiral  Henry  Harvey  to  watch  the  French  at  Brest 
and  Lorient.  On  the  17th  and  18th  of  November,  the  British 
Channel  experienced  a  most  terrible  westerly  gale.  Bear- Admiral 
Hugh  Cloberry  Christian,  who  had  sailed  for  the  West  Indies  with 
transports,  troops,  and  a  convoy,  had  to  retiirn  in  confusion  to 
Spithead,  having  lost  several  merchantmen ;  and  when  he  sailed 
again  on  December  5th,  it  was  only  to  encounter  another  storm, 
which  lasted  for  over  a  fortnight. 

The  events  in  the  Mediterranean  must  now  be  described.  Yice- 
Admiral  Hotham,  who  was  still  in  command  there,  loosely  watched 
Toulon  dm-ing  the  winter,  using  as  his  chief  base  the  Bay  of  San 
Fiorenzo.  While  he  was  anchored  there  on  January  16th,  in  a 
heavy  cross  swell,  the  Berwick,  74,  Captain  William  Smith  (2), 
which  w'as  refitting,  rolled  all  three  of  her  masts  out  of  her.  This 
led  to  a  court-martial,  and  to  the  dismissal  from  their  ship  of  the 
Captain,  first  Lieutenant  and  Master.  Captain  Adam  Littlejohn 
was  appointed  in  Captain  Smith's  place ;  and,  directing  him  to 
foUow  the  fleet  as  soon  as  the  ship  could  be  rigged  with  jury 
masts,  Hotham  sailed  for  Leghorn  Koad.  It  would  have  been,  as 
the  sequel  will  show,  more  prudent  on  his  part  to  tow  the  disabled 
ship,  supposing  it  to  have  been  necessary  for  him  to  leave  port 
immediately. 

The  observation  of  Toulon  during  Hotham's  period  of  command 
was  never  veiy  close  or  effective.  Just  previous  to  the  accident. 
Commodore  Perree  had  safely  returned  thither,  after  a  most  success- 
ful cruise  in  the  Mediterranean,  with  a  squadron  of   six  frigates. 

'  On  board  her  was  the  Comte  d'Artois. 

-  There  is  a  very  curious  account  of  these  Quiberon  operations  by  Moreau  de 
Jonnes  in  his  '  Avent.  de  Guerre.'  See  also,  '  Vie  et  C'orr.  de  Hoche ' ;  '  Eelat.  du  Baron 
Antrechaus';  '  Mems.  de  Puisaye  ' ;  '  Mems.  de  Vaublanc  ' ;  'Mcms.  sur  la  Guerre 
Civile'  (1823). 


268  MAJOB    OPEnJTlONS,    1793-1802.  [1795. 

The  impunity  which  had  attended  his  sally,  and  the  removal  of  the 
British  fleet  from  San  Fiorenzo  to  Leghorn,  encouraged  the  French 
to  issue  forth  in  greater  strength,  and  to  attempt  the  recovery  of 
Corsica.  The  latter  scheme  was  a  mad  one,  in  view  of  the  "  potential  " 
fleet  which  still  lay,  comparatively  speaking,  close  at  hand.  The 
proper  way  to  recover  Corsica  woiild  have  been  to  begin  by  de- 
feating Hotham.  But  the  attempt  was  fatal  to  the  Berwich.  On 
March  3rd,  Eear-Admiral  Martin,  with  fifteen  sail  of  the  line  and 
six  frigates,  carrying  about  5000  troops,  put  to  sea,  and  on  the  7th 
sighted  Cape  Corse.  As  the  advanced  French  frigates  were  about 
to  look  into  San  Fiorenzo  Bay,  they  sighted  the  jury-rigged  Berwick 
coming   out.     She  was   chased   and   engaged   bv  the   Alceste,  86,' 


^Ci^O^ 


SIGNATURE   OF   SIR    WILLIAM    HOTHAM   (1),    AFTERWARDS    LORD    HOTIIAM,    AS 

VICE-ADMIKAL. 

Minerve,  38,  and  Vestale,  36,  and,  possibly,''^  bj'.  one  or  two  ships  of 
the  line  as  well ;  and  in  less  than  an  hour,  after  losing  Captain 
Littlejohn,  the  only  person  on  board  who  was  killed,  she  was 
suiTendered  by  Lieutenant  Nesbit  Palmer.  Her  jury-rig  may  be 
held  to  have  excused  her  easy  capture.  Upon  her  officers  being 
exchanged  and  tried  by  court-martial,  they  were  honourably 
acquitted. 

On  March  8th,  Hotham,  who  still  lay  at  Leghorn,  learnt  that 
the  French  had  been  seen  two  days  earlier  off  Isle  Ste.  Marguerite. 
He  despatched  the  Tarlefon,  brig,  to  San  Fiorenzo,  with  orders 
for  the  Bencick  to  join  him  off  Cape  Corse ;  and,  on  the  9th,  he 

'  Lieut.  LejoiUc,  coiniiiamiiiig  tliis  frigitte,  was  made  a  post-captaiu  for  his  share  in 
the  affair. — Biog.  l\v  Heiincquin. 

'  That  any  ships  of  the  line  were  concerned  is  strenuously  denied  by  all  French 
historians. 


1795.] 


HOTUAM'S  ACTION   OFF   GENOA. 


269 


weighed  -with,  the  fleet,  a  hst  of  which  is  given  in  the  note.*  After 
receiving  certain  inteUigence  from  the  Moselle,  and  apparently  also 
from  some  other  source,  he  altered  course  during  the  night  from 
S.W.  to  N.AV.,  and,  on  the  10th,  his  look-out  vessels  sighted  the 
French  standing  towards  Cape  Noh,  or,  in  other  words,  back 
towards  Toulon  against  a  S.W.  wind.  They  had,  no  doubt,  learnt 
from  the  Berwick's  people  that  they  were  close  to  the  British.  On 
the  afternoon  of  the  11th,  the  enemy's  fleet  of  fifteen  sail  of  the  line, 
six  frigates  and  two  brigs,  was  seen  in  the  south  by  some  British 
ships  of  the  hne,  which  were  five  or  six  miles  to  windward  of  their 
main  body.  At  dawn  on  the  12th  they  were  again  seen  ;  and  soon 
afterwards  they  bore  up  as  if  to  reconnoitre.  When  she  was  within 
about  three  miles  of  the  Princess  Boijal,  the  French  van  ship  hauled 
to  the  wind  on  the  larboard  tack,  and  was  followed  in  succession  by 
the  vessels  astern.  The  wand  was  then  very  hght,  and  there  was 
a  nasty  swell  from  the  west ;  but,  towards  evening,  a  fresh  breeze 
sprang  up  from  the  S.W.,  and  the  British  closed  and  formed  in 
order  of   battle  heading  to  the  westward.     During   the  night   the 


1    Sllif.S. 

Guns. 

Commanders. 

/  Captain 

74 

Capt.  Samuel  Reeve. 

Bedford       .      .      . 

74 

„     Davidge  Gould. 

g 

Tancredi  (Neap.)    . 

74 

„     Chev.  Caraccioli. 

> 

Princess  Royal , 
I  Aqamemnon 

98 
64 

Yice-Admiral  Samuel  Granston  GoodaU 
Capt.  John  Child  Purvis. 
„     Horatio  Nelson. 

(W). 

Minerva  (Xea[>.), 

32 

Pilade  (Neap.) 

Lowestoft,  32  . 

,  , 

„     Benjamin  Hallowell  (actg.). 

Pouktte,  26     . 

Cora.  Ralph  Willett  Jliller. 

Tarleton,  brig,'  1-1 

„     Charles  Brisbane. 

/  Illustrious    . 

74 

Capt.  Thomas  Lenox  Frederick. 

Courageux  . 

74 

„     Augustus  Montgomery. 

6 

Britannia    . 

100 

Vice- Admiral  William  Hotham  (1)  (R). 
\Capt.  John  HoUoway. 

s 

Egmont  .... 

Windsor  Castle 
\ 

74 
98 

„     John  Suttou. 
jRear-Admiral  Robert  Linzee  (R). 
\Capt.  John  Gore  (1). 

IncoHstant,  36. 

^   , 

„     Thomas  Francis  Fremantle. 

Me'eager,  32     . 

,   , 

„     George  Cockburn. 

/  Diadem  .... 

64 

„     Charles  Tyler. 

s'  1  St.  George    .      .      . 

98 

fVice-Admiral  Sir  Hyde  Parker  (2),  Kt. 
\Capt.  Thomas  Foley. 

(B). 

^  j  Terrible  .      .      .      . 

74 

„     George  Campbell. 

\  Fortitude     . 

74 

„     William  Young  (1). 

Romvlus,  36    . 

. , 

„     Geoige  Hope  (1). 

Moselle,  18       . 

Com.  Charles  Dudley  Pater. 

Fox,  cutter 

Lieut.  .John  Gibson. 

1  Detached,  but  rejoined  on  nigbt  of  March  9lh. 


270  MA  JOB    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1795. 

weather  became  squally,  and  the  Mercure,  74,  losing  her  main  top- 
mast, was  allowed  by  Eear-Admiral  Martin  to  part  company  and 
to  proceed,  attended  by  a  frigate.  She  and  her  escort  ultimately 
anchored  in  Gom-jean  Bay,  where  the  Berwich  also  lay  with  a 
frigate  in  attendance. 

On  the  13th,  soon  after  daylight,  as  the  French  showed  no  signs 
of  any  intention  to  engage,  Hotham  signalled  for  a  general  chase, 
and,  the  wind  being  fresh  and  squally,  good  progress  was  at  once 
made.  At  8  A.M.  the  Qa  Ira,  80,  the  third  ship  from  the  French 
rear,  fouled  her  second  ahead,  the  Victoire,  80,'  and  carried  away 
her  own  fore  and  main  topmasts.  This  misfortune  was  at  once 
taken  advantage  of  by  the  Inconstant,  36,  Captain  Thomas  Francis 
Fremantle,  which  had  advanced  far  ahead.  At  about  9  A.M.  she 
ranged  close  up  on  the  port  quarter  of  the  Qa  Ira,  gave  her  a 
broadside,  and  stood  on.  The  Vestale,  36,  thereupon  bore  down, 
firing  distantly  at  the  Inconstant,  and  took  the  disabled  80  in 
tow ;  but  the  Inconstant,  having  tacked,  again  passed  under  the 
(Ja  Ira's  lee,  and  repeated  the  broadside.  In  the  meantime  the 
Qa  Ini  had  cleared  away  the  wreck  of  her  topmasts,  and,  opening 
fire,  so  punished  the  gallant  Inconstant  as  to  oblige  her  to  bear  up. 

At  10.45  the  Agamemnon  placed  herself  upon  the  fa  Ira's 
quarter,  and,  aided  for  a  time  by  the  Captain,  annoyed  the  French 
80  till  about  2.15  p.m.,  when,  several  French  ships  bearing  down  to 
protect  their  consort,  Captain  Nelson  dropped  into  his  station  in  the 
line.  During  this  time  there  had  also  been  a  partial  action  between 
the  Bedford  and  Egmont  and  the  three  French  rear  ships;  but  all 
firing  ceased  when  the  Agamemnon  bore  up.  The  French  then  put 
about  on  the  port  tack,  and  kept  close  to  the  wind  under  all  sail,  the 
wind  being  moderate  from  the  S.S.E.  The  British  fleet  followed 
on  a  port  line  of  bearing  with  all  possible  despatch.  In  the  course 
of  the  night,  by  accident  or  mismanagement,  the  Sans  Cidotte,  120, 
separated  from  her  consorts,  so  that  the  French  were  left  with 
thirteen  two-deckers  against  the  British  four  three-  and  eleven  two- 
deckers.  During  the  night,  also,  the  Censeur,  74,  instead  of  the 
Vestale,  36,  took  the  (^a  Ira  in  tow,  and,  with  her,  fell  astern  and  to 
leeward  of  the  French  line. 

At  sunrise  on  the  14th,  Genoa  bore  N.E.,  distant  about  twenty 
miles.  The  French  were  seen  to  windward,  standing  as  before  on 
the  port  tack  with  a  moderate  south  wind.     At  5.30  a.m.,  the  breeze 

'  'Ex-LanijUedoc. 


1705.]  HOTHAM'S   ACTION   OFF   GENOA.  271 

changed  to  the  N.W.,  thus  bringing  the  British  fleet  to  windward. 
At  6.30  the  Captain  and  Bedford,  by  signal,  stood  for,  and  engaged, 
the  Censeur  and  (^a  I>xi.  The  Captain,  being  well  ahead  of  her 
consort,  had  to  sustain  alone  the  broadsides  of  both  French  ships  for 
fifteen  minutes,  ere  she  could  make  effectual  return  ;  and,  when  she 
had  been  engaged  for  an  horn-  and  a  half,  she  was  very  badly 
injured  aloft,  and  had  received  serious  damage  to  her  hull  and  boats 
as  well.  Captain  Eeeve,  therefore,  signalled  for  assistance,  and  was 
presently  towed  clear.  The  Bedford,  also,  was  eventually  obliged 
to  discontinue  the  engagement,  and  to  be  towed  out  of  the  line. 
But,  in  the  interval,  the  Illustrious  and  Courageux  had  made  sail  to 
support  the  Captain  and  Bedford,  and  had  got  well  ahead,  and 
somewhat  to  leeward,  of  the  British  line.  To  cover  the  ^'a  Ira  aiad 
Censeur  from  these,  Eear- Admiral  Martin  ordered  his  fleet  to  wear 
in  succession  and  to  form  line  upon  his  van  ship,  the  Duquesne,  74. 
His  design  was  to  pass  on  the  starboard  tack  to  leeward  of  the 
British  line,  which  was  then  on  the  port  tack,  and  to  windward  of 
his  threatened  ships.  The  Duquesne,  in  the  light  wind,  came  round 
slowly :  in  fact,  just  then,  nearly  every  ship  in  both  fleets  was  more 
or  less  out  of  control,  owing  to  the  lack  of  breeze ;  and  in  the 
consequent  confusion  the  Lowestoft's  stern  was  exposed  to  a  distant 
fire  from  the  Duquesne's  port  batteries.  But  Captain  Hallowell 
saved  his  people  by  ordering  all,  except  the  ofiicers  and  the  man  at 
the  wheel,  to  go  below ;  and  he  suffered  only  a  little  aloft  ere  the 
attention  of  the  French  7-±  was  taken  off  by  the  Neapolitan  frigate 
Minerva.  When,  at  length,  the  Duquesne  got  round  on  the  star- 
board tack,  she  failed  to  obey  the  signal  and,  instead  of  leading  her 
line  to  leeward  of  the  British  van,  led  it  to  windward  of  it. 

At  8  A.M.,  the  Illustrious  began,  at  a  distance  of  a  little  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  to  engage  in  succession  the  Duquesne  and 
the  Victoire.  She  and  the  Courageux  subsequently  kept  up  a  hot 
fire  with  these  ships  and  with  the  Tonnant.  At  9  a.m.  the  Illus- 
trious lost  her  fore-topmast,  and,  at  9.1.5,  her  main  mast,  which  also 
brought  down  her  mizen.  Her  other  spars  were  by  that  time 
badly  wounded,  and  her  hull  was  mauled  in  every  direction  ;  and 
the  Courageux,  which  had  lost  her  main  and  mizen  masts,  was  in 
little  better  condition.  Owing  to  the  calm,  the  remainder  of  the 
French  line  could  not  get  up  to  them,  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  could 
assistance  reach  them.  But,  happily,  the  three  French  ships  at 
length  drifted  ahead,  and  so  relieved  them  from  a  situation  which 


■112  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1795. 

was  at  one  time  extremelj'  perilous.  After  very  little  more  firing, 
the  French  abandoned  the  crippled  (^'a  Ira  and  Censeur,  and,  as  the 
breeze  freshened,  stood  away  under  all  sail  to  the  westward.  The 
action,  which  had  begun  at  6.20  a.m.,  entirely  ceased  at  about  2  p.m., 
when  Hotham,  influenced  by  the  condition  of  his  van  ships,  thought 
it  desirable  not  to  tack  in  pursuit.  The  two  fleets  in  consequence 
soon  lost  sight  of  one  another.  The  Qa  Ira  '  and  Censeur,  which 
had  made  a  most  gallant  defence,  and  had  lost  together  about  400 
killed  and  wounded,  had,  in  the  meantime,  been  taken  possession  of. 
The  loss  in  the  other  French  ships  is  not  known. - 

The  allied  loss  in  personnel  was  as  follows  :  Captain,  3  killed, 
19  wounded ;  Bedford,  7  killed,  18  wounded ;  Tancredi,  1  killed, 
•5  wounded;  Princess  Eoyal,  3  killed,  8  woimded;  Agamemnon, 
0  killed,  13  wounded;  Illustrious,  20  killed,  70  wounded;  Courageux, 
1-5  killed,  33  wounded;  Britannia,  1  killed,  18  wounded;  Egmont, 
7  killed,  21  wounded ;  Windsor  Castle,  6  killed,  31  wounded ; 
Biadeni,  3  killed,  7  wounded ;  St.  George,  4  killed,  13  wounded  ; 
Terrible,  0  killed,  6  wounded  ;  Fortitude,  1  killed,  4  wounded ;  In- 
constant, 3  killed,  14  wounded;  and  Minerva,  0  killed,  4  woimded; 
total,  74  killed,  and  284  wounded.  No  commissioned  ofiicers  were 
killed,  but  among  the  woimded  were  Lieutenants  Wilson  Eathbone, 
of  the  Captain,  Thomas  Miles,  of  the  Bedford,  Thomas  Hawker, 
of  the  Windsor  Castle,  and  Eobert  Honeyman,  of  the  St.  George. 

James  estimates  that,  on  March  14th,  the  relative  strength  of  the 
two  fleets,  as  regards  ships  of  the  line,  was,  British,  14  sail ; 
557  guns,  throwing  broadsides  weighing  12,711  lbs. ;  and  8810  men  ; 
and  French,  13  sail ;  490  guns,  throwing  broadsides  weighing 
12,807  lbs. ;  and  9520  men.  On  the  earlier  days,  of  course,  the 
French  had  a  slight  superiority  in  every  respect. 

Again,  as  in  the  case  of  the  action  off  Isle  Groix,  it  was  an 
unsatisfactory  victory.  Hotham  took  two  ships  of  the  line,  but 
gained  little  credit,  seeing  that  he  might  have,  and  should  have, 
done  much  more. 

'  It  is  stated  in  Frencli  accounts  that  Capt.  Coude,  of  the  fa  Ira,  surrendered  his 
sword  to  Vice- Admiral  Goodall,  and  that  the  latter  said :  "  Sir,  I  will  keep  this 
glorious  sword  for  myself,  but  I  beg  you  to  accept  mine  in  recognition  of  your  noble 
courage." 

-  French  authorities  for  this  action :  '  Precis  des  Evenements,'  etc.,  by  Kerguelen ; 
Reports  of  Marec,  in  the  Moniteur ;  Letter  of  Capt.  Coude  (of  the  Ca  Ira) ;  and  papers 
of  Martin,  Coude,  Savary,  etc.,  in  the  Arch,  de  la  Marine.  The  published  account  of 
the  Picpublican  deputy,  Le  Toumeur,  who  was  present,  is  recognised,  even  by  the  French, 
to  be  mendacious. 


1705.]  LOSS    OF   THE  ILLUSTRIOUS.  275 

Taking  in  tow  his  dismasted  ships  and  the  prizes,  he  bore  away 
for  Spezzia  Baj'.  On  the  night  of  the  17th,  in  a  S.E.  gale,  the 
Meleager,  with  the  Illustrious  in  tow,  separated  from  the  fleet ;  and, 
when  the  hawser  parted  and  a  new  one  could  not  be  passed  from  the 
frigate,  the  lUuatrious  hove  to,  labouring  heavily,  shipping  much 
water,  and  losing  her  jury  masts  by  the  board.  At  dawn  on  the 
18th,  as  land  was  seen  ahead,  both  ships  headed  to  the  eastward. 
At  noon  the  Meleager  parted  company.  At  2  p.m.,  after  having 
experienced  various  additional  trials,  Captain  Frederick,  upon  making 
the  land  eastward  of  the  Gulf  of  Spezzia,  delivered  up  charge  of  his 
ship  to  a  self-professed  pilot ;  but  the  man,  at  7.30  p.m.,  managed 
to  run  the  vessel  ashore  in  Valence  Bay,  between  Spezzia  and 
Leghorn ;  and  the  ship  became  a  wreck.  The  arrival  of  the 
Tarleton,  on  the  evening  of  the  19th,  of  the  Lowestoft,  on  the 
evening  of  the  20th,  and,  eventually,  of  other  craft  from  the  fleet, 
enabled  the  men  and  part  of  the  stores  to  be  taken  off;  but  the 
Illustrious  had  to  be  set  on  fire  and  destroyed.  On  the  25th,  after 
the  damaged  ships  had  been  partially  repaired,  the  fleet  weighed 
from  Spezzia  Bay,  and  on  the  26th  anchored  off  San  Fiorenzo, 
where  it  lay  refitting  until  April  18th,  when  Hotham,  by  that  time 
promoted  to  be  Admiral  of  the  Blue,  left  his  prizes  behind,  and 
proceeded  to  Leghorn,  where  he  anchored  on  the  27th. 

It  has  already  been  noted  that,  on  April  4th,  Rear- Admiral 
Renaudin,  with  six  sail  of  the  line,  three  frigates  and  two  or  three 
corvettes,  safely  reached  Toulon  from  Brest,  and  gave  Martin,  who 
on  March  22nd  had  been  made  a  Vice-Admiral,  seventeen  serviceable 
sail  of  the  line.  Martin,  after  having  lain  for  a  time  in  Hyeres  Bay, 
moved  into  the  Eoad  of  Toulon,  where  he  had  much  trouble  with 
the  crews  of  some  of  the  Toiilon  ships,  who  became  mutinous,  until, 
thanks  to  the  influence  of  the  Eepublican  deputy,  Niou,  who  worked 
upon  their  patriotism,  the  men,  repentant,  pledged  themselves  "  to 
purge  their  offence  in  the  blood  of  the  enemies  of  the  state."  Hoping 
to  profit  by  the  sentiments  thus  aroused,  Martin  put  to  sea  on 
June  7th  with  his  seventeen  sail  of  the  line,  six  frigates,  and  two  or 
three  smaller  craft. 

On  May  8th,  anticipating,  perhaps,  for  the  moment  that  the 
French  Toulon  fleet  might  have  some  idea  of  proceeding  to  the 
Atlantic,  Hotham  sailed  from  Leghorn  to  cruise  off  Cape  Mola, 
the  S.W.  point  of  Minorca  ;  and  he  was  there  joined  on  June  14th 
by  nine  sail  of  the  line  from  Gibraltar  and  England,  under  Eear- 
VOL.   IV.  T 


274 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802. 


[1795. 


Admiral  Kobert  Man  (3).  These  ships  were  the  Victory,  Barfleur, 
Gibraltar,  JBomhay  Castle,  Saturn,  Cumberland,  Defence,  Culloden 
and  Audacious.  Hotham  cruised  till  the  24th,  when  he  bore  up  for 
the  eastward,  and  on  the  29th  anchored  in  San  Fiorenzo  Bay.  On 
July  4th,  he  detached  Commodore  Nelson  in  the  Agamemnon,  64, 
with  the  Meleager,  Ariadne,  Moselle  and  Mutine,  to  proceed  to 
Genoa,  and  then  to  cruise  along  the  coast  to  the  westward  ;  and,  on 
the  7th,  being  oif  Cape  del  Melle,  Nelson  discovered  the  Toulon 
fleet  about  fifteen  miles  to  the  N.W.  In  the  evening,  the  French 
chased  him,  and  in  the  night  they  nearly  came  up  with  the  Moselle. 
At  7.20  A.M.,  on  the  8th,  Nelson,  being  off  Cape  Corse,  began  to  fire 
guns  as  signals  to  the  fleet  at  San  Fiorenzo  ;  and,  by  9.30  a.m.,  the 
French  could  see  the  British  fleet  of  twenty-two  sail  of  the  line  at 
anchor  in  the  bay.     They  therefore  relinquished  the  chase. 

The  fleet  was,  however,  neither  fit  nor  able  to  sail  at  once. 
Many  ships  were  refitting  or  watering,  and  the  wind  blew  right  into 
the  bay ;  but  at  9  p.m.  Hotham's  fleet  succeeded  in  getting  under 
way,  and  in  taking  advantage  of  the  land  wind.  The  fleet,  when 
rejoined  by  Nelson's  squadron,  was  composed  of  the  ships  named  in 
the  note.' 

On  the  9th,  having  cleared  the  land,  Hotham  steered  to  the  west 
under  all  sail,  with  a  S.S.W.  wind.  On  the  12th,  being  off  Isle 
du  Levant,  he  learnt  that  the  French  had  been  seen  a  few  hours 
earlier  to  the  south  of  Hyeres,  and  consequently  he  prepared  for 
action,  and  made  sail  to  the  S.W.  In  the  night  a  heavy  gale  from 
the  W.N.W.  split  the  main-topsails  of  several  British  ships,  and  on 


I  Sbips. 

Gans. 

(.'omniariders. 

Ships. 

Guns. 

Commanders. 

Admiral       William 

Terrible  .... 

74 

Capt.  George  Campbell. 

Britannia   . 

100 

}    Hotham  {«■). 

Dffence  .... 

74 

„    Thomas  Wells  (1). 

ICapt.  John  HoUowiy. 

Eiiviont  .... 

74 

„    .John  Suttuu. 

Victory  .... 

100 

iKear- Admiral    Robert 

Culloden      .     .     . 

74 

r  „  Thomas  Trou- 
t               bridge. 

leapt.  Jolin  Knight  (-1). 

nedford  .... 

74 

„     I'avitlgr  Gould. 

I  Vice- Admiral    Samuel 

-, 

74 

f  ,,  Ron.jaiuiu  Hallu- 
l                well. 

Princess  Royal 

98 

<     Granpton  f-iooilall  {10. 

i,ouraQeux  . 

(Capt.  Jolm  Chilli  Purvis. 

Audacious   . 

74 

„    William  Shield. 

IVice-Admiral  Sir  Hyde 
<     Parker  (a),  Kt.  (R). 

6"»iAT«rdo(Neap.) 

74 

St.  George    .     .     . 

93 

Samnita  (Neap.)  . 

74 

K'apt.  Thoma.s  Foley. 

Aiiamemnon 

64 

Commod.  HoralioNelsou. 

IViie- Admiral     Robert 
{    LinzeeOV). 

liiadem  .... 

64 

Capt.  Charles  Tyler. 

Windsor  Castle     . 

98 

1  Meleager      .     .     . 

32 

,,     George  Cockbiirn. 

Icajit.  John  f;ore(l). 

Cyclops  .... 

28 

f  „  William  Hotham 
I              (2). 

Itlenheim     .     .     ■ 

90 

„    John  lia?.ely(l). 

CibraUar    .     .     . 

80 

f     ,,    Jolin      I'akeuham 
I             (1). 

Ariadne       .     .     . 
Comet     .... 

24 
14 

Capt.  Robert  Plampin. 

Captain  .... 

74 

,,    .Samuel  Reeve. 

Kclair     .... 

20 

Fortitude     .     .     . 

74 

„    William  Younn(l). 
f    „    Charles  Cliamh.-r- 
l             layne. 

Flh-ke     .... 
Jiesol)ition,  cutter 

20 

Com.  Thomas  Boy6(l). 

Bombay  Castle .     . 

74 

Moselle 

18 

Com.  Charles  Brisbane. 

5a(wrn    .... 

74 

„    James  I)o«glas(2). 

Mutine 

12 

Cumberland      .     . 

74 

f     ,,    Bartholomew 
(             .Samuel  Rovvli-y. 

\- 


1795.] 


BOTH  AM' S  ACTION   OFF  EYERES. 


275 


the  13th,  at  dawn,  when  the  wind  was  still  fresh  and  there  was  a 
heavy  swell,  and  while  these  ships  were  bending  new  sails,  the 
French  were  seen  about  five  miles  off  on  the  lee  beam,  standing  in 
very  scattered  order  on  the  starboard  tack.  The  Biitish  were  then 
standing  on  the  port  tack  to  the  southward.  At  3.45  a.m.  Hotham 
signalled  his  fleet  to  form  on  a  starboard,  and,  an  horn-  later,  on  a 
larboard  line  of  bearing,  and  preserving  that  order,  to  make  all 
possible  sail.  The  professed  object  of  this  was  to  keep  the  wind  and 
to  cut  off  the  enemy  from  the  shore. 

At  8  A.M.  the  French  fleet,  formed  in  a  close  line  on  the  port 
tack  about  two  points  off  the  wind,  which  was  from  the  west,  was 


/^^ 


M 


1  ^^^"'""^  A 

IE   X)    I    T 


R    R  A 


SfEXE   OF    HOTHAM  > 


Tiox,  jri.Y  I.'th,  litJo. 


doing  its  best  to  get  away  without  fighting.  Hotham,  therefore, 
made  the  signal  for  a  general  chase,  directing  his  ships  to  take 
suitable  stations  for  mutual  support  and  to  engage  the  enemy  as 
they  came  up  with  him.  In  the  course  of  the  morning  the  wind 
moderated,  and  southed  somewhat ;  and  at  noon,  in  consequence 
of  the  eagei'ness  of  the  chase  and  of  the  imequal  sailing  of  the  ships, 
although  the  French  rear,  bearing  N.N.E.,  was  only  thi'ee-quarters 
of  a  mile  from  the  British  van,  the  British  rear  ship  was  nearl}' 
eight  miles  to  the  W.S.W.  At  1-2.30  a  shift  of  wind  from  S.W.  by 
N.  to  N.,  brought  the  starboard  broadsides  of  the  three  rear  French 
ships  to  bear  upon  the  British  van,  and  especially  upon  the  Victory, 
Culloden   and   Cumberland,   which    led    it.      This   brought    on    a 

T  2 


276  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    179;;-ie02.  [I79r>. 

partial  action,  in  which  the  French  ship  Alcidc,  74,  soon  suffered 
very  severely.  By  1.30  the  Culloden  also  had  her  main  topmast 
shot  away  ;  hut  she  continued  to  use  every  effort  to  close  with  the 
enemy.  Just  before  '1  r.M.  the  Alcide  struck'  to  the  Cumberland, 
which,  not  stopping  to  take  possession,  passed  on  to  the  second  ship 
from  the  French  rear.  As  she  did  so,  the  French  frigate  Alceste,  36, 
Captain  Hubert,  which,  with  the  Justice,  had  approached  to  take 
the  Alcide  in  tow,  lowered  a  boat  for  the  pm-pose.  This  was  cut 
in  two  by  a  shot  from  one  of  the  British  ships ;  and  the  French 
frigates,  very  ably  handled,  made  off.  At  that  time  the  Agantemiion, 
Blenheim,  Captain  and  Defence,  were  just  getting  into  action ;  but 
at  2.42  P.M.,  when  the  Cunihcrland,  having  assisted  in  driving  off 
the  Justice,  had  almost  got  up  with  another  French  ship  of  the 
line  near  the  rear  of  the  column,  a  signal,  to  the  general  astonish- 
ment, was  made  to  discontinue  the  action.  The  Victory  had  to 
repeat  it,  with  the  Cumberland's  pennants,  ere  that  ship  paid  any 
attention . 

At  that  moment  Cape  Koux"  bore  from  the  Vicfori/  N.W.  ^  W. 
distant  twelve  miles.  It  is  true  that  the  French,  owing  to  a  change 
of  wind  to  the  east,  had  gained  the  weather  gage  on  the  starboard 
tack,  and  were  standing  with  a  light  breeze  towards  the  bay  of 
Frejus,  while  the  British  centre  and  rear  were  almost  becalmed  ; 
but  it  turned  out  that,  as  the  breeze  again  shifted  at  about  7  p.m. 
to  the  south-west,  Vice-Admiral  Martin's  progi'ess  to  his  anchorage 
was  veiy  slow.  "Had  the  British  fleet,"  says  an  officer,^  who  was 
present  in  the  Victory,  "  only  put  their  heads  the  same  way  as  the 
enemy's  and  stood  inshore  at  four  o'clock,  the  whole  of  the  French 
line  might  have  been  cut  off  from  the  land,  taken,  or  destroyed  ;  and, 
even  afterwards,  they  might  have  been  followed  into  Frejus  Bay, 
and  wholly  destroyed." 

Of  the  few  British  ships  engaged  in  what  James  calls  "  this 
miserable  action,"  the  Culloden  alone  lost  a  mast.  The  Victory  and 
Cmnberland,  however,  suffered  considerably  aloft.  The  losses  in 
personnel  were,  Culloden,  2  killed,  .5  wounded;  Victory,  5  killed, 
15  wounded;  Blenheim,  2  killed,  2  wounded;  Captain,  1  killed; 
and  Defence,  1  killed,  6  wounded :  total,  11  killed  and  28  wounded. 
The  Cumberland,  strange  to  say,  had  no  one  hurt.  No  com- 
missioned ofiicers  were  killed.     Among  those  wounded  were  Lieu- 

'  This  is  not  admitted  by  the  French.     -  The  French  call  the  action  by  this  name. 
'  Admiral  Sir  Edward  Hamilton,  Bart. 


1795.]  DE  RICEERY  ESCAPES  FROM   TOULON.  Ill 

tenants  Tristram  Whitter,  of  the  CuUoden,  and  John  Hinton,  of  the 
Victonj.  Soon  after  having  struck,  the  Alcide  caught  fire  in  the 
foretop.  The  conflagration  could  not  be  staj-ed,  and,  spreading  till 
about  3.45  p.m.,  then  caused  an  explosion,  which  blew  up  the  vessel 
with  more  than  half  her  crew. 

The  French  fleet  returned  to  Toulon.  The  British  went,  first 
to  San  Fiorenzo,  and  then  to  Leghorn.  Hotham  sailed  again  on 
August  Gth,  and  on  the  8th  looked  into  Toulon  Eoad,  where. he  saw 
the  French  fleet.  He  then  detached  Commodore  Nelson,  in  the 
Agamenuion,  with  the  Inconstant,  Mcleagcr,  Tartar,  Southampton, 
Ariadne,  and  Speedy,  to  co-operate  with  the  x\ustrian  and  Sardinian 
armies  in  Genoese  territory,  and  himself  stood  to  the  eastward. 
On  August  26th,  Nelson's  squadron,  under  Nelson's  personal 
direction,  cut  out  of  the  bays  of  Alassio  and  Langueglia,  near  Vado, 
two  French  gun  brigs,  two  five-gian  galleys,  and  five  vessels  laden 
with  stores,  and  destroyed  two  other  vessels,  without  losing  a  man. 

The  French  Government  was  at  that  time  anxious  to  make  some 
kind  of  demonstration  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Newfomidland,  but 
was  unwilling  to  detach  from  the  Brest  fleet  any  force  for  such  a 
pm-pose.  On  the  contrary,  it  was  anxious  rather  to  strengthen  that 
fleet.  It  therefore  directed  Eear-Admiral  Joseph  de  Eichery,'  with 
the  Victoire,  80,  Barras,  74,  Jupiter,  74,  Berwick,  74,  Resolution,  lA, 
Duquesne,  74,  and  the  frigates  Emhuscade,  Felicite,  and  Friponne, 
to  seize  an  opportunity  to  slip  out  of  Toulon,  and  then  proceed  to 
Newfoundland,  finally  returning  to  Brest.  De  Eichery,  therefore, 
put  to  sea  on  September  14th. 

News  of  the  evasion  did  not  reach  Hotham  at  San  Fiorenzo 
until  September  22ud  ;  and  not  until  October  5th  was  Eear-Admiral 
Eobert  Man  (3),  with  the  Windsor  Castle,  98,  Cumherlaud,  74, 
Defence,  74,  Terrible,  74,  Audacious,  74,  and  Saturn,  74,  and  the 
frigates  Blonde  and  Castor,  detached  in  pursuit.  The  French  had 
thus  a  start  of  three  weeks,  and,  as  will  be  seen  later,  Man  naturally 
failed  to  be  of  any  service.  Indeed,  the  method  in  which  he  carried 
out  his  mission  led  later  to  the  imperilling  of  the  whole  British  fleet 
in  the  Mediterranean.  The  laxity  displayed  by  Hotham  on  that 
occasion,  both  in  regard  to  the  observation  of  the  French  movements 
at  Toulon,  and  with  regard  to  the  pursuit  of  the  escaped  force,  offers 
additional  proof  of  that  officer's  unfitness  for  the  very  important  com- 

'  Bum  at  All.jiis,  Pmvcnce.  He  had  been  expelled  fruin  the  Xavy  auriiig  the  Terror, 
but  afterwards  reinstated. 


278  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1795. 

mand  with  which  he  had  been  entrusted.      Moreover,  de  Kichery's 
escape  led  to  immediate  bad  results,  even  in  European  waters. 

Hotham  had  detached  for  England  in  the  early  autumn  the 
Fortitude,  74,  Captain  Thomas  Taylor  ('2),  Bedford,  74,  Captain 
Augustus  Montgomery,  and  the  French  prize  74,  Censeur,  whicii 
was  jury-rigged  and  armed  en  flute,  and  which  was  commanded  by 
Captain  John  Gore  (1).  This  squadron  left  Gibraltar  for  the 
Channel  on  September  25th,  reinforced  by  the  Argo,  44,  Captain 
Richard  Eimdle  Burges,  Juno,  32,  Captain  Lord  Amelius  Beauclerk, 
Lutine,  32,  Commander  William  Haggitt  (acting),  and  Tisiphone, 
fireship.  Commander  Joseph  Turner,  with  a  valuable  convoy  of 
sixty-three  sail  from  the  Levant.  That  same  night  the  Argo,  Juno, 
and  thirty-two  of  the  convoy  parted  company,  the  remainder  keeping 
with  the  senior  officer  until  October  7th,  when,  being  off  Cape 
St.  Vincent,  they  fell  in  with  de  Eichery's  squadron.  Signal  was 
at  once  made  for  the  convoy  to  disperse,  and  the  Fortitude,  Censeur, 
and  Bedford  foirmed  line  so  as  to  show  as  good  a  face  as  possible  to 
the  enemy.  But  hardly  had  the  line  been  formed,  ere  the  Censeur 
rolled  away  her  foremast,  and  was  forced  to  drop  astern ;  and  as  the 
French  were  rapidly  approaching.  Captain  Taylor  deemed  it  proper 
to  bear  up.  This  was  soon  after  1  p.m.  At  1.50  the  leading 
French  ship  opened  fire  on  the  Censeur,  which  made  a  spirited 
return  to  the  best  of  her  ability,  and  was  assisted  by  the  after  guns 
of  the  Fortitude  and  Bedford.  In  the  meantime  the  French 
frigates  were  picking  up  the  merchantmen.  At  2.30  the  Censeur, 
having  expended  nearly  all  her  powder,  and  having  lost  her  two 
remaining  masts,  struck.  The  other  British  men-of-war  escaped  ; 
but,  of  the  convoy,  thirty  out  of  thirty-one  sail  were  taken.  The 
thirty-two  merchantmen  with  the  Argo  and  Juno  safely  reached 
their  destination.  De  Eichery,  with  his  prizes,  put  into  Cadiz, 
where  he  may  be  left  for  the  present. 

This  squadron  of  de  Eichery's  was  not  the  only  one  which,  in 
the  autumn  of  1795,  escaped  from  Toulon,  owing,  to  some  extent, 
to  the  bad  management  or  incompetence  of  Hotham.  Towards 
the  end  of  September,  Commodore  Honore  Ganteaume,  with  the 
Mo7it  Blanc,  74,  Jiinun,  40,  Justice,  40,  Artcinise,  36,  Serieusc,  36, 
Badine,  28,  and  Hasard,  16,  left  Toulon  expressly  to  intercept  the 
convoy,  part  of  which  subsequently  fell  into  the  hands  of  de  Eichery. 
That  convoy  was  supposed  by  the  French  to  be  then  to  the  eastward 
of   Malta  ;  and  Ganteaume  steered  for   the  Levant,  where  ho  not 


1795.]  JERVIS  IN   THE  MEDITERRANEAN.  21[> 

only  made  many  prizes  but  also  raised  the  blockade  of  Smyrna,  in 
which  port  two  French  frigates  and  a  corvette  had  been  shut  up 
by  the  Aigle,  38,  Captain  Samuel  Hood  (2),  and  the  Cijdojos,  28, 
Captain  William  Hotham  (2).  Ganteaume  cruised  in  the  Archi- 
pelago until  the  Justice  was  dismasted  in  a  storm.  He  then  made 
for  the  Dardanelles,  but,  learning  that  two  British  ships  of  the  hne 
and  three  or  foiu-  frigates  were  in  search  of  him,  and  conscious  that, 
as  the  French  had  not  respected  the  neutrality  of  the  Turkish  ports, 
the  British  would  attack  him  no  matter  where  he  might  anchor,  he 
left  the  Justice,  and  made  for  the  westward.  On  December  27th, 
the  British  squadron  under  Captain  Thomas  Troubridge,  consisting 
of  the  Culloden,  74,  Diadem,  64,  Inconstdnt,  36,  Flora,  36,  and 
Lowestoft,  32,  being  off  Cape  Matapan,  chased  the  Badine,  which 
had  been  detached  by  Ganteaume  expressly  to  mislead  his  enemy. 
The  Badine  could  not  rejoin,  and  took  refuge  in  the  Gulf  of 
Coron ;  but  Ganteaume,  escaping  pursuit,  re-entered  Toulon  on 
February  .5th,  1796. 

On  November  1st,  179.5,  Hotham  struck  his  flag,  and  was 
temporarily  succeeded  by  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Hyde  Parker  (2).  On 
November  11th  the  fleet  left  Leghorn,  and,  on  the  20th,  put  mto 
San  Fiorenzo  Bay.  On  the  30th,  there  aiTived  from  Portsmouth 
the  Lively,  32,  Captain  Lord  Garlies,  having  on  board  Admiral  Sir 
John  Jervis,  who  had  been  appointed  Commander-in-Chief.  On 
December  3rd,  Jervis  shifted  his  flag  from  the  Lively  to  the  Victory, 
and,  on  the  13th,  he  sailed  with  the  fleet  to  cruise  ofl'  Toulon. 

Since  the  commencement  of  hostilities  in  1793,  the  political 
situation  had  altered  considerably  to  the  disadvantage  of  Great 
Britain.  France  had  conquered  Holland,^  and  had  ranged  that 
country  on  her  side.  In  consequence  of  this,  orders  were  issued 
early  in  1795  for  the  seizure  of  all  Dutch  vessels  in  British  ports. 

On  February  9th,  further  orders  were  issued  for  the  detention  of 
neutrals  bound  for  Dutch  ports  ;  measures  were  taken  to  attack  the 
Dutch  settlements  over  sea;  and  a  small  squadron,  under  "V'ice- 
Admiral  Adam  Duncan,  in  the  Venerable,  74,  was  sent  to  watch  the 
Dutch  ships  in  the  Texel.  In  August,  Duncan  was  joined  on  his 
station  by  an  ill-found  fleet  of  twelve  Eussian  ^  ships  of  the  hne,  and 

'  It  was  in  the  course  of  this  campaign  that,  on  January  20tb,  1795,  some  Frencli 
hussars  and  horse  artillery  captured  a  Dutch  squadron,  whicli  was  ice-bound  at  the  time. 

*  In  this  fleet  there  were  several  officers  of  British  nationality  or  birth,  including 
Eear-Admiral  Tate,  and  Captains  Frederick  Thesiger  and  Brown. 


280  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [IT'J."). 

seven  frigates ;  but,  daring  the  autumn  and  wintei',  the  combined 
fleets  saw  nothing  of  the  enemy,  and  had  nothing  before  it  save  the 
honom-able,  yet  far  from  exciting,  work  of  observation  and  blockade 
in  the  North  Sea.  Letters  of  marque  and  reprisals  were  issued 
against  Holland  on  September  1.5th.  In  the  interim,  Great  Britain 
had  also  lost  the  countenance  of  Prussia,  which  had  made  her  peace 
with  France  on  April  30th. 

The  French  no  sooner  learnt  of  the  success  of  Victor  Hugues  at 
Guadeloupe,  than  they  sent  to  him  from  Brest  a  number  of  trans- 
ports, with  supplies,  and  about  three  thousand  troops,  convoyed  by 
the  Hercule,  50,  Astree,  36,  two  corvettes,  and  some  armed  ships. 
This  convoy  was  fallen  in  with  off  Desirade  on  January  5th,  1795, 
by  the  BcUona,  74,  Captain  George  Wilson,  and  Alarm,  32,  Captain 
Charles  Carpenter  ;  but,  owing  apparently  to  mismanagement  on  the 
part  of  Wilson,  only  one  French  vessel,  the  Duras,  20,  was  taken. 
The  rest  of  the  convoy  reached  Pointe  a  Pitre,  Guadeloupe,  on 
January  tjth.  The  reinforcement  thus  brought  to  him  enabled 
Hugues  to  prosecute  his  designs  against  St.  Lucia,  St.  Vincent, 
Grrenada,  and  Dominica.  At  St.  Lucia  he  was  quickly  successful, 
that  island  being  evacuated  on  June  19th  by  the  British  troops, 
which  were  taken  off  by  the  Experiment,  armed  stoi'eship.  Lieutenant 
John  Barrett,'  and  a  transport.  At  Dominica  he  was  unsuccessful. 
In  Grenada  and  St.  Vincent  his  schemes  were  still  in  progress  at  the 
end  of  the  year.  In  these  operations,  the  British  naval  officers  who, 
in  addition  to  Lieutenant  Barrett,  most  conspicuously  distinguished 
themselves,  were  Captains  Josias  Eogers,  of  the  Quebec,  Charles 
Sawyer,  of  the  Blanche,  and  Frederick  Watkins,  of  the  Resource. 

The  hostility  of  Holland  led  to  the  despatch  from  England  of  an 
expedition  against  the  Dutch  colony  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
This  expedition  consisted  of  the  ships  mentioned  in  the  note,-  under 

'  Drowned,  t';i[it;iin  nf  tlic  Muiotaur,  in  1810. 

-  Sliip^.  Guns.  Commauders. 


I  fVice-.Admiral    Sir   George    Keith   Elphiu- 

(Ciipt.  Jciliii  El]iliinstone  (2). 

Victorious 74  „     William  Ciiirk. 

Arro(jant     ....            .74  „     Kioliard  l.iicas. 

Ameriai til  „     .Jolni  l!lanl;ett. 

Stalel() •■i4  „     Billy  Doiit^his. 

Echo I'i  Com.  Teni]ile  IliirJy. 

Rattlesuakc lH  „     .Tolm  William  Spranscr. 


1795.]  CAPTVIiE   OF   THE   CAPE   OF   GOOD   HOPE.  i!Sl 

Vice-Admiral  Sir  George  Keith  Elphinstone,  K.B.,  with  a  detach- 
ment of  the  78th  Eegiment,  under  Major-General  Craig.  The 
squadron  anchored  in  Simon's  Bay  early  in  July,  and  proposals 
were  made  to  the  Dutch  governor  to  place  the  colony  under  British 
protection.  The  governor  refused,  and  was  making  preparations  to 
burn  Simon's  Town,  when,  on  July  14th,  the  78th  Eegiment  and 
350  marines  landed  and  seized  it.  The  Dutch  withdrew  to  Muijzen- 
burg,  six  miles  from  Cape  Town.  Elphinstone  reinforced  the  army 
ashore  by  landing  1000  seamen  under  Commanders  Hardy  and 
Spranger,  by  improvising  a  gunboat,  and  by  arming  the  launches  of 
the  squadi-ou.  On  August  7th,  when  the  troops  began  their 
advance,  the  America,  Stately,  Echo,  and  Rattlesnake,  also  co- 
operated, the  result  being  that  the  Dutch  were  easily  driven  from 
post  to  post  with  very  slight  loss  to  the  British.  On  the  8th,  the 
enemy  attempted  to  regain  some  of  his  lost  positions,  but  was  again 
compelled  to  retire,  largely  in  consequence  of  the  admirable  be- 
haviour of  Commander  Hardy's  battalion  of  seamen  and  Marines. 
Elphinstone  detained  such  Dutch  vessels  as  he  found,  and  subse- 
qiiently  commissioned  one  of  them,  the  Willemstadt,  as  the  Prin- 
cess, 20.  On  September  3rd,  the  Dutch  were  about  to  make  a 
general  attack  on  the  British  positions,  when  they  were  deterred  by 
the  sudden  appearance  in  the  offing  of  fourteen  sail  of  British  East 
Indiamen,  which  brought  a  large  reinforcement  of  stores  and  troops 
under  General  Alured  Clarke.  These  were  all  disembarked  by  the 
14th,  and  an  advance  on  Caj^e  Town  was  begun,  while  the  America, 
Echo,  liattlcsnale,  and  an  Indiaman,  made  a  demonstration  in  Table 
Bay.  This  induced  the  Dutch  governor,  on  the  following  night,  to 
S2nd  a  flag  of  truce,  with  a  request  for  a  cessation  of  hostilities, 
pending  negotiations  of  a  capitulation,  the  result  being  that,  on  the 
morning  of  the  16th,  the  town  and  colony,  together  with  about  1000 
regular  troops,  the  East  Indiamen,  Castor,  and  the  anned  brig 
Star,  14,  were  sm-rendered.  The  Star  was  added  to  the  British 
Navy  as  the  Ho})e. 

The  British  Commander-in-Chief  in  the  East  Indies  was  Com- 
modore Peter  Kainier,  who,  it  may  be  remembered,  had  taken  a 
convoy  thither  in  the  early  summer  of  1794,  with  his  broad  pennant 
in  the  Suffolk,  74.  Kainier,  in  June,  1795,  obtained  his  flag.  On 
July  21st,  in  pursuance  of  orders,  he  sailed  from  Madras  in  the 
Suffolk,  Captain  Robert  Lambert,  with  the  Centurion,  50,  Captain 
Samuel   Osboni,  and   some   transports  with   troops   under  Colonel 


282  MA  JOB    OPERATIONS,    1T03-1SO2.  [1705. 

James  Stuart,  to  make  an  attempt  against  the  Dutch  possessions  in 
Ceylon.  At  the  same  time  he  detached  the  Bcsistance,  44,  Captain 
Edward  Pakenham,  with  a  tender  and  a  transport,  to  reinforce  a 
little  expedition  which,  under  Captain  Heniy  Kewcome,  of  the 
Orpheus,  32,  had  previously  sailed  against  Malacca. 

On  July  23rd,  off  Negapatam,  Kainier  was  joined  by  the 
Diomede,  44,  Captain  Matthew  Smith  (1),  and  one  or  two  more 
transports,  with  additional  troops,  and  on  August  1st,  after  having 
been  joined  on  the  previous  day  by  the  Heroine,  32,  Captain  Alan 
Hyde  Gardner,  he  anchored  in  Back  Bay.  Two  days  were  expended 
in  negotiations,  and  on  the  third  da}',  while  the  Diomede  was 
working  into  the  bay  with  a  transport  in  tow,  she  unfortunately 
struck  on  an  uncharted  rock,  and  went  down  with  all  her  stores. 
But  the  troops  were  landed  on  August  3rd,  four  miles  from  Trin- 
comale,  without  opposition.  Bj'  the  23rd,  it  was  found  possible  to 
open  the  British  batteries,  and  by  the  26th,  a  practicable  breach  was 
effected.  A  summons  was  then  sent  in,  and,  after  some  discussion 
and  misunderstanding,  the  place  surrendered,  with  679  officers  and 
men,  and  nearly  100  serviceable  guns.  This  conquest  cost  a  loss  to 
the  British  and  East  India  Company's  troops  of  15  killed  and  54 
wounded,  and  to  the  Navy  of  1  killed  and  6  wounded.  On  the  31st, 
the  fort  of  Oostenbui-g  also  surrendered,  and,  on  September  18th, 
Baticalo  followed  siiit.  Jaffnapatam,  near  Point  Pedro,  was  quietly 
taken  possession  of  on  September  28th  by  a  subsidiary  expedition 
under  Captain  Samuel  Osbom,  of  the  Ceittinion,  and  Colonel  Stuart. 
Muletivu  was  similarly  occupied  on  October  1st  by  Lieutenant 
Benjamin  William  Page,  commanding  the  Hohart,  18,  and  by  a 
detachment  of  the  52nd  Regiment  under  Captain  the  Hon.  Charles 
Monson ;  and  the  island  of  Manar  surrendered  on  October  5th  to  a 
detachment  from  Jaffnapatam.  The  expedition  to  Malacca  was  not 
less  successful.  Malacca  itself  capitulated  on  August  17th  to 
Captain  Henry  Newcome  and  Major  Brown,  and,  before  the  end  of 
the  year.  Cochin,  and  all  the  other  Dutch  settlements  on  the  Indian 
mainland,  were  under  the  British  flag. 

Until  quite  the  end  of  the  year  179G  the  Brest  fleet  did  not  quit 
port ;  but,  during  the  whole  summer  and  autumn,  it  was  known  to 
be  preparing  assiduously  for  some  great  stroke.  According  to  one 
view,  Ireland  was  to  be  attacked;  according  to  a  second,  Gibraltar; 
and  according  to  a  third,  Portugal ;  and,  as  the  French  carefully  and 
successfully  kept  their  intentions  secret,  the  British  Admiralty  had 


1796.]  DIFFICULT  POSITION   OF  JERVIS.  283 

to  be  ready  for  any  development.  lu  consequence  of  this  necessity, 
it  divided  the  Channel  fleet  into  three  divisions.  One,  under  Eear- 
Admiral  Sir  Eoger  Curtis,  in  the  Formidable,  98,  cruised  to  the 
vyestward ;  another,  under  Vice-Admiral  Charles  Thompson,  in  the 
London ,  98,  was  stationed  off  Brest ;  and  another,  under  Lord 
Bridport,  Commander-in-Chief,  in  the  Eoi/al  George,  100,  remained 
at  Spithead.  On  October  •29th,  A^ice-Admiral  Sir  John  Colpoys 
reheved  Vice-Admiral  Thompson  off  Brest,  and,  for  a  short  time 
after  November  7th,  Curtis,  with  seven  sail  of  the  hue,  joined 
Colpoys,  who  had  twelve.  But  Curtis  anchored  at  St.  Helen's  on 
November  17th.  The  proceedings  of  the  Brest  fleet,  after  it  had 
put  to  sea,  belong  rather  to  the  events  of  1797  than  to  those  of 
1796. 

It  has  already  been  said  that  Vice-Admiral  Adam  Duncan's 
squadron  blockaded  or  watched  the  Dutch  force  in  the  Texel.  On 
February  23rd,  during  the  temporary  absence  of  the  blockading 
squadron,  a  Dutch  division  of  two  64's,  one  54,  one  44,  and  several 
frigates  and  sloops,  escaped  to  sea,  but  was  observed  by  the 
Espiegle,  16,  Commander  Benjamin  Koberts,  and  a  cutter,  which 
had  been  sent  by  Duncan  to  reconnoitre  the  port.  The  Dutch 
headed  to  the  northward,  with  a  fresh  N.E.  wind,  and  were  followed 
for  some  hours  by  the  Espiegle,  while  the  cutter  went  home  with 
the  news.  On  the  •24th,  when  the  enemy  was  120  miles  north-east 
of  Yai-mouth,  Commander  Eoberts  left  him.  Two  or  three  days 
afterwards,  the  Dutch  fell  in  with  a  part  of  Bear-Admiral  Pringle's 
division  of  Duncan's  squadron,  consisting  of  the  Glatton,  54,  Captain 
Henry  TroUope,  and  a  few  smaller  vessels,  but  made  no  effort  to 
force  an  action.^  Not  long  afterwards,  Duncan  resinned  his  station, 
and  effectually  shut  up  the  Texel  for  the  rest  of  the  year. 

Jervis,  who,  at  the  end  of  1795,  had  succeeded  Hotham  as 
Commander-in-Chief  in  the  Mediterranean,  had  under  him,  at  the 
beginning  of  1796,  eighteen  sail  of  the  line,  and  a  large  number  of 
frigates  and  small  craft.  At  Toulon  were  fifteen  French  sail  of  the 
line,  besides  three  building ;  and  at  Cadiz  was  the  division  of  Eear- 
Admiral  de  Eichery.  In  addition  to  all  these,  there  were  at  Carta- 
gena seven  Spani-sh  sail  of  the  line,  which,  owing  to  the  condition  of 
poUtics  in  the  peninsula,  needed  to  be  carefully  watched ;  and  there 
was  a  very  large  Spanish  fleet  at  Cadiz.  The  position  of  Jervis 
was,  therefore,  difficult  and  perplexing.  It  called  for  the  exercise 
'  Its  object  being,  as  will  be  seen,  the  recapture  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 


'284  MAJOn    OVEHATIOXS,    lT93-]fi02.  [179G. 

of  great  ability  and  firm  determination  if  a  catastrophe  were  to  be 
avoided,  and  it  demanded,  as  it  j>rovidentiall_y  found,  the  services 
of  a  man  of  more  than  common  quahties.  Jervis,  from  the 
first,  adopted  a  Hne  of  policy  snch  as  had  not  been  properly  illus- 
trated in  the  Mediterranean  since  the  days  of  Dilkes  and  Walton, 
and  which  had  not,  perhaps,  been  illustrated  with  equal  thorough- 
ness since  the  days  of  Blake.  He  realised  that,  above  all  things,  he 
was  sent  to  look  after  British  interests,  and  that,  in  compaiison  with 
them,  all  other  interests  were  perfectly  subsidiary.  One  of  his  first 
acts  was  a  charactex-istically  high-handed  one.  The  captured  British 
frigate  Nemesis,  '28,  lay,  with  two  French  vessels,  in  the  neutral 
port  of  Tunis.  Jervis  despatched  Yice-Admiral  the  Hon.  William 
Waldegrave,  in  the  Barjienr,  98,  with  four  74's,  to  bring  out  the 
Nemesis  at  all  hazards,  and,  on  March  9th,  the  service  was  executed 
with  Httle  opposition,  thanks,  no  doubt,  to  the  overwhelming 
strength  of  the  force  employed.  Jervis,  indeed,  never  made  the 
mistake  of  failing  to  employ  even  an  excessive  force  for  the  execu- 
tion of  an  object  when  such  a  force  happened  to  be  available.  Said 
Nelson  :  "  Where  I  would  take  a  penknife,  Lord  St.  Vincent  takes  a 
hatchet." 

The  most  active  of  the  numerous  esceptionallj'  able  officers  who 
served  with  Jervis  was,  of  course,  Nelson.  On  April  '23rd,  Jervis, 
then  cruising  off  Vado,  detached  Nelson,  in  the  Agamemnon,  (54, 
with  the  Diadem,  64,  Captain  George  Hemy  Towry,  Meleagcr,  32, 
Captain  George  Cockbiu-n,  and  Petrel,  16,  Commander  John 
Temple,'  to  blockade  Genoa,  and  to  annoy  the  French  along  the 
coast.  Nelson  learnt  that  a  convoy  laden  with  stores  for  the  French 
army  lay  at  Finalmarina,  in  Loano  Bay,  and  on  April  2.5th  he  made 
for  that  place.  Four  vessels  were  found  anchored  under  the 
batteries,  which  opened  on  the  Petrel  as  she  approached,  leading  in 
the  boats  which  were  to  attack ;  but  the  fire  from  the  ships  covered 
the  little  expedition,  and,  in  a  very  short  time,  the  British  brought 
off  the  transports,  losing  only  three  wounded,  including  Lieutenant 
James  Noble.  Among  the  other  officers  who  distinguished  them- 
selves on  the  occasion  were  Lieutenants  Maurice  W.  Suckling, 
Henry  Compton,  Charles  Eyder,  and  John  Culverhouse.  Nelson 
was  subsequently  joined  by  the  Blanelie,  32,  Captain  d'Arcy  Preston, 
and  Speedjj,  16,  Commander  Thomas  Elphinstone.  On  May  31st, 
ci-uising  off  Oneglia,  he  chased  six  French  vessels  under  a  battery. 
'   D.ii\v!iC(l,  (.'iiiitaiii  111'  llij  Crescent,  in  180  i. 


1796.]  EVACUATIOX   OF  LEGHORN.  285 

The  Meleager,  Againemnoii,  Petrel  and  Hpeedij,  anchored  close 
in,  with  only  a  few  inches  of  water  under  them,  and  silenced 
the  battery ;  and  then  the  boats,  in  spite  of  the  fire  from  three 
18-pounders  in  the  French  ketch  Genie,  and  one  18-pounder  in  a 
gunboat,'  carried  both.  The  other  four  vessels,  which  were  trans- 
ports, had,  in  the  meantime,  run  themselves  ashore,  yet  thej'  were 
not  only  taken,  but  also  brought  off,  in  the  face  of  a  heavy  musketry 
fire  from  the  beach.  The  British  loss  was  but  one  killed  and  three 
wounded.  The  transports  were  full  of  guns  and  stores  destined  for 
employment  at  the  siege  of  Mantua,  operations  against  which  city, 
it  is  believed,  failed  mainly  in  consequence  of  the  non-arrival  of 
these  supplies. 

Another  very  active  officer  under  Jervis  was  Captain  Thomas 
Francis  Fremantle,  of  the  Inconstant,  36,  who,  when  Leghorn  was 
seriously  threatened  by  the  French,  was  employed,  with  some  store- 
ships  in  company,  to  remove  thence  the  British  residents,  and  public 
and  private  property.  Fremantle  embarked  everybody,  and  nearly 
everything  having  a  claim  upon  his  care,  on  the  morning  of 
June  27th,  and  also  brought  away  thirty-seven  merchant  vessels, 
large  and  small,  and  two  hundred  and  forty  oxen,  which  had  been 
pui-chased  for  the  use  of  the  fleet.  At  noon  on  the  same  day,  the 
French  entered  the  town,  and  at  1  p.m.  their  batteries  opened  on 
the  Inconstant,  which,  however,  got  away  without  damage  or  loss. 
Commodore  Nelson,  now  transferred  from  the  Againeninuii  to  the 
Captain,  74,  anchored  off  the  Malora  to  warn  unsuspecting  ships  of 
the  change  in  the  ownership  of  the  town,  and  the  rest  of  the  British 
fleet  on  the  coast  rejoined  Jervis,  who  was  then  in  the  Bay  of  San 
Fiorenzo. 

The  French  occupation  of  Leghorn  was  palpably  a  step  towards 
the  recovery  of  the  possession  of  Corsica.  Leghorn  then  belonged 
to  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany.  There  was  little  doubt  but  that  the 
French  would  also  attempt  to  occupy  Elba,  another  possession  of 
the  Grand  Duke,  and  another  useful  base  for  operations  against 
Corsica.  With  the  object  of  frustrating  anything  of  the  kind,  Sir 
Gilbert  Elliot,  Viceroy  of  Corsica,  and  Sir  John  Jervis,  entered  into 
negotiations,  in  pursuance  of  which.  Commodore  Nelson,  on 
July  10th,  quietly  occupied  Porto  Ferrajo. 

At  that  time.  Great  Britain's  difficulties  were  increasing  rapidly. 
On  August  19th,  an  offensive  and  defensive  treaty  of  alhance  was 

'  Called  No.  12. 


286  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [IT'.iG. 

signed  at  Madrid  between  France  and  Spain,  and  it  was  therein 
stipulated  that  either  of  the  parties  should  be  entitled  to  call  upon 
the  other  to  place  at  its  disposal  fifteen  sail  of  the  line,  and  ten  large 
frigates  or  corvettes.  France  hastened  to  exercise  her  new  right, 
even  before  the  treaty  was  actually  signed,  by  asking  for  a  Spanish 
fleet  to  escort  the  squadi-on  under  Kear-Adniiral  de  Richery  clear  of 
the  squadron  of  Eear-Admiral  Man,  who  was  supposed  to  be  still 
watching  it  at  Cadiz.  De  Kichery,  with  the  Victoirc,  80, 
Barras,  74,  Bencick,  74,  Censeur,  74,  Duquesne,  74,  Jupiter,  74, 
and  Bevolution,  74,  and  his  three  frigates,  left  the  port  on 
August  4th,  escorted  b}'  a  Spanish  fleet  of  twenty  sail  of  the  line, 
and  foui'teen  frigates  and  corvettes,  commanded  by  Admiral  Don 
Juan  de  Langara,  Hood's  old  colleague  at  Toulon.  The  collection 
of  this  huge  force  was,  in  reality,  qiiite  unnecessary,  for  Eear- 
Admiral  Man,  with  his  modest  seven  sail  of  the  line,  had  left  the 
neighbourhood  on  July  29th,  having  been  ordered  by  Jervis  to  rejoin 
him  off  the  coast  of  Corsica.  Soon  after  making  an  ofliug,  de 
Langara  detached  Rear-Admiral  Solano,  with  ten  sail  of  the  line  and 
six  frigates,  to  see  M.  de  Eichery  300  miles  to  the  westward. 
Solano  did  this,  and  de  Eichery  then  proceeded  to  North  America, 
his  original  destination. 

The  Franco-Spanish  treaty  was  ratified  in  Paris  on  Sep- 
tember l'2th ;  and,  immediately  afterwards,  Great  Britain  laid  an 
embargo  on  all  Spanish  ships  still  in  her  ports.  On  October  8th, 
Spain  foi-mally  declared  war  against  Great  Britain.  But,  before 
this,  de  Langara,  who  had  returned  to  Cadiz,  left  that  port  again, 
with  nineteen  sail  of  the  line,  and  ten  smaller  craft,  and  headed  to 
the  eastward.  On  October  1st,  when  off  Cape  de  Gata,  he  was 
sighted  by  Eear-Admiral  Man,  who  was  then  on  his  way  from  San 
Fiorenzo  to  Gibraltar,  with  three  transports  and  a  brig  under  his 
convoy.  He  had  been  sent  back  by  Jervis  for  the  reason  that  he 
had  imprudently  gone  eastward  with  scarcely  any  stores  on  board. 
Jervis  was  naturally  unable  to  supply  the  deficiencies  of  his  sub- 
ordinate, and,  therefore,  ordered  him  again  to  Gibraltar  to  fill  up 
with  what  he  lacked.  The  Spaniards  chased  Man,  and,  on  the 
morning  of  the  3rd,  captured  the  brig  and  one  of  the  transports. 
But  Man's  squadron  and  the  other  transports  got  safelj'  into  Eosia 
Bay,  close  to  Gibraltar  Mole.  De  Langara  then  returned  to  the 
eastward,  and,  calling  off  Cartagena,  was  joined  by  seven  ships  from 
that  port,  bringing  up  his  total  force  to  twenty-six  sail  of  the  line. 


1796.]  MAN'S   DESERTION.  287 

besides  frigates.  With  this  formidable  fleet  he  cruised  as  far  as  Cape 
Corse,  near  which  he  was  sighted,  on  October  15th,  by  some  of  the 
cruisers  belonging  to  the  fleet  of  Sir  John  Jervis,  who  then,  with  only 
fourteen  sail  of  the  Une,  lay  in  Mortella  Bay.  The  only  other  British 
ships  of  the  line  east  of  Gibraltar  were  the  Captain  and  Egmonf,  which 
were  at  Bastia.  De  Langara  might  theoretically  have  overwhelmed 
Jervis ;  but,  instead,  he  made  for  Toulon,  where  he  anchored  in  the 
last  week  of  the  month,  and  found  twelve  French  ships  of  the  line  ; 
so  that  the  allies  then  had  a  combined  fleet  of  thirty-eight  sail  of  the 
line,  and  eighteen  or  twenty  frigates. 

Man,  as  has  bsen  said,  had  been  sent  back  by  Jervis  to  Gibraltar 
to  supply  himself  with  stores,  which  he  ought  to  have  taken  on 
board  previous  to  sailing  for  San  Fiorenzo.  His  business  was  to 
take  them  on  board,  and  to  return.  He  had  been  given  no  dis- 
cretion. Upon  anchoring  at  Gibraltar,  however,  instead  of  following 
out  the  orders  both  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  and  of  the  Admiralty, 
he  called  a  council  of  his  Captains,  and  he  and  they,  influenced 
apparently  by  the  knowledge  of  the  immense  Franco-Spanish  force 
to  the  eastward,  decided  to  proceed  to  England.  This  extraordinary 
decision  deprived  the  Mediterranean  fleet,  at  one  of  the  most  critical 
moments  in  its  history,  of  just  one-third  of  its  force.  When  the 
squadron  reached  home,  Man's  action  was  severely  disapproved,  and 
he  was  ordered  to  strike  his  flag,  nor  was  he  again  employed  afloat.' 
"When,"  saj's  Mahan,  "  it  is  remembered  that  only  forty  years  had 
elapsed  since  Byng  was  shot  for  an  error  in  judgment,  it  must  be 
owned  men  had  become  more  merciful." 

Bonaparte's  successes  in  Italy  had  dealt  a  heavy  blow  at  British 
prestige  in  the  Mediterranean.  Sardinia  had  already  yielded  Savoy 
and  Nice  to  France  ;  the  Two  Sicilies  had  solicited,  and  obtained,  a 
cessation  of  hostilities ;  and,  with  Sardinia  and  the  Sicilies  neutral, 
and  Spain  as  an  active  ally,  France  seemed  to  be  upon  the  point  of 
attaining  all  her  ambitions  in  the  Mediterranean.  The  situation 
naturally  led  to  renewed  trouble  in  Corsica,  where  the  partisans  of 
France  were  greatly  inspirited.  The  Viceroy  soon  perceived  that  he 
was  threatened  with  a  rising  of  formidable  proportions ;  and,  in 
consequence  of  his  representations  to  the  home  Government,  it  was 
ordered  that  Corsica  should  be  evacuated,  and  that  the  troops  and 
stores  should  be  removed  to  Porto  Ferrajo,  in  Elba.  Before  this 
order  could  be  fully  carried  out,  the  island  was  invaded  by  a  small 
'  He  died,  a  full  Admiral,  in  181-3. 


288  MAJOR    OPEUATIOSS,   17SI3-1NJ2.  [iTtiO. 

force  from  Lowborn  under  General  Casalta,  who  landed  in  Corsica, 
on  October  I'Jtb.  Casalta,  wbo  was  a  popular  Corsicm,  marcbed 
against  Bastia,  before  which  he  arrived  on  October  21  st.  He  sum- 
moned the  place  to  surrender.  In  the  town  was  a  respectable 
British  garrison,  and  in  the  port  were  the  Captain,  74,  and 
Ecjmont,  74.  Under  the  superintendence  of  Nelson,  who,  by  his 
determined  attitude,  deterred  any  interference,  nearly  the  whole  of 
the  British  garrison,  besides  a  vast  amount  of  public  and  private 
property,  was  taken  off.  Immediately  afterwards,  the  French  party 
occupied  not  only  Bastia,  but  also  San  Fiorenzo  and  Bonifacio. 
Casalta,  having  been  joined  from  Leghorn  by  General  Geutili,  a 
brother  Corsican,  with  a  large  reinforcement,  Ajaccio  was  also 
presently  captured.  By  November  '2nd,  the  British  evacuation,  so 
far  as  it  could  be  carried  out,  bad  been  completed,  and  Jervis,  who 
bad  learnt  of  the  arrival  of  de  Langara  at  Toulon,  and  who  did  not 
know  what  had  become  of  Man,  sailed  from  Mortella  Bay  with 
fifteen  sail  of  the  line  and  several  frigates,  besides  a  convoy  of 
merchant  vessels  from  the  Levant.  On  December  1st,  he  anchored 
in  Eosia  Bay,  Gibraltar,  and,  for  the  first  time  for  generations,  not  a 
single  British  ship  of  the  line  lay  or  cruised  on  the  waters  of  the 
Mediterranean. 

Jervis  *  had  been  forced  to  proceed  westwards  owing  to  scarcity 
of  provisions  and  stores.  His  relative  weakness  must  also  have  had 
some  effect  on  his  proceedings.  On  his  way  to  Gibraltar,  while  his 
crews  were  on  half  rations,  or  even  less,  he  received  instructions 
countermanding  the  evacuation  of  Corsica,  if  it  had  not  already  been 
carried  out,  and,  in  the  other  event,  ordering  the  retention  of  Elba. 
Man  had  then  put  it  out  of  the  power  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  to 
go  back.  Had  Man  obeyed  orders,  and  promptly  rejoined  Jervis,  it 
,is  possible  that,  as  Mahan  says,  the  battle  of  Cape  St.  Vincent 
would  have  been  fought  in  the  Mediterranean."  It  is  probable  also, 
that  that  sea  would  never -have  been  abandoned,  even  for  an  hour. 
Napoleon  was  elated. 

"  Tlie  expulsion  of  the  Eiif^lisli,"  he  wrote,  "  has  a  gi-eat  effect  upon  the  success 
of  our  miUtary  operations  in  Ital.v.     We  must  exact  more  severe  conditions  of  Naples. 


'  The  limits  of  his  command  had  been  extended  fmin  the  Meditcirancan  to 
embrace  the  Atlantic  coasts  of  Spain  and  Portugal. 

^  Such,  too,  was  Jervis's  opinion. — 'Life  of  St.  Vincent'  (Tucker),  i.  2-!0 ;, 
'  Nelson's  Disps.,'  ii.  2'.)4. 


179G.]  JERVIS   ABANDONS    THE   MEDITERRANEAN.  289 

It   has    the   greatest   moral   influence  upon  the  minds  of  the  Italians ;    assures  our 
comniimications ;  and  will  make  Naples  tremble  even  in  Sicily."' 

Sir   Gilbert    Elliot,    a   far-seeing    statesman,    must    have    been 
correspondingly  depressed. 

"  I  have  always  thought,"  he  wrote,  "  that  it  is  a  great  and  important  object  in  the 
contest  between  the  French  Republic  and  the  rest  of  Europe,  that  Italy,  in  whole  or  in 
part,  should  neither  be  annexed  to  Prance  as  dominion,  nor  affiliated  in  the  shape  of 
dependent  republics ;  and  I  have  considered  a  sujierior  British  fleet  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean as  au  essential  means  for  securing  Italy  and  Europe  from  such  a  misfortune." 

Just  previous  to  Sir  John  Jervis's  arrival  at  Gibraltar,  the 
Spanish  fleet,  accompanied  by  Eear-Admiral  Villeneuve,  with  one 
French  80,  four  French  74's,  and  three  French  frigates,  put  to  sea 
from  Toulon.  De  Langara,  with  his  twenty-fom-  sail  of  the  hne, 
and  twelve  or  thirteen  frigates,  put  into  Cartagena,  leaving  Ville- 
neuve to  prosecute  his  voyage  to  Brest  alone.  For  the  moment,  it 
looked  as  if  the  allies  were  destined  to  lose  a  great  part  of  the 
advantage  which  they  had  so  recently  gained,  thanks  to  the  with- 
drawal of  Eear-Admiral  Man ;  for  it  is  inconceivable  that  Ville- 
neuve can  have  supposed  that  Jervis  lay  ahead  of  him  when  the 
French  squadron  parted  from  the  Spanish  fleet ;  and  it  is  certain 
that,  owing  solely  to  accidental  circumstances,  ViUeneuve  was  not 
annihilated  as  he  traversed  the  Gut.  On  the  afternoon  of  De- 
cember 10th,  Villeneuve,  as  he  passed  the  Eock,  was  sighted  by 
some  of  the  British  ships  at  anchor  in  the  Bay,  and  he  would  have 
been  chased,  had  not  a  heavy  gale  from  the  E.S.E  prevented  the 
British  from  getting  out  in  time  to  have  any  chance  of  coming  up 
with  him.  Jervis,  who  imagined  that  the  enemy  was  bound  for  the 
West  Indies,  despatched  a  sloop,  on  the  11th,  with  warnings  to  the 
Commanders-in-Chief  at  Jamaica  and  Barbados. 

The  gale  of  December  10th,  which  was  so  favourable  to  Ville- 
neuve, was  fatal  to  the  British  74-gi"m  ship  Courageux,  temporarily 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  John  Burrows,  acting  for  Captain  Ben- 
jamin HaUoweU,  who  was  on  duty  ashore.  She  drove  from  her 
anchors,  brought  up  ahnost  imder  the  guns  of  a  Spanish  battery  on 
the  N.W.  side  of  the  Bay,  and,  when  she  weighed  again  and  stood 
towards  the  African  coast,  ran  on  some  rocks  below  Ape's  Hill, 
where,  in  a  few  minutes,  she  became  a  wreck.  Of  593  persons  who 
were  apparently  on  board  at  the  time,  only  129  escaped.  The 
Gibraltar,  80,  Captain  John  Pakenham  (1),  and  the  Culloden,  74, 

'  '  Napol.'s  C'orr.,'  ii.  76. 

VOL.    lY.  U 


290  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1796. 

Captain  Thomas  Troubridge,  also  drove  from  their  anchors,  and 
were  onlj-  saved  from  destruction  by  good  seamanship  and  strength 
of  huU. 

Jervis  entrusted  the  naval  command  at  Porto  Ferrajo  to  Com- 
modore Nelson,  who,  for  the  pui-pose,  transferred  his  broad  pennant 
from  the  Captain  to  the  Minerva}  With  the  remainder  of  the  fleet, 
the  Commander-in-Chief  sailed,  on  December  16th,  for  the  Tagus, 
where  he  hoped  to  be  speedily  joined  by  a  reinforcement  from  home. 
He  arrived  there  on  the  -Jlst.  During  these  movements  his  fleet 
was  fm-ther  i^nfortunate,  for  the  Zealous,  74,  greatly  injured  herself 
by  fouling  a  rock  ofl:'  Tangier,  and  the  Bombay  Castle,  74,  Captain 
Thomas  Sotheby,  while  endeavouring  to  avoid  a  collision  with  the 
storeship  Camel,  ran  on  a  sandbank  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tagus,  and 
could  not  be  got  off  again.  The  loss  of  the  Bombay  Castle  was, 
however,  in  some  measure  made  up  by  the  fact  that,  at  Lisbon,  the 
Commander-in-Chief  found  the  St.  Albans,  64,  flagship  of  Vice- 
Admiral  George  Vandeput.  He  had,  therefore,  still  fourteen  sail 
of  the  line,  though  he  had  presently  to  send  home  the  damaged 
Gibraltar  to  be  docked  at  Plymouth. 

Had  the  French  and  Spanish,  in  November  and  December,  1796, 
strained  every  effort  to  assume  the  offensive  with  their  thirty-eight 
sail  of  the  line,  they  could  scarcely  have  failed  to  change  the  whole 
course  of  European  history.  Jervis,  it  is  of  coiurse  possible,  might 
have  evaded  them ;  but  it  is  also  quite  possible  that  he  would  not 
have  refused  them  had  they  seriously  challenged  him,  and  it  is  still 
more  hkely  that  he  might  not  have  been  able  to  refuse  them."  The 
opportmiities  then  lost  did  not  recur  during  the  remainder  of  the 
war  of  the  French  Revolution.  After  following  the  movements  of 
de  Langara  and  his  Toulon  friends,  the  student  is  inclined  to  ask 
himself  whether  the  Spaniards  and  French  of  that  day  had  even  the 
vaguest  suspicion  of  the  simple  truth  that  the  first  objective  in  naval 
warfare  should  be  the  enemy's  fleet. 

Eear-Admiral  de  Bichery,  after  his  release  from  Cadiz,  made  for 
North  America,  and,  on  August  28th,  1796,  arrived  on  the  Banks  of 
Newfoundland.  The  British  Commander-in-Chief  on  the  station 
was  Vice-Admiral  Sir  James  Wallace,  Kt.,  who  had  under  his  orders 

'  For  the  further  proceedings  of  Nelson  iu  tlie  Mediterranean  in  1796,  see  next  Cli.i]). 

"  "The  Admiral  is  as  fiim  as  a  rock.  He  has  at  present  fourteen  sail  of  the 
line  against  thirty-sis,  or  perhaps  forty.  If  Man  joins  him,  tlicy  will  certainly  attack, 
and  they  are  all  confident  of  victory." — '  Lile  of  Minto,'  ii.  358. 


1796.]  DE  RICHERY   IN  NORTH  AMERICA.  291 

ouly  the  Bomney,  50,  and  three  or  four  frigates ;  and,  of  his  whole 
force,  only  the  Venus,  32,  Captain  Thomas  Graves  (3),  happened  to 
be  at  St.  John's.  Graves,  and  most  of  his  crew,  went  ashore  to 
assist  in  manning  the  batteries ;  and  de  Eicherj',  looking  into 
the  port,  hked  the  appearance  of  the  defences  so  little  that  he 
bore  away  to  the  southward.  On  September  4th,  he  entered  the 
Bay  of  Bulls,  where  he  plundered  or  destroyed  the  huts,  boats  and 
stages,  of  the  fishermen.  On  the  5th,  he  detached  Commodore 
Zacharie  Jacques  Theodore  Allemand,  with  the  Duquesne,  Censeur, 
and  Frljwnnc,  to  the  Bay  of  Castles,  in  Labrador,  and,  with  the  rest 
of  his  squadron,  proceeded  to  St.  Pierre  and  Miquelon,  where  he  did 
the  same  kind  of  damage  as  in  the  Bay  of  BuUs.  Allemand,  delayed 
by  adverse  winds  and  fogs,  did  not  make  the  Bay  of  Castles  till 
September  '22nd,  and,  ere  that  time,  most  of  the  fishing  vessels 
had  left  for  Eiu-ope.  He  demanded  the  sm-render  of  the  settle- 
ment, which  was  refused  ;  but,  as  his  ships  approached,  the  people 
themselves  burnt  their  fishing-stages.  Both  the  French  divisions 
went  home  independently,  de  Kicher}'  reaching  Eochefort  on 
November  5th,  and  Allemand  entering  Lorient  on  November  15th. 
This  expedition  destroyed  about  one  hundred  fishing  and  merchant 
vessels,  and  took  a  great  many  prisoners,  most  of  whom  were, 
however,  sent  in  a  cartel  to  Halifax. 

Vice-Admiral  Sir  John  Laforey,  Bart.,  who  had  succeeded  Vice- 
Admiral  Benjamin  Caldwell,  in  June,  1795,  as  Commander-in-Chief 
on  the  Leeward  Islands'  station,  detached  the  Malabar,  54,  Captain 
Thomas  Parr,  with  one  64,  and  a  few  frigates  ^  and  transports,  and 
some  troops  under  Major-General  John  Whyte,  on  April  15th,  1796. 
On  April  23rd,  this  expedition  quietly  took  possession  of  the  Dutch 
settlements  of  Demerara  and  Essequibo,  and,  on  May  2nd,  of 
Berbice.  At  Demerara,  the  Thetis,  24,  Zeemeeuw,  12,^  and  several 
richly  laden  merchantmen  were  made  prizes  of. 

Eear-Admiral  Hugh  Cloberry  Christian,  who  was  made  a  K.B.  on 
February  20th,  1796,  had  left  England,  on  December  9th,  1795,  for 
the  West  Indies,^  ^vith  two  ships  of  the  hne,  five  other  men-of-war, 

'  Scipio,  64,  Caiitain  Francis  Laforey;  Undaunted,  40,  Captain  Henry  Roberts; 
Pique,  40,  Captain  David  Milne ;  and  Bahet,  Captain  William  Granville  Lobb. 

'^  The  Thetis  was  afterwards  snnk  at  Demerara,  and  the  Zeemeeuiv  was  lost. 

'  Vice-Admiral  the  Hon.  William  Cornwallis,  with  his  flag  in  the  Royal  Sovereign, 
sailed  with  reinforcements  for  the  West  Indies  on  February  29th,  1796,  but,  his  flag- 
ship being  disabled  in  a  gale,  he  put  back  to  Spithead  on  March  14th.  Cornwallis  was 
at  the  time  in  ill-health.    He  was  tried  by  court-martial  on  April  17th,  and  following 

u  2 


292 


MJJOB    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1796. 


and  a  large  fleet  of  transports,  but  had  been  driven  back  by  bad 
weather  in  January.  He  did  not  finally  leave  Spithead  til  I 
March  20th,  1796,  reaching  Carlisle  Bay,  Barbados,  on  April  21st. 
On  the  following  day  Laforey  and  Christian  proceeded  with  their 
whole  force  to  Marin  Bay,  Martinique,  where  they  anchored  on  the 
23rd ;  and,  on  the  24th,  Laforey  resigned  his  command  to  Christian, 
and  retm-ned  to  England  in  the  Majestic,  74. 

Christian's  first  object  was  the  reinforcement  of  St.  Lucia.     On 


RE.\B-.\DMIE.^L    SIR    HUGH   CLOBEBRY    CHRISTIAN,    K.li. 
[From  an  cngravlno  ill  B.  R.  Cook,  after  the  portratt  by  J.  Narthcote,  M-A.) 

April  26th,  with  a  squadron,  in  which  was  a  large  body  of  troops 
under  Lieutenant-Geueral  Sir  Balph  Abercromby,  he  made  for  that 
island,  off  which  he  arrived  on  the  following  morning.     A  lauding 

days,  for  having  returned  in  defiance  of  oi-ders,  for  having  omitted  to  sliift  his  flag 
-vvlien  the  Royal  Sovereign  was  disabled,  and  for  having  disobeyed  an  Admiralty  order 
to  hoist  his  flag  in  the  Astnva  and  proceed.  lie  was,  however,  acquitted.  Soon 
afterwards  he  struck  his  llaj  at  his  own  request,  and  did  nut  again  hoist  it  until 
February,  1801. 


1796.]        ST.   LUCIA,    ST.    VTXCEXT  AXD    GRENADA    TAKEN.  293 

was  at  once  effected  in  Longueville  Baj-,  under  the  guns  of  the 
Ganges,  74,  Captain  Kobert  M'Douall,  and  the  Pelican,  18, 
Commander  John  Clarke  Searle.  On  the  28th  another  landing  was 
made  in  Choc  Bay,  and,  on  the  29th,  a  third,  in  Anse  La  Eaye. 
Eight  hundred  seamen,  under  Captain  Eichard  Lane,  of  the 
Astrcea,  32,  and  Commander  George  Frederick  Kyves  (1),  of  the 
Bulldog,  bomb,  were  then  set  ashore  to  co-operate  in  the  projected 
mihtary  operations.  Morne  Chabot  was  carried  on  April  28th  ;  but, 
on  May  3rd,  an  attack  on  some  batteries,  and,  on  May  17th,  an 
assault  on  Vigie,  were  repulsed  with  heavy  loss.  The  French, 
however,  finally  retired  to  Morne  Fortunee ;  and,  on  May  24th,  the 
whole  island  capitulated,  2000  men  surrendering.  From  St.  Lucia 
the  expedition  went  to  St.  Vincent,  which  capitulated,  after  an 
obstinate  resistance,  on  June  11th,  and  to  Grenada,  which  sur- 
rendered a  few  days  later.  In  June,  Christian  was  relieved  in  the 
command  of  the  Leeward  Islands'  station  by  Eear-Admiral  Henry 
Harvey,  and  returned  to  England  in  the  Beaulieu. 

On  the  Jamaica  station,  where  Eear-Admiral  William  Parker  (1) 
commanded,  the  Navy  co-operated  in  an  attack,  made  by  the  troops 
under  Major-General  Forbes  from  Port  au  Prince,  San  Domingo,  upon 
Leogane,  in  the  same  island.  The  forces  were  landed  on  March  21st, 
under  the  fire  of  the  Ceres,  32,  Captain  James  Newman  Newman, 
Lark,  16,  Commander  William  Ogilvy,  Iphigenia,  32,  Captain 
Francis  Farriugton  Gardner,  Cormorant,  18,  Commander  Francis 
ColHngwood,  and  Sirene,  16,  Commander  Daniel  Guerin ;  and  the 
town  and  works  were  simultaneously  cannonaded  by  the  Leviathan, 
74,  Captain  John  Thomas  Duckworth,  Africa,  64,  Cai)tain  Eoddam 
Home,  and  Swiftsure,  74,  Captain  Eobert  Parker.  But  the  place 
proved  stronger  than  had  been  anticipated,  and,  the  Leviathan  and 
Africa  having  been  considerably  damaged  aloft  by  the  guns  on 
shore,  the  attempt  was  abandoned.  It  is  noteworthy  that  in  spite 
of  the  large  British  force  on  the  station  and  of  the  midoubted 
activity  and  vigilance  of  the  British  officers,  in  spite  too  of  the  close 
watch  kept  upon  the  French  Atlantic  ports,  the  enemy,  early  in  the 
year,  was  able  to  send  from  Eochefort  and  Brest  large  reinforce- 
ments to  Cape  Fran§ois.  Still  more  remarkable  is  it  that  the  two 
squadrons,  one  under  Commodore  Henri  Alexandre  Thevenard,  and 
the  other  under  Captain  Guilleaume  Thomas,  which  convoyed  these 
reinforcements,  both  returned  in  safetj'  to  France. 

In   the   East    Indies    the   operations   against    the   Dutch   were 


294 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802. 


[1796. 


continued.  On  February  5th  an  expedition,  composed  of  the 
Heroine,  32,  Captain  Alan  Hyde  Gardner,  BatUcsnahe,  16,  Com- 
mander Edward  Eamage,  and  Echo,  16,  Commander  Andrew  Todd, 
with  five  Indiamen  and  troops  under  Colonel  Stuart,  an-ived  off 
Negombo,  near  Colombo,  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  occupy  the  port  and  disembark  the  forces.  The  troops 
inarched  to  Colombo,  before  which  the  squadron  had  in  the  mean- 
time stationed  itself  ;  and  on  February  15th  that  valuable  possession 
surrendered . 

On  Februaiy  16th,  Kear-Admiral  Peter  Rainier,  Commander-in- 
Chief  in  the  East  Indies,  arrived,  with  the  force   set  forth  in   the 


SIGN'ATLTRE    OF    CAPT.   EDWARD    PAKENHAM,    R.N.,    WHO   PERISHED    IX 

H.M.s.  'resistance,'  1798. 

note,'  off  Amboyna,  in  the  Moluccas,  and  took  possession  of  the 
island  and  its  dependencies  without  resistance.  On  March  5th 
the  Eear-Admiral  weighed  and  made  for  the  Banda  Islands  ;  and  on 
the  8th  he  disembarked  a  force  on  Banda  Neira,  imder  cover  of  the 
Orpheus  and  an  Indiaman.  Though  some  resistance  was  met  with, 
it  was  speedily  overcome,  and  the  islands  were  surrendered  on  the 
same  evening.  At  each  of  these  places  large  stores  of  valuable  spices 
and  considerable  amounts  of  public  money  were  taken.  A  Captain's 
share  of  the  prize  money  for  Amboyna  and  Banda  is  said  to  have 
been  £15,000. 

It  has  been  already  mentioned  that  in  February,  179G,  a  small 
Dutch  squadron  escaped  from  the  Texel  and  subsequently  was  seen 
by  the  Glaiton,  and  other  British  ships,  in   the  North    Sea.     The 


1  Ships. 

Gun?. 

Suffolk.      .      .      . 

74 

Centurion  . 

50 

Resistance  , 

44 

Orpheus 

32 

Swift    .... 

16 

Amboyna,^  brig     . 

10 

Comniandei-s. 


"Rear-Admiral  Peter  Rainier  (B). 


r 


Com. 


Samuel  Osborn. 
Edward  rakenham. 
Henry  Newcome. 
Jiihn  Sprat  Eainier. 


Lieut.  William  Hugh  Bobbie  (1). 


1  Ex  I/arlitif/en,  taken  frnm  the  riitch,  .ind  aiUled  to  the  squadron  at  Amboyna. 


1796.] 


CAPITULATION   OF  LUCAS'S   SQUADRON. 


295 


object  of  this  squadron,  the  constitution  of  which  will  be  found 
below/  was  the  recaptiu-e  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  force 
was  in  fact  entirely  inadequate  for  the  purpose ;  but  James  considers 
that  the  Dutch  had  been  misled,  either  as  to  the  strength  of  the 
British  squadron  at  the  Cape,  or  as  to  the  probability  of  French 
co-operation  being  offered  to  them. 

On  August  3rd,  when  Vice-Admiral  Sir  George  Keith  Elphinstone, 
with  his  squadron,^  was  lying  in  Simon's  Bay,  it  was  reported  in 
Cape  Town  that  this  Dutch  squadi-on  had  arrived  off  Saldanha  Bay, 
fifty  or  sixty  miles  to  the  northward.  Owing  to  the  weather  and 
other  causes,  Elphinstone  could  not  put  to  sea  until  August  6th, 
and  then,  learning  that  some  suspicious  sail  had  been  seen  off  False 
Bay,  he  steered  to  the  south  and  west.  The  weather  became  worse, 
and,  several  of  the  ships  being  damaged,  he  had  to  return  to  Simon's 
Bay  on  August  l'2th,  and  there  received  the  intelligence  that  nine 
sail  of  vessels  had  been  in  Saldanha  Bay  since  the  6th.  He  could 
not  sail  again  until  the  loth ;  and,  on  the  evening  of  the  16th,  when 
off  the  port,  he  sent  in  the  Crescent,  which  saw  the  Dutch  squadron 
at  anchor.  The  British  ships  then  formed  in  line,  and  anchored 
within  gunshot  of  the  Dutch,  who  were  invited  to  surrender  quietly 
to  the  vastly  superior  force  of  which  they  were  in  presence.  On 
the  17th  a  capitulation  was  agreed  to.  No  reflection  attaches  to 
Rear- Admiral  Lucas  for  having  thus  given  up  his  squadron,  seeing 

'  British  axd  Dutch  Squadrons  at  the  Cai-k  of  Good  Horn,  August,  179G. 


Bbitish. 

Ddtcii. 

Ships.               Guns.             Commanders. 

Ships.               Guns.             Commanders. 

(Vice-Admiral     G.      K. 
Uonnrrh                         -i     J     Elphinstone.  K.B.  (B). 
Jfi.naic/1      ...        .1       capt.  John  Elphinstone 

I     (1). 

iRear-Admiral  Thomas 
Tremendous      .     .  \    H     {    Pringle  (R). 

(Capt.  John  A.vlmer  (1). 
Amfrrica       .     .     .  ;     64           „    John  Blaukctt. 

«""!' '     «M     "     "Suntpe^^"^" 

StaUhj    ....        64           „     Billy  Douglas.         ' 
Sceptre    ....        64            ..     William  Esfington. 

TriO^nt.     ...        ..     {     "    ""Kn.     °""'^ 

Jupiter  ....        50           „    George  Losack. 

Crescent.     ...        36           „    Edward  Bullor. 

Sphinx    ....        24        Com.  Andrew  Todd. 

MvscUe    ....        16            „     Charles  Brisbane. 

Battlesnake      .     .        16           „    Edward  Ramage. 

£cho 16            „     Jobn  Turnor. 

„ ,,      (Lieut.  John  Alexander 

^""^ 'M    (I). 

Dordrecht    . 

Uevolutic  >   . 

If.  H.  Tiomp 

Castor  2 .     . 

Braved  .     . 

Sirene*  .     . 

Bellona^     . 

Havik     .     . 
Yrouw  Maria 

g,      (Rear-Admiral      Engel- 
I     bertus  Lucas. 
1    64       Capt.  Jan  Rijubende. 

p.,      /Com.  Jan     Valkenbnrg 

^*     I             (actg.-). 

44     ,  Capt.  Jacob  Claris. 
!     ...      (Com.  Jacob   Zoetemans 

"     (             (actg.). 

26     1      „    C.  He  Uerf  (actg.) 

,.      (■    „    G.  A.    De    Faick 

-*     (             (actg.). 

13        Lieut.  Pieter  Besemer. 

16            „    lleruiaims  Barbier. 

1  Ex  Prins  Frederik;  Ten&med  Prince  Frederick. 

2  Later  Saldanha,  38. 

5  Later  Vindictive. 


3  Ex  Princes  Fi:  Louisa  Wilkelmina. 
*  Later  Laurel. 


296  MA  JOB    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1796. 

that  it  mounted  little  more  than  half  as  many  guns,  and  that  it  had 
on  board  less  than  half  as  many  men,  as  the  British  squadron.  In 
October,  Elphinstone  relinquished  his  command  to  Bear-Admiral 
Thomas  Pringle,  who  had  previously  been  his  second,  and  returned 
to  England  in  the  Monarch.  The  only  other  transaction  on  the 
station  during  the  year  that  calls  for  notice  here  was  the  captirre 
and  destruction,  on  December  2nd,  of  the  French  settlement  at 
Foul  Point,  Madagascar,  by  the  Crescent,  36,  Captain  John  William 
Spranger,  Brave,  36,  Captain  Andrew  Todd,  and  Sphinx,  24,  Com- 
mander Francis  Holmes  Cottin  ;  which  also  captured  five  merchant- 
men there. 

By  the  middle  of  1796,  the  young  French  Kepublic  had  rid  itself 
of  its  gi-avest  internal  difficulties.  The  disaffection  in  the  south  had 
been  quelled,  and  the  royalists  of  La  Vendee  had  been  subdued. 
Nor  did  France  any  longer  stand  alone.  She  had  with  her  the 
resources  of  Holland,  and  she  was  about  to  command  the  active 
co-operation  of  Spain.  It  seemed,  therefore,  to  those  who  had  the 
direction  of  her  naval  and  military  forces,  that  the  moment  had 
arrived  for  her  to  concentrate  her  energies  in  the  dealing  of  as 
serious  a  blow  as  possible  at  Great  Britain,  her  most  formidable 
enemy.  At  first  it  was  intended  to  attempt  upon  a  grand  scale 
an  invasion  of  England ;  but  it  was  soon  realised  that  to  do  this 
with  a  reasonable  prospect  of  success  would  necessitate  an 
expenditm'e  greater  than  could  be  incurred  with  convenience 
at  that  time.  Ireland,  however,  was  disaffected ;  and  it  was 
imagined  that  a  force  much  smaller  than  any  with  which  it 
could  be  hoped  to  make  a  direct  impression  upon  England  might, 
if  despatched  to  Ireland,  enable  the  rebels  there  to  gain  their 
object.  An  Ireland  freed  by  French  help  from  its  connection 
with  Great  Britain  could,  it  was  felt,  scarcely  fail  to  become  a 
useful  ally  of  the  Eepubhc,  and  a  grave  menace  to  the  United 
Kingdom.  The  French  government,  accordingly,  offered  to  send 
25,000  men  under  General  Hoche,  to  the  support  of  the  rebel- 
lion. The  Irish  delegates  in  Paris  considered  that  15,000  men 
would  be  sufficient ;  and,  when  France  had  made  some  progress 
with  her  preparations  for  the  despatch  of  that  number  of  troops, 
and  of  supplies  of  arms  and  ammunition  for  the  insurgents, 
Lord  Edward  Fitzgerald  and  Mr.  Arthur  O'Connor  met  General 
Hoche  at  Bale,  and  settled  with  him  the  details  of  the  coming 
campaign. 


1796.]  BOOBE'S   EXPEDITION   TO   IRELAND.  297 

The  broad  outlines  of  this  had  been  aheady  arranged  by  Hoche 
in  conjunction  with  Vice-Admiral  Truguef',  French  minister  of 
marine.  Vice-Admiral  ViUaret-Joyeuse,  with  fifteen  sail  of  the 
line  which  lay  at  Brest,  was  to  carry  to  Ireland  a  first  division  of 
the  invading  force.  In  the  meantime  seven  sail  of  the  hue  under 
Eear-Admiral  de  Eichery,  from  Lorieut,  and  five  sail  of  the  line  under 
Eear-Admiral  Villeueuve,  from  Toulon,  were  to  proceed  to  Brest, 
and,  taking  on  board  the  rest  of  the  expedition,  were  to  follow 
Villaret-Joyeuse,  who,  after  landing  his  part  of  the  army,  was  to 
detach  himself  with  his  eight  fastest  two-deckers,  and  make  the 
best  of  his  way  to  the  Indian  seas,  where  he  was  to  assist  Tippoo 
Sahib  and  the  Dutch,  and  to  act  with  energy  against  the  British 
possessions,  in  co-operation  with  Eear-Admiral  Sercey,  who  was 
already  on  the  station.  But  the  plan  was  presently  altered. 
Hoche,  behev-ing  that  Villaret-Joyeuse  attached  too  much  im- 
portance to  the  Indian,  and  too  little  to  the  Irish  part  of  the 
scheme,  induced  his  government  to  supersede  Villaret-Joyeuse 
in  favour  of  Vice-Admiral  Morard  de  Galles  as  commander-in- 
chief,  and  to  consent  to  the  whole  expedition  being  transported  at 
once,  instead  of  in  two  divisions.  This  change  in  the  plans 
involved  delay.  According  to  the  original  intention,  the  first 
division  should  have  left  Brest  at  about  the  end  of  October,  1796 ; 
but  de  Eichery,  while  on  his  way  from  Lorieut,  was  induced,  by  the 
proximity  of  a  British  squadron  under  Eear-Admiral  Sir  Eoger 
Curtis,  to  put  into  Eochefort  on  November  5th ;  and  he  did  not 
again  get  under  way  until  December  8th.  On  the  11th,  having 
evaded  the  squadi'on  which  lay  off  the  port  under  A'ice-Admiral  Sir 
John  Colpoys,  he  entered  Brest.  It  was  then  found  that  only  two 
of  his  ships  of  the  line  were  in  a  condition  to  go  to  sea  again 
immediately.  Moreover,  Villeneuve,  from  Toulon,  had  not  arrived.^ 
Nevertheless,  it  was  decided  to  wait  no  longer.  On  December  loth, 
part  of  the  fleet  weighed  and  anchored  outside  the  port ;  and,  by 
midday  on  the  IGth,  having  been  joined  by  the  remaining  vessels,  it 
began  to  make  sail  with  a  fair  easterly  wind.  The  naval  force 
which  thus  set  out  had  on  board  about  18,000  troops  of  all  arms, 
numerous  field-guns,  much  ammvmition,  and  stores  of  aU  sorts  in 
profusion ;  and  it  appears  to  have  been  unusually  well-equipped, 
though  it  was  provisioned  for  too  short  a  period.      Under  Hoche 

^  Ou  December  23rd,  Villeueuve  was  driven  by  Colpoys  to  take  refuge  in 
Lorient. 


298 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802 


[17%. 


■svere  Generals  Hiimbert  and  Grouch}',  besides  others  of  less  note. 
The  constitution  of  the  fleet  is  set  forth  in  the  note.^ 

M.  Morard  de  Galles  at  first  intended  to  make  an  ofiing  by  way 
of  the  Passage  du  Raz,  in  order  to  evade  the  observation  of  the 
British  Admiral  who  was  cruising  off  Ushant ;  but,  when  darkness 
came  on  and  the  wind  gi"ew  variable,  he  altered  his  design,  and 
signalled  from  the  frigate  Fraternite,  where  he  temporarily  flew  his 
flag,  for  the  fleet  to  proceed  through  the  Passage  d'Iroise,  which 
presents  a  wider  and  easier  channel.  As  the  signal  was  seen  by 
only  a  few  ships,  part  of  the  fleet  pursued  the  original,  and  part  the 

'  Fleet  of  J[.  Moivaud  de  G.\lles,  fob  the  Convoy  to  Ireland  of 
THE  Aemy  under  Genkral  Hoche,  17;i6-97. 


Ships. 


CummaDders. 


Kemarks. 


/Seduisant'  . 

PJufon   .      . 
Trajan   . 

Constitution 

Waitignies  . 


74     Capt.  Dulbssey. 

74         „     J.  M.  Lebrun. 
74     Commod.  .J.  Le  liny. 


f  Wrecked    on     night    of 
I     Deo.  lOth. 


i Proper  flagship  of  Rear- 
Adm.  JT  M.  Nielly. 


.74  „         L.  L'Heritier. 

74     Capt.  H.  A.  Thevenard. 

Kase,  Sceoola,^  44;  Frigates,   Impatiente^  44,  Rhohte,  40   (flag  of  Rear-Adm. 
Niclly),  SurveiUante,^  iilj,  Charenie,  36 ;  Brigs,  Affronteur,  16,  Vatitour,  16. 


'indomptable 

Fougueux 
Mucius  . 


U 


Redoutdbh 
Patriate. 

Revolution 


80 

74 

74 

74 
74 

74 


Commod.  .J.  Bedout. 


(Projjer  flagship  of  Vice- 
I     Adni.Morardde  Galles. 


B.  T.  Maistral. 
P.  U.  J.  Quer- 
augal. 
Capt.  Moncousu. 
„     La  Fargue. 
Commod.  P.  H.  M.  E.  Du- 
raanoir  Le  Pelley. 

Frigates,  Fraternite,  40  (flag  of  Yice-Adm.  Morard  de  Galles),  Bomaine,  40, 
Sirene,  36,  Tortue,^  40;  Powder  vessel,  Fidele,  40;  Brigs,  Afalante,^  20, 
Voltifjeur,  16. 


Nestor    .      .      .      . 
iCassard .      .      .      . 

I  Droits  de  V Homme ' 

Tour  villi: 
( Eole 

\Pegase    .      .      .      . 


74     C.  A.  L.  Durand-Linois. 
74     Capt.  Dufay. 

74     Commod.  J.  R.  La  Crosse. 

74  1  Capt.  J.  B.  Henrv. 
74  :  Capt.  .J.  P.  A.  Malin. 
- ,    jRear-Adiuiral  de  Richery. 
\Capt.  C.  Laronier. 


[Proper  fiagshijj  of  Rear 
I     Adm.  F.  J.  Bouvet. 


[Frigates,  Vocarde,  40,  Bravovre,  40,  Immortalite,  40  (flag  of  Rear-Adm.  BoUvet), 
Bellone,  40  ;  Brigs,  Mutine,'  14,  Rtnard,  16. 


Transports :  Nicodeme,  Justine,^  Fille  Unique,^  Ville  de  Lorient,^  Suffren,^ 
Allegre^  Experiment. 


I   lakeii  or  l..st  before  their  return  to  port. 


1796.] 


HOCHE'S  EXPEDITION   TO   IRELAND. 


299 


new  course ;  and  thus,  at  the  very  commencement  of  the  voyage, 
the  expedition  fell  into  confusion.  This  confusion  was  increased  by 
the  guns  which  were  fired  and  the  lights  which  were  sho-^ra  by  the 
Fraternite  to  call  attention  to  her  movements  ;  by  the  firing  of  more 
guns  by  the  Atalante,  which  was  detached  by  the  commander-in- 
chief  after  that  part  of  the  fleet  which  had  not  followed  him ;  by 
the  firing  of  still  more  guns  by  the  British  frigate  Indefatigable,  44, 


ADMIKAL    SIR   JOHN    C0LP0Y8,    K.B. 
(From  an  cnijraviinj  hij  R'uUiii.  after  the  picture  hij  Mather  Brmrii.) 


which  had  been  watching  the  port ;  and  by  the  signals  of  distress 
which  proceeded  from  the  Seduisant,  74.  In  her  efforts  to  make 
the  Passage  du  Eaz  she  had  struck  on  the  Grand  Stevenet,  where, 
ere  morning,  she  became  a  total  loss,  about  680  of  her  people 
perishing  with  her. 

The  Indefatigable  was  then  commanded  by  Captain  Sir  Edward 
Pellew,  who,  with  the  Bevolutionnaire,  38,  Captain  Francis  Cole, 
Amazon,  36,  Captain  Eobert  Carthew  Eeynolds,  Phoebe,  36,  Captain 


300  MAJOR   OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1796. 

Eobert  Barlow,  aud  hired  aiined  lugger,  Duke  of  York,  Mr. 
Benjamin  Sparrow,  had  been  stationed  to  get  early  information 
of  any  movement  at  Brest,  and  to  commimicate  it  to  Vice-Admiral 
Sir  John  Colpoys  at  a  rendezvous  about  twenty  miles  west  of 
Ushaut.  On  December  11th,  Pellew  had  sent  the  Amazon  to 
England  and  the  Phwbe  to  Colpoys  with  news  of  the  arrival  of 
de  Kichery  at  Brest,  and  on  the  15th  he  had  again  sent  the  Phccbe 
to  Colpoys^  to  report  that  the  French  fleet  was  coming  out.  In 
the  afternoon  of  the  16th  he  had  also  sent  the  RicoJutionnaire 
to  further  inform  the  Vice-Admiral  of  what  was  going  forward. 
Pellew  remained  to  watch  the  enemy,  which  he  even  allowed  to 
get  wnthin  gunshot  of  him  ere  he  made  off.  Early  on  the  17th,  he 
sent  the  Duke  of  York  to  Falmouth  with  dispatches  ;  and  soon 
afterwards,  having  lost  sight  of  the  French  in  the  night,  he 
followed  her.^ 

At  dawn  on  December  17th,  part  of  the  French  fleet  had  cleared 
the  Passage  du  Raz.  Eear- Admiral  Bouvet  was  the  senior  ofiicer 
with  this  part,  and,  seeing  nothing  of  the  rest  of  the  expedition,  he 
opened  his  instructions,  in  accordance  with  the  directions  which  he 
was  to  follow  in  case  of  separation,  and  learnt  from  them  that  he 
was  to  make  Mizen  Head,  in  county  Cork,  and  to  cruise  off  it  for 
five  days  to  await  orders.  He  steered  nearly  due  west  until  the 
morning  of  the  19th,  when  he  altered  coui-se  to  the  north.  Soon 
afterwards  he  fell  in  with  some  of  his  missing  consorts,  the  result 
being  that  by  noon  he  had  with  him  the  whole  of  the  expedition 
except  the  Nestor,  7-4,  Fraternite,  40,  Cocardc,  40,  Bomaine,  40,  three 
of  the  brigs,  and  two  of  the  transports.  The  command,  in  the 
absence  of  M.  Morard  de  Galles,  who  was  still  in  the  Fraternite, 
thus  devolved  upon  M.  Bouvet,  who,  on  the  morning  of  December 
21st,  sighted  Mizen  Head,  and,  soon  afterwards,  made  the  signal  to 
prepare  to  anchor  in  Bantry  Bay. 

'  The  Phoebe  on  tliis  occasion  did  not  reach  Colpoys  until  the  19th,  when  he,  with 
thirteen  sail,  was  in  latitude  48°  51'  N.,  and  longitude  5°  43'  W.,  whither  he  had 
cruised.  On  the  following  day  he  sighted,  and  sent  some  of  his  ships  in  chase  of, 
Villeneuve's  squadron,  which  was  on  its  way  from  Toulon,  aud  which  escaped  into 
Lorient.  Then,  liaving  suffered  in  a  gale,  he  had  to  bear  away  for  Spitheail.  Thus  he 
failed  to  sight  Bouvet. 

-  Pellew  reached  Falmouth  late  on  December  20th.  On  the  25th,  Bridport  weighed 
from  Spithead  to  go  in  chase  of  the  Brest  fleet,  but  he  was  delayetl  by  a  series  of 
accidents,  and  was  unable  to  leave  St.  Helen's  until  January  3rd,  1797.  Proceeding 
first  off  Ushant  and  then  off  Bantry,  he  saw  nothing  of  the  enemy  until,  on  the  10th, 
as  will  be  seen,  he  vainly  chased  the  Rcfoliition  and  Fraternite. 


TT96.]  BOVVET  IN  BANTBT  BAY.  301 

From  pilots  who,  mistaking  the  fleet  for  a  British  one,  went  out 
unsuspiciously  to  it,  and  were  detained,  the  French  learnt  that  no 
vessels  had  appeared  off  the  coast  during  the  previous  three  days ; 
and  that  the  only  force  lying  in  the  Cove  of  Cork  ^  consisted  of  six 
frigates.  There  was  a  fresh  wind  from  the  eastward ;  and,  as  the 
fleet  made  little  way  in  beating  up  against  it,  M.  Bouvet,  at  4  p.m. 
on  the  22nd,  anchored  the  Immortalite  to  windward  of  the  eastern 
end  of  Bere  Island,  another  frigate,  eight  ships  of  the  line,  four 
brigs,  and  one  transport  anchoring  near  her.  The  other  ships 
remained  under  way,  and,  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  were  not 
\'isible  from  the  anchorage.  During  the  following  twenty-four 
hour's  there  was  a  heavy  gale  from  the  eastward.  On  the  24th,  at 
the  instance  of  Grouchy,  who  was  the  senior  military  officer  present, 
preparations  were  made  to  land  troops,  either  at  "Waterfall  or  in 
the  mouth  of  the  little  river  Ardrigole,  higher  up  the  Bay.  To 
facilitate  the  landing,  the  ships  weighed  in  order  to  move  nearer 
in ;  but,  the  weather  again  becoming  dirty,  the  squadron  re- 
anchored.  On  the  25th,  the  weather  was  so  bad  that  such 
vessels  as  did  not  voluntarily  put  to  sea  drove  from  their 
anchors ;  ^  and,  for  the  next  three  days,  there  was  no  j)Ossibility 
of  again  entering  the  Bay.  When,  on  the  29th,  the  weather 
moderated  and  the  wind  became  fair,  Bouvet,  who  did  not  know 
what  had  become  of  his  consorts,  and  who  had  only  a  few  days' 
provisions  remaining  on  board  the  Immortalite,  headed  his  frigate 
for  Brest,  which  he  reached  on  January  1st,  1797.  On  the  same 
day  the  Indomptahle,  Mucins,  Fougueux,  Patriote,  and  Bedoutable 
also  entered  the  road. 

The  Nestor,  Fraternite,  Cocarde,  Romaine,  and  small  craft, 
which,  on  December  19th,  had  become  separated  from  the  rest  of 
the  French  fleet,  lost  sight  of  one  another  dming  the  20th.  On  the 
21st,  the  Fraternite,  still  bearing  the  flag  of  M.  Morard  de  Galles, 
was  chased  by  a  British  frigate  and  driven  far  to  the  westward  of 
her  destination ;  and  not  until  the  morning  of  the  29th  was  she  able 
to  stand  for  Bantry  Bay.  On  her  course  thither  she  fell  in  with  the 
Revolution,  which  was  occupied  in  taking  out  the  people  from  the 
Scevola,  the  latter  having  become  quite  imseaworthy  owing  to  the 
bad  weather  which  she  had  encountered.     No  French  ships  were 

'  Now  Queenstown  Harbour. 

2  On  this  occasion  tlie  Indomptdble,  80,  fouled  the  Besolue,  40,  and  carried  away 
all  her  masts. 


302  MA  JOE    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1797. 

found  off  Bere  Island ;  aud,  as  both  the  Revolution  aud  the 
Frafcrnite  were  now  overcrowded  and  getting  short  of  provisions, 
Morard  de  Galles  and  Hoche  decided  to  retui-n  to  France.  On  their 
way,  the  two  French  ships,  on  January  8th,  sighted,  and  tacked 
away  from,  the  British  frigates  Unicorn,  32,  Captain  Sir  Thomas 
WilHams,  and  Doris,  36,  Captain  the  Hon.  Charles  Jones,'  which 
were  themselves  at  the  same  time  being  chased  by  a  considerable 
part  of  the  returning  expeditionary  squadron,  and  which  might  have 
been  easily  taken,  if  the  French  commander-in-chief  had  only 
known  how  near  his  friends  were  to  him.  On  the  10th,  again, 
the  Bevolntion  and  Fraternite  were  chased  by  Lord  Bridport's 
fleet ;  -  but,  thanks  to  the  thick  weather,  they  got  away,  and, 
on  the  14:th,  entered  Eochefort. 

Some  of  the  ships  which  had  failed  to  make  Bantry  proceeded 
eventually  to  the  mouth  of  the  Shannon ;  but  they  attempted 
nothing  there ;  and,  after  a  short  stay,  headed  again  for  France. 
One  of  them  was  the  Droits  de  I'Homme,  74,  on  board  of  which  was 
General  Humbert.  After  quitting  the  Shannon,  off  which  she 
captured  a  rich  letter  of  marque,  and  looking  a  second  time  into 
Bantry  Bay,  she  left  the  coast  of  Ireland  on  January  9th,  and  made 
for  Brest.  On  the  13th  the  weather  was  thick,  and,  although 
Captain  La  Crosse  believed  himself  to  be  near  his  destination,  he 
stood  to  the  southward  under  easy  sail  with  the  wind  on  his  star- 
board beam.  Early  in  the  afternoon  he  imagined  himself  to  be 
chased  by  two  vessels,  and,  in  his  endeavours  to  escape  from  them,* 
he  ran  up  against  two  more,  which  were  sighted  at  3.30  p.m.,  and 
which  turned  out  to  be  the  Indefatigable,  44,  Captain  Sir  Edward 
Pellew,  and  the  Amazon,  36,  Captain  Kobert  Carthew  Reynolds. 
These  frigates  were  still  engaged  in  watching  Brest,  and  were  then 
in  latitude  47°  30'  N.,  Ushant  bearing  N.E.  50  leagues.  When  they 
first  saw  the  French  74,  she  bore  N.W.  from  them.  At  4.15  p.m. 
the  Droits  de  I'Homme  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  carry  away  in  a 
squall  her  main  topsail  braces  and,  soon  afterwards,  her  fore  and 
main  topmasts ;  but  long  before  5.30  p.m.,  when  the  Indefatigable, 
then  seven  miles  ahead  of  her  consort,  got  within  hail,  the  French- 
man had  cleared  away  the  wreck.     A  hot  action  then  began,  the 

'  These  frigates  belonged  to  a  squadron  stationed  off  the  coast  of  Ireland  under 
Vice-Admiral  Robert  Kingsmill.  The  Hon.  C.  Jones  was  afterwards  Viscount  Eane- 
lagh.     He  died,  still  a  Captain,  m  December,  1800. 

2  The  Channel  Fleet. 

'  They  seem,  after  all,  to  have  been  French  ships. 


1797.]  TEE  "AMAZON"   AND   "DROITS   DE  L HOMME."  303 

natural  superioritj-  of  the  two-decker  being  to  some  extent 
neutralised  bj'  her  crippled  condition,  and  by  her  inability  to 
keep  open  her  lower  ports  when  she  was  rolling  in  a  heavy 
sea  with  but  little  sail  to  steady  her.  At  about  6.4.5  p.m.  the 
Amazon  came  up,  and  pom-ed  a  broadside  into  the  Frenchman's 
quarter;  but  Captain  La  Crosse  handled  his  ship  so  as  to  avoid 
being  raked,  and  so  as  to  bring  both  of  his  opponents  on  one  side  of 
him,  and  at  7.30  p.m.  he  was  temporarily  reheved  by  both  the 
British  ships  shooting  ahead,  the  Amazon,  on  accoimt  of  the 
quantity  of  sail  which  she  carried,  and  the  Indefatigable,  to  repair 
damages  aloft.  The  Droits  de  rHomine  utihsed  the  respite  as  best 
she  could,  and  continued  running  to  the  east-south-east.  At  8.30 
the  action  was  renewed,  the  frigates  stationing  themselves  one  on 
each  bow  of  the  74,  and  yawing  to  rake  her,  and  she,  from  time  to 
time,  also  yawing  to  rake  them,  though  without  much  effect.  At 
10.30  P.M.,  she  was  obliged  to  cut  away  her  mizen ;  whereupon  the 
frigates  took  up  positions  on  her  quarters.  With  a  brief  inter- 
mission, the  fight  continued  until  about  4.20  a.m.  on  January  14th, 
when  land  was  suddenly  sighted  close  ahead.  The  Indefatigable 
promptly  hauled  off,  and  made  sail  to  the  southward.  The  Amazon 
wore  to  the  northward ;  but,  being  unable,  owing  to  her  crippled 
state,  to  work  off,  she  ran  agroimd  in  about  half  an  hom-  and 
became  a  wreck.  Except  six  men,  all  her  people  saved  themselves, 
though  they  were,  of  course,  made  prisoners.^ 

In  this  action  the  Indefatigable  had  all  her  masts  wounded; 
and,  at  its  conclusion,  she  had  four  feet  of  water  in  her  hold ;  but 
she  had  only  Lieutenant  John  Thompson  ^  and  18  men  wounded, 
and  nobody  killed.  The  Atalante  suffered  almost  as  severely  aloft 
and  in  hull,  and  had  3  men  killed  and  15  badly  wounded. 

As  for  the  gallant  Droits  de  VHomme,  which,  in  the  engagement, 
had  lost  no  fewer  than  103  killed  and  about  150  wounded,  she  also 
altered  coui'se,  hoping  to  avoid  the  danger,  but  immediately  after- 
wards lost  her  foremast  and  bowsprit.  In  vain  did  she  try  to  bring 
up.  In  a  few  minutes  she  struck  on  a  sandbank  in  the  Bay  of 
Audierne.  As  she  pounded  there  her  mainmast  went  by  the  board. 
Dming  the  whole  of  the  following  day  and  night,  and  also  on  the 

■  Captain  Eeynolds  and  his  officers  were  "  most  honourably  and  fully  acquitted," 
with  the  court's  highest  approbation.     C.ll.,  September  29th,  1797. 

^  First  Lieutenant.  He  was  promoted  to  be  Commander,  but  died  in  that  rank 
in  1804.  The  first  Lieutenant  of  the  Amazon,  Bendall  Robert  Littlehales,  who  was  also 
promoted,  died  a  Tice-Adniiral  in  1847. 


304  MA  JOB    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1707. 

15th  and  16tb  of  January,  she  lay,  her  people  being  washed  out 
of  her  by  the  heavy  sea,  or  being  drowned  in  their  endeavours  to 
make  the  shore.  Few  managed  to  reach  it.  On  the  17th,  when 
the  weather  had  cl(!ared,  the  Arrogante,  brig,  and  Aiguille,  cutter, 
reached  the  spot ;  and  on  that  day  and  the  following  the  survivors 
were  taken  off  from  the  wreck.  The  disaster  is  supposed  to  have 
cost  the  loss  of  upwards  of  1000  lives.'  This  was  the  most 
terrible  episode  of  an  adventui'e  which,  from  beginning  to  end, 
was  singularly  unfortunate.^ 

Lord  Bridport,  though  on  the  look-out  for  the  returning 
remnants  of  the  Brest  fleet,  failed  to  intercept  any  part  of  it ;  and, 
on  Januaiy  19th,  having  satisfied  himself  that  nothing  of  im- 
portance remained  for  him  to  intercept,  he  detached  five  ships  of 
the  line  and  a  frigate'  to  Gibraltar  under  Eear- Admiral  William 
Parker  (1)  to  reinforce  Sir  John  Jervis.  For  a  few  days  longer  he 
cruised  with  the  rest  of  his  fleet  off  Ushant,  and  then  went, 
by  way  of  Torbaj',  to  Spithead,  where  he  dropped  anchor  on 
February  3rd.  He  sailed  again  on  March  3rd  for  a  cruise  off 
Brest,  and  retm-ned  to  his  anchorage  on  the  80th.  On  April  6th, 
it  being  held  that  it  would  be  suflicieut  merely  to  watch  the  enemy, 
Eear-Admiral  Sir  Eoger  Cmiis,  with  nine  sail  of  the  hne,  sailed  to 
take  up  a  position  off  the  enemy's  port.  Up  to  about  that  time 
Lord  Bridport  had  been  only  the  locum  tenens  for  Iiord  Howe  in 
chief  command  of  the  Channel  Fleet ;  but  Howe's  continued  ill- 
health  then  obliged  him  to  resign.  It  was  on  April  1.5th,  when 
Bridport  signalled  to  prepare  for  sea  with  a  view  to  making  his 
first   cruise  as  real   Commander-in-Chief,    that   the   great    mutiny, 

'  'Nav.  Chron.,' vii.  465;  Marshall,  ' Nav.  Biog.,' ii.,  undef  "Littlehales";  'Vict, 
et  Conquetes,'  vii.  296. 

^  Those  of  the  exjieditionary  ship-s  which  never  returned  to  port  are  to  be  thus 
accounted  for:  Scduiscmt,  74,  wrecked,  December  16th,  1796,  going  out  of  Brest; 
Droits  de  Vllomme,  74,  wrecked,  January  13th,  1797,  while  in  action  off  the  Pen- 
marcks  ;  Scevola,  44,  foundered,  December  30th,  ofl'  Ireland  ;  Impatiente,  44,  wrecked, 
December  30th,  near  Crookhaven ;  SurveiUanU,  36,  wrecked  in  January  in  Bantry 
Bay;  Tortile,  40,  taken,  January  5th,  off  Ireland,  by  the  Polyphemus,  64;  Atalaiite 
20,  taken,  January  10th,  by  the  Phile,  36;  Mutine,  14,  taken  May  29th,  at  Santa 
■Cruz  ;  Justine,  taken,  December  30th,  by  the  Polyphemus,  64 ;  Fille  Unique,  foundered 
January  6th,  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay  ;  Ville  de  Lorient,  taken,  January  7th,  by  the 
Unicorn,'  32 ;  Suffren,  taken  by  the  Jason ;  retaken  by  the  Tortiie ;  again  taken  by 
the  D.rdalus,  32,  and  sunk ;  AUei/re,  taken  January  12th,  by  the  Sjntjire,  16. 

'  Prince  Oeorge,  Namiir,  Orion,  Irresistible,  Colossus,  and  Thalia.  These  were 
given  a  rendezvous  with  Admiral  Sir  John  Jervis  off  Cape  St.  Vincent,  where,  as  will 
be  seen,  they  joined  him  on  February  6th. 


1797.]  SAILING    OF  DON  JOSE   DE   CORDOVA.  305 

some  account  of  which  is  given  in  the  previous  chapter,  broke 
out  at  Spithead.  That  regrettable  event  had  the  effect  of  post- 
poning the  weighing  of  the  fleet  until  May  16th,  and,  even  then, 
it  was  not  able  to  make  an  offing  until  the  17th.  Thenceforward, 
during  the  rest  of  the  summer,  Bridport  remained  almost  con- 
tinuously cruising  in  the  Channel,  while  frigate  squadrons  under 
8ir  Edward  Pellew  and  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren  more  closely 
observed  the  enemy's  harbours ;  but,  chiefly  owing  to  political 
convulsions  in  Paris,  the  French  did  not  venture  out,  and  a 
meditated  second  attempt  upon  Ireland  had  to  be,  for  that  year, 
abandoned.  Elsewhere  the  foes  of  Great  Britain  were  much  more 
active. 

Admiral  Sir  John  Jervis,  with  the  fleet  which  had  temporarily 
abandoned  the  Mediterranean  in  the  previous  year,  remained  in 
the  Tagus  until  January  18th,  1797,  when,  with  eleven  sail  of  the 
line,  he  left  Lisbon  in  order  to  escort  to  a  safe  latitude  a  Brazil 
convoy,  and  to  make  rendezvous  off  Cape  St.  Vincent  with  the 
reinforcement  which  Eear-Admiral  Wilham  Parker  (1)  was  bringing 
out  from  the  Channel.  In  attempting  to  leave  the  riVBr  the  St. 
George,  98,  Captain  Shuldham  Peard,  after  colliding  with  a  Portu- 
guese frigate,  grounded  on  the  Cachopo  Shoal,  and  suffered  so 
much  damage  that  she  had  to  return  for  repairs.  The  Admiral's 
force  was  thus  reduced  to  ten  ships  of  the  line ;  but,  after  he  had 
seen  his  convoy  on  its  way  and  was  making  for  St.  Vincent,  he 
fell  in,  on  February  6th,  with  the  reinforcements  which  had  been 
detached  from  the  Channel  Fleet.  This  brought  up  his  immediately 
available  strength  to  fifteen  ships  of  the  line,  besides  frigates.  In 
addition  the  St.  George,  98,  and  Zealous,  74,  were  repairing  at 
Lisbon,  and  the  Gibraltar,  80,  at  Plymouth. 

In  the  meantime  the  grand  fleet  of  Spain,  under  Admiral  Don 
Jose  de  Cordova,  who  had  superseded  Admiral  de  Langara,  lay 
at  Cartagena.  It  consisted  of  27  sail  of  the  hue,  12  frigates,  a  brig- 
corvette,  and  some  smaller  craft.  According  to  the  plans  of  the 
allies  this  fleet  was  eventually  to  make  its  way  to  Brest,  and  there 
to  join  the  French  and  Dutch  fleets  in  order  to  clear  the  way  for 
an  invasion  of  England.  But  it  was  not  to  attempt  to  make  the 
voyage  to  Brest  directly.  It  was  to  halt  on  its  way  at  Cadiz  for 
refreshment  and  supplies. 

Sir  John  Jervis,  upon  whom  devolved  the  task  of  preventing 
Don   Jose   de   Cordova   from   joining   hands   with   M.   Morard  de 

VOL.    IV.  X 


306 


MA  JOB   OPEHATIOyS,  1793-1802. 


[1797. 


Galles,  had  with  him  a  numerically  inferior  force.  MoreoTer  he 
did  not  know  that  the  Spaniards  intended  to  put  into  Cadiz.  And, 
seeing  that  he  expected  his  enemy  off  Cape  St.  Vincent,  which  is 
far  to  the  westward  of  Cadiz,  he  could  have  neither  fought  nor 
sighted  Don  Jose  when  he  did,  had  the  Spanish  admiral  been  able 
to  carry  out  his  design.  But  for  an  accidental  circumstance  Don 
Jose  wotdd  have  got  safely  into  Cadiz ;  and,  instead  of  the  glories 


ADHIBAL   WILLIAM,   LORD   BADSTOCK,   G.C.B. 
(From  an  ensrarino  by  Ridley,  after  the  portrait  by  J.  Northeote,  £_i.) 


of  St.  Vincent,  the  British  fleet  would  probably  have  tasted  the 
monotonous  weariness  of  a  long  period  of  blockading  duty.  That 
accidental  circumstance  was  the  continuance,  for  a  comparatively 
long  period,  of  strong  easterly  and  south-easterly  winds  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Strait. 

After  his  reinforcement  had  joined  him  Jervis  worked  slowly 
up  against  these  winds  for  his  station  off  Cape  St.  Vincent.  Don 
Jose  de  Cordova  had  already  left  Cartagena  on  February  1st.     On 


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1797.]  BATTLE   OF   CAPE   ST.    VINCENT.  307 

the  5th,  as  he  passed  Gibraltar,  he  sent  into  Algeciras  a  number 
of  gunboats  and  transports,  escorted  by  the  Neptiuio,  80,  Bahama,  74, 
Terrible,  74,  and  Nuestra  Senora  del  Guadalupe,  34.  One  of  the 
two-deckers  rejoined  the  fleet  at  once.  The  other  two  *  ships  of 
the  Hue  did  not  leave  port  until  the  10th,  and,  on  the  11th,  sighted 
and  chased  the  Mineroe,  38,  Commodore  Horatio  Nelson,  Captain 
George  Cockbm-n,  which  was  returning  from  Porto  Ferrajo  with 
Sir  Gilbert  Elliot,  late  Viceroy  of  Corsica,  Lieut. -Colonel  Drink- 
water,  and  other  officials  on  board.  The  Minerve  escaped  without 
much  difficulty,  and,  early  on  the  13th,  joined  Jervis,  to  whom  she 
brought  the  first  news  ^  of  the  Spaniards  being  at  sea. 

Ere  that  time  Don  Jose  de  Cordova  would  have  been  in  Cadiz, 
had  not  the  easterlj'  gale  driven  him  much  to  westward  of  his  port, 
and  into  the  neighbom-hood  of  the  British  fleet.  Not  until  the 
night  of  the  13th  did  the  vpind  change  to  west-by-south.  The 
Spaniards  ^  then  began  to  crowd  in  towards  the  land  without  much 
regard  to  order.  Their  signal  guns  had  been  already  heard  by 
the  British ;  and  at  2.30  A.M.  on  the  14th  Jervis  learnt  from  a 
Portuguese  frigate  that  the  enemy  was  but  about  five  leagues  from 
him,  to  windward. 

The  early  morning  of  the  14th  of  February,  1797,  was  misty 
and  dark.  The  British  fleet  was  then  standing  in  two  columns  on 
the  starboard  tack,  with  the  wind  west  by  south,  Cape  St.  Vincent 
bearing  east  by  north,  distant  twenty-five  miles.  At  about  6.30  a.m. 
the  Culloden  signalled  five  sail  in  the  south-west  by  south ;  and 
a  little  later  the  news  was  confirmed  by  the  Niger  and  Lively, 
which  were  able  to  add  that  the  strangers  were  by  the  wind  on 
the  starboard  tack.  Thereupon  the  Bonne  Gitoyenne  was  directed 
to  reconnoitre ;  and  at  8.15  A.M.  the  Admiral  ordered  his  fleet  to 
form  in  close  order.  He  had  already,  over  night,  ordered  it  to 
prepare  for  action.  He  now  repeated  that  signal,  and,  at  9.30, 
detached  ahead  the  Culloden,  Blenheim,  and  Prince  George,  rein- 
forced twenty  minutes  later  by  the  Irresistible,  Colossus,  and  Orion, 
to  chase  to  the  south-west.  Still,  neither  side  knew  the  numerical 
strength  of  its  foe.     The  Spaniards,  unintentionally  misled  by  an 

'  They  did  not  rejoin  the  flag  iintil  the  afternoon  of  the  14th,  during  the  action. 

2  The  Niger,  32,  Captain  Edward  James  Poote,  had  kept  company  with  and 
ohserved  the  Spaniards  for  several  days,  but  did  not  join  the  fleet  until  5  a.m.  on 
the  14th. 

'  They  had  previously  sighted  some  of  the  British  ships,  but,  mistaking  them  for 
merchantmen,  paid  little  attention  to  them. 

X  2 


308  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1797. 

American  skipper  who  had  sighted  the  British  on  the  4th,  believed 
that  Jervis  had  but  nine  sail  of  the  line  with  him.  The  British 
at  9  A.M.  coiild  count  but  twenty  sail  of  the  line.  Not  until  about 
11  A.M.  did  the  Spaniards  realise  that  fifteen  sail  of  the  line  were 
opposed  to  them,  nor  did  Jervis  know  that  he  had  to  deal  with 
twenty-six.^  Up  to  that  time  the  two  parallel  British  lines  had 
been  heading  for  a  gap  which  separated  the  Spanish  fleet  into  two 
divisions,  one,  the  larger,  of  twenty-one  ships,  being  to  windward, 


^ 

.. — ^= — —  - — --^ — ■ 

11 

\  ^ 

<p 

l\        ■S»./f\ 

/\..           y'-^ 

1      ^         '  ''  -'--v^ 

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*'       ^            ^  * 

<=  "-'  ^    ^ 

^  ^ 

Bat-tue  of  Cape:  S'^  Vincent. 

/^'-'^  rEe""  /7pr 

r.  o.    1  . 

/JaouT    //  3S   A  M. 

^ 

L 

^/i/7-/SM        ^^      3^/t/^/Sf^          CO 

^ 

running  (with  the  exception  of  two,  which  were  far  to  the  south- 
west) in  a  mass  under  all  sail  with  the  wind  on  the  starboard 
quarter,  and  the  other,  the  smaller,  of  six  ships,  being  to  leeward, 
close-hauled  on  the  port  tack,  and  endeavouring  to  join  the  larger 
ere  Jervis  could  cut  in  between  the  two. 

At  a  few  minutes  before  11  a.m.  some  of  the  headmost  ships  of 

'  The  logs  of  the  Victory  and  Bonne  Citoyenne,  as  well  as  Jervis'e  dispatch,  as 
publislied  in  the  '  Gazette,'  put  the  number  at  only  twenty-five,  but  the  two  line-of- 
battle  ships  which  had  put  into  Algeciras,  and  «-hich  had  not  already  rejoined,  joined 
during  the  battle. 


1797.] 


BATTLE   OF  CAPE  ST.    VINCENT. 


309 


the  Spanish  weather  division  began  to  wear  and  trim  on  the  port 
tack,  as  if  with  the  intention  of  ultimately  forming  line  and  passing 
along  the  British  weather  column,  so  exposing  that  colmnn,  con- 
sisting of  eight  ships  only,  to  the  fire  of  twenty  or  twenty-one 
vessels,  and,  at  the  same  time,  preventing  the  British  lee  column 
from  using  its  guns  for  fear  of  injuring  its  friends.  Jervis's 
reply  was,  at  11  A.M.,  to  order  his  own  ships  to  form  in  single 
column  ahead  and  astern  of  the  Victory,  as  most  convenient,  and 
to  steer  S.S.W.,  or  close-hatded  on  the  starboard  tack,  a  course 
which  kept  the  Spanish  lee  division  upon  the  British  lee  or  port 
bow.  When  this  signal  had  been  obeyed  the  order  of  the  column 
was  as  given  in  the  note  below.'  A  little  later  Jervis  made  the 
signal  to  pass  through  the  enemy's  hne ;  and,  at  about  the  same 
time,  five  of  the  six  ships  of   the  Spanish  lee  division,  perceiving 

'  Fleet  of  Admikal  Sir  John  Jervis  in  the  Battle  off  Cape  St.  Vincent, 
February  14th,  1797,  witli  the  Names  of  the  Captains  and  First  Lieutenants, 
and  the  numbers  Killed  and  seriously  Wounded  in  each  ship. 


Ships. 


Culloden  .     . 
Blenlteim  . 

Prince  George 


OrUtn  . 
Colossus    . 
IrresisUhle 


Victor)/ 

Egmunt 
Goliath 

BarJUur 


Britannia     .... 

Namur 

Captain    

Diadem 

Excellent 

Minerve  ...  38 
Southampton  .  32 
Lively  ...  32 
Niffer  ...  32 
Bonne  Citoyenne  20 
Raven,  brig.  .  18 
JPox,  cutter  .     .  10 


V4 
98 


n 

1-1 

74 


7-4 
74 


100 
90 
74 


Commandei'd. 


Capt.  Thomas  Troubridge  .... 

,,     Thomas  Leiiox  Frederick    . 
fRear-Adm.  William  Parker  (1)  (R.)  ) 
ICapt.  John  Irwin J 

,,    Sir  James  Samnarez  .... 

,,    George  Jlurray  (3)    .... 

,,    George  Martin 

(Admiral  Sir  John  Jervis,  K.B.  (B.)  .) 
.^Capt.  (1st)  Robert  Calder  .  .  .  .S 
I    „    (2nd)  George  Grey  (1)  .     .     .) 

,,    John  Sutton 

„    .Sir  Charles  Henry  Knowles,  Bart. 
(Vice-Adm.    Hon.    AVilliam    W'alde-] 

grave  (B.) 

,Capt.  James  Richard  Dacres  (1) 
(Vice-Adm.  Charles  Thompson  (B.)  .\ 
ICapt.  Thomas  Foley  (3)     .     .     .     ./ 

,,    James  Hawkins  Whitshed  .     . 

fCommod.  Horatio  Nelson    .     .     .     •  \ 

ICapt.  Ralph  Willett  II Uler     .     .     ./ 

„    George  Henry  Towry     ,     .     . 

,.    (^thbert  Ci'llingwood     .     . 

„     George  Cockbum 

,,    James  Macnamara  (2)   . 

„     Lord  Garlies 

,,     Edward  James  Foote 
Com.  Charles  Lindsay 

„    William  Prowse  (1)  .     .     .     . 
Lieut.  John  Gibson 


dde-l' 


First  Lieuienants.i 


47 
49 


8 
7 

1 
5 
56 

2 
12 


Auselm  John  Griffitlis. 
Robert  Campbell  (1). 

Robert  Williams  (1). 

James  Barker. 
Richard  Prater. 
William  Bevians. 

William  .Sclby. 

George  Burdett. 
William  Collis. 

John  Bligh  (2). 

Valentine  CoUard. 

I  James  Nash. 
fEdward  Berry  (Com.) 
I    actg. 

/Henry  Edward  Reginald 
I     Baker. 
John  .Mortimer. 


1  l>romoted  to  be  Commanders,  chiefly  on  .March  8th.  1797.    Commander  Berry  was  posted  ou  March  6tb. 


Spanish  Ships  of  the  Lise  Pkesext  in  the  Action  :  130  guns,  Santisima  Trinidad  ;  112  gims,  Concepciiin, 
Conile  de  Megla,  Mexicano,  Principe  de  Asturias,  Satoador  del  ilundo  (taken),  San  Josef  (taken);  80  guns, 
yeptuiw,  San  .Yicolus  (taken);  74  guns,  Jtlaiite,  Haluimo,  Conquistador,  Pirme,  Glorioso,  Oriente,  Pelayo.  San 
Antonio,  San  Domimjo,  San  Pirmin,  San  Francisco  de  Paula,  San  Genaro,  San  Ildefonso,  San  Juan 
Neponiuceno,  San  Pablo,  San  Tsidro  (taken),  Soberano,  Terrible. 


310  MAJOR    OPERATIOi^S,   1793-1802.  [ITiiT. 

that  the  British  were  for  the  moment  neglecting  them,  and  that 
they  could  not  in  any  case  cross  Jervis's  bows,  hauled  up  on  the 
starboard  tack  as  if  in  indecision,  but  finally  settled  upon  a  north- 
east course.  The  sixth  ship,  a  74,  made  off  at  once  and  alone 
under  a  crowd  of  sail  to  the  south-east,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight ; 
but  the  five  were  almost  simultaneously  reinforced  by  two  three- 
deckers  and  one  two-decker,^  which,  standing  across  the  head  of 
the  British  column,    joined  them.     These   evolutions  reduced   the 


"--co""-  -cP 

0     i 


a  <=^  <=  a 

CD 

CD       «=  <= 

C3        CD      a 


Battue,    of  Capf.   S"^  Vimcent 

/4  ■""  r^a  "■'  /79P 
Fic.  II 


•      ^* 


Spanish  weather  division  to  eighteen  sail  of  the  line,  inclusive  of 
the  two  vessels  which  were  about  to  rejoin  from  Algeciras.  At 
11.31  A.M.,  when  the  CuUodcn  was  abreast  of  the  leading  ships  of 
the  enemy's  weather  division,  she  opened  fire  upon  them  by  signal, 
and  was  replied  to,  though  the  range  was  distant.  The  ships  in 
her  wake  followed  her  example  as  they  approached  within  gunshot ; 
and  at  12.8  p.m.,  just  as  Troubridge  had  passed  the  last  ship  of  the 
Spanish  weather  division,  he  was  signalled  to  tack.  The  Blenheim 
did  the  same  a  little  later,  and  then  the  Prince  George,  which  was 

'  Probably  Conde  de  Begla,  112,  Principe  de  Asiurias,  112,  and  Oriente,  74. 


1'797.]  NELSON'S   QUICK  DECISION.  311 

a  good  deal  out  of  station  to  leeward.  At  about  that  time  the 
Spanish  lee  division  put  about  on  the  port  tack  as  if  with  the  in- 
tention of  cutting  the  Bi-itish  column  at  the  point  at  which  the 
vessels  composing  it  were  tacking  in  succession.  The  Orion  got 
round  ;  the  Colossus,  her  next  astern,  was  in  the  act  of  going  about, 
when  her  foreyard  and  fore-topsail  yard  were  shot  away  in  the 
slings,  and  her  fore-topmast  went  a  little  above  the  cap.  She  had, 
in  consequence,  to  wear  instead  of  tack ;  and  while  her  head  still 
pointed  to  leeward,  the  headmost  Spaniard  of  the  lee  division 
drew  so  near  as  to  thi-eaten  her  with  a  raking  broadside.  Seeing 
Murray's  danger  and  exposed  position,  Saumarez  most  gallantly 
backed  his  main  topsail,  and  lay  by  to  cover  his  friend ;  but  the 
danger  passed.  Jervis  signalled  to  his  van  to  alter  course  one 
point  to  starboard,  and  to  pass  through  the  enemy.  As  he  got  up 
to  the  tacking  point  the  Irresistible,  his  next  ahead,  became  hotty 
engaged  with  the  Spanish  lee  division.  When  she  had  tacked 
after  the  van  the  advancing  Spaniards  made  an  effort  to  break  the 
Une  ahead  of  the  Victory ;  but  the  British  flagship  was  too  quick 
for  the  enemy,  and  the  leading  Spaniard,  a  three-decker,  had  to 
tack  close  under  the  Victory's  lee,  receiving  a  raking  broadside  as 
she  did  so,  and  then  bearing  up  in  confusion.  Her  seven  consorts, 
with  more  or  less  determination,  tried  to  pass  ahead  or  astern  of 
the  Egmont  and  Goliath,  but  were  driven  off,  and,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Oriente,  obliged  to  bear  up.  The  Oriente  continued 
on  the  port  tack,  and,  passing  to  leeward  of  the  British  rear  under 
cover  of  the  smoke,  succeeded  in  joining  the  Spanish  weather 
division. 

It  was  about  1  p.m.  when  the  Excellent,  the  rearmost  ship  of 
the  British  line,  had  advanced  so  far  ahead  on  her  course  on  the 
starboard  tack  as  to  leave,  as  James  puts  it,  an  open  sea  to  leeward 
of  the  Spanish  weather  division,  and  when  the  leading  ships  of 
the  latter  bore  up  together  by  way  of  making  an  effort  to  join 
their  friends  to  leeward.  This  was  the  critical  moment  of  the 
action,  which,  up  to  that  time,  had  been  of  a  very  partial 
character,  and  which,  had  the  Spaniards  been  allowed  unchecked 
to  accomplish  their  pm-pose,  would,  no  doubt,  either  have  ended 
indecisively  almost  at  once,  or  have  become  a  long  and  tedious 
running  fight,  the  quicker  Spaniards  crowding  sail  for  Cadiz,  and 
the  better-handled  British  hanging  upon  their  rear  and  doing  such 
damage  as  they  might.     Nelson,  in  the  Captain,  quickly  perceived 


312  MA  JOB   OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1797. 

this,  and  realised  that  the  head  of  the  douhled  up  British  cokimn, 
pursuing  the  main  body  of  the  Spaniards,  was  too  far  astern  of  it 
to  be  able  to  interfere  unaided  with  success.  Giving,  therefore,  a 
very  wide  interpretation  to  a  signal '  which  had  been  hoisted  by 
the  Victory  at  0.51  p.m.,  the  Commodore  ordered  Captain  Miller  to 
wear  the  Ccq^tain.  As  soon  as  the  two-decker  was  round,  he  took 
her  between  the  Diadem  and  the  Excellent,  and  ran  her  athwart 
the  bows  of  the  Spanish  ships  forming  the  central  mass   of  the 


r 

— — 111 

... 

^■tmX 

;^.«    . 

,--<='                                                i 

- /        / 

^  ^  ^                Battue,   of    Cape  S^  Vimcemt 

F.G    III. 
^                              ^aouT   /J    PM 

L 

^11 

weather  division.  This  mass  included  the  Santisima  Trinidad,  130, 
San  Josef,  112,  Salvador  del  Mxindo,  112,  San  Nicolas,  80,  San 
Ysidro,  74,  and  another  three-decker  which  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  Mexicano,  112.  At  about  1.30  p.m.,  when  the  Culloden, 
which  had  gradually  overhauled  the  Spanish  rear,  had  for  ten 
minutes  sustained  a  renewed,  but  as  yet  not  very  close,  engagement 
with  this  same  group  of  ships,  the  Captain  opened  fire  upon  her 
gigantic  opponents.     Yet  ere  that  Jervis,  at  1.19  p.m.,  had  signalled 

'  "  To  take  suitable  stations  for  mutual  support,  and  engage  tlie  enemy,  as  coming 
up  in  succession." 


1797.]   BOARDINO    THE  "SAN  NICOLAS"    AND   "SAN  JOSEF."    313 

to  his  rearmost  ship,  the  Excellent,  to  come  to  the  wind  on  the 
larhoard  tack,  and,  in  comphance,  Colhngwood  had  hauled  sharp 
up,  so  that,  by  2.15  p.m.,  he  had  reached  a  station  ahead  of  the 
leading  or  weather  portion  of  the  British  line.  The  Blenheim  and 
Prince  George  being  then  well  up  behind  the  Culloden,  and  there 
being  thus  five  British  ships  in  a  position  to  bar  the  way,  the 
Spanish   plan   was  effectively  frustrated.     Indeed,  the   enemy   had 


SIR    JAMES   HAWKKS    WHITSHED,    B.4IiT.,   G.C.B.,    ADMIfiAL    OF   THE    FLEET. 

(From  a  lUhonnuJi  hij  H  B.  Cnuk,  dftcr  the  portrait  Ml  J-  Northcotc,  painted  v>hen  Sir  James  was 

Ecar-AdmiraU  1799-1804.) 

already  relinquished  the  design  of  running  to  leeward  of  the  British, 

and  had  hauled  upon  the  starboard  tack. 

"At  about  2  P.M.,"  says  James,  "the  OuUoden  had  stretched  so  far  ahead  as  to 
cover  the  Captain  from  the  heavy  fire  poured  upon  her  by  the  Spanish  four-decker 
and  her  companions,  as  they  hauled  up  and  brought  their  broadsides  to  bear.  Of  the 
respite  thus  aflbrded  to  her,  the  Captain  took  immediate  advantage,  replenishing  her 
lockers  with  shot,  and  splicing  and  repairing  her  running  rigging.  Shortly  afterwards 
the  Blenheim,  passing  also  to  windward  of  the  Captain,  aflbrded  her  a  second  respite, 
which  was  taken  advantage  of  as  before.     The  two  more  immediate  opponents  of  the 


314  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [I7t>7. 

Captain  and  CuUoden  had  been  the  San  I'sidro  and  Salvador  del  Mundo :  these,  having 
already  lost  some  of  their  topmasts,  and  being  otherwise  in  a  crippled  state,  the 
Blenheim,  by  a  few  of  her  heavy  broadsides,  sent  staggering  astern,  to  bo  cannonaded 
afresh  by  the  Prince  Oeorye,  Orion,  and  other  advancing  ships  ....  At  2.26  p.m.  the 
Excellent,  having  been  directed  by  signal  to  bear  up,  edged  away,  and  at  2.35,  arriving 
abreast  of  the  disabled  Spanish  three-decker,  Salmdov  ilcl  Mundo,  engaged  the  latter 
upon  her  weather  bow  for  a  few  minutes ;  then  passing  on  to  the  nest  Spanish  ship  in 
succession,  the  San  Ysidro,  whose  three  topmasts  had  already  been  shot  away.  This 
ship  Captain  CoUingwood  engaged  closely  on  the  lee  beam  until  2.53  p.m.  ;  when,  after 
a  gallant  defence  in  her  crippled  state  from  the  fire  of  her  former  opponent,  the  San 
Ysidro  hauled  down  the  Spanish,  and  hoisted  the  English  flag '  . . . .  Ver}'  soon  after  the 
Excellent  had  quitted  the  Salvador  del  Mundo  for  the  San  Ysidro,  the  Irresistible  and 
Diadem  commenced  an  attack  upon  the  former,  the  74  stationing  herself  upon  the 
weather  bow,  and  the  C-t  upon  the  lee  quarter,  of  the  Spanish  three-decker,  then,  with 
her  fore  and  main  topmasts  gone,  and  otherwise  much  disabled  ....  Observing  the 
Victory  about  to  pass  under  her  stern,  and  that  the  Barjltur  was  following  close,  the 
Salvador  del  Mundo,  whose  mizen  topmast  had  since  shared  the  fate  of  the  fore  and 
main,  very  judiciously  hauled  down  her  flag  as  soon  as  some  of  the  Victory's  bow  guns  ^ 
began  to  hear  upon  her  ....  At  about  3.15  p.m.  the  Excellent ....  came  to  close  action 
with  the  80-gun  ship  San  Nicolas,  then  with  her  fore  topmast  gone,  and  who,  until  the 
Excellent  arrived  abreast  of  her  to  leeward,  had  been  in  hot  action  with  the  Captain. 
Passhig  within  ten  feet  of  the  San  Nicolas's  starboard  side,  the  Excellent  poured  in  a 
destructive  fire,  and,  in  compliance  with  the  signal  then  flying,  to  fill  and  stand  cin,  made 
sail  ahead.  In  luffing  up  to  avoid  Captain  Collingwood's  salute,  the  San  Nicalas  ran 
fold  of  the  San  Josef,  whose  mizen  mast  had  already  been  shot  away,  and  who  had 
received  considerable  other  damage  ....  As  soon  as  the  Excellent  was  sufficiently 
advanced  to  be  clear  of  her,  the  Captain  luffed  up  as  close  to  the  wind  as  her  shattered 
condition  would  admit ;  when  her  fore  topmast,  which  had  already  been  ssverely  shot 
through,  fell  over  the  side.  In  this  vmmanageable  state,  with  her  wheel  shot  away,  and 
all  her  sails,  shrouds,  and  running  rigging  more  or  less  cut ;  with  the  Blenheim  ahead, 
and  the  Culhden  crippled  astern,  no  alternative  remained  but  to  board  the  Spanish 
two-decker.  As  a  well-judged  preparative,  the  Captain  reopened,  within  less  than 
twenty  yards,  her  larboard  broadside,  the  heavy  fire  from  which  the  San  Nicolas 
returned  with  spirit  for  several  minutes,  when  the  Captain  suddenly  p\it  her  helm 
a-starboard,  and,  on  coming  to,  hooked  with  her  larboard  cat-head  the  starboard 
quarter-gallery  of  the  San  Nicolas,  and,  with  her  spritsail  yard,  the  latter's  main' 
rigging."  * 

The  account  of  the  extraordinary  feat  which  followed  may  be 
given  in  Nelson's  own  words.  He  called  for  the  hoarders,  and 
ordered  them  to  board  the  San  Nicolas,  on  the  port  side  of  which 
lay  the  San  Josef,  still  foul  of  her  consort. 

"  The  soldiers  of  the  69th,"  wrote  Nelson  in  a  paper  ^  which  was  published  some  time 
afterwards,  "  with  an  alacrity  which  mil  ever  do  them  credit,  and  Lieutenant  Pearson 


'  "But  Captain  CoUingwood,  disdaining  the  parade  of  taking  possession  of  a 
vanquished  enemy,  most  gallantly  pushed  up,  with  every  sail  set,  to  save  his  old  friend 
and  messmate,  who  was  to  appearance  in  a  critical  state."  Nelson :  '  A  Few  Remarks 
relative  to  Myself,'  etc. 

'•'  It  is  doubtful  whether  she  fired  any  of  them  at  the  three-decker. 

'  Nelson  says  "  the  mizen  rigging  " ;  and  such  it  obviously  was. 

*  James  (ed.  1837),  ii.  38-40. 

0  '  Nav.  Chron.,'  ii.  500. 


1797.] 


NELSON'S  ACCOUNT  OF  HIS  EXPLOIT. 


315 


of  the  same  regiment,  were  almost  the  foremost  on  this  service : — the  first  man  who 
jumped  into  the  enemy's  mizen  chains  was  Captain  Berry,  late  my  first  lieutenant 
(Captain  Miller  was  in  the  very  act  of  going  also,  but  I  directed  him  to  remain) ;  he 
was  supported  from  our  sprit-sail  yard,  which  hooked  in  the  mizen  rigging.  A  soldier 
of  the  69th  regiment  having  broken  the  upper  quarter-gallery  window,  I  jumped  in 
myself,  and  was  followed  by  others  as  fast  as  possible.  I  found  the  cabin  doors 
fastened,  and  some  Spanish  officers  fired  their  pistols :  but  having  broke  open  the  doors, 
the  soldiers  fired,  and  the  Spanish  Brigadier  (Commodore  with  a  distinguishing 
pendant)  fell,  as  retreating  to  the  quarter-deck.     I  pushed  immediately  onwards  for  the 


1.  ^•-*'^ 


r 


REAR-ADMIRAL    SIB   THOMAS   TRODBRIDGE,    BART. 
(From  a  draining  by  W.  Evans,  after  a  picture  by  Sir  Wm.  Beechcij,  It.A.) 


quarter-deck,  where  I  found  Captaui  Berry  in  possession  of  the  poop,  and  the  Spanish 
ensign  hauling  do\ni.  I  passed  with  my  people,  and  Lieutenant  Pearson,  on  the 
larboard  gangway,  to  the  forecastle,  where  I  met  two  or  three  Spanish  officers,  prisoners 
to  my  seamen : — they  delivered  me  their  swords.  A  fire  of  pistols,  or  muskets,  oiiening 
from  the  admiral's  stern-gallery  of  the  San  Josef,  I  directed  the  soldiers  to  fire  into  her 
stem ;  and  calling  to  Captain  Miller,  ordered  him  to  send  more  men  into  the  San  Nicolas ; 
and  directed  my  people  to  board  the  first-rate,  which  was  done  in  an  instant.  Captain 
Berry  assisting  me  into  the  main  chains.  At  this  moment  a  Spanish  officer  looked 
over  the  quarter-deck  rail,  and  said  they  surrendered.  From  this  most  welcome 
intelligence,  it   was  not   long   before  I  was  on  the  quarter-deck,  where  the  Spanish 


31t)  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [171)7. 

captniu,  witii  a  bow,  presented  me  his  sword,  and  said  the  admiral  was  dying  of  his 
wounds.  I  asked  him  on  his  honour,  if  the  ship  was  surrendered.  He  declared  she  was : 
on  which  I  gave  him  my  hand,  and  desired  him  to  call  on  his  officers  and  ship's 
company,  and  tell  them  of  it :  which  he  did : — and  on  the  quarter-deck  of  a  Spanish' 
first-rate,  extravagant  as  the  story  may  seem,  did  I  receive  tlie  swords  of  vanquished 
Spaniards :  which,  as  I  received,  I  gave  to  William  Fearney,  one  of  my  bargemen,  who 
put  them,  witli  the  greatest  sang-froid,  mider  his  arm." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Nelson  beheved  that  the  surrender  of  the 
San  Josef  was  brought  about  chiefly  if  not  entirely  by  the  fact  that 
he  boarded  her  from  the  San  Nicolas ;  but  it  is  practically  certain 
that  the  immediate  cause  of  the  surrender,  both  of  the  San  Nicolas 
and  of  the  San  Josef,  was  the  heavy  fire  to  which,  at  the  time,  they 
were  being  treated  by  the  Prince  George,  and  which  was  not,  indeed, 
suspended  until  the  Captain  hailed  Parker's  flagship  to  say  that  the 
Spaniards  had  struck.  Yet,  even  if  such  be  the  truth,  it  detracts 
nothing  from  Nelson's  dash  and  gallantry.  He  boarded,  supposing 
on  each  occasion  that  he  was  boarding  a  still  unbeaten  foe. 

After  having  left  the  San  Nicolas,  the  Excellent  added  her  fire  to 
that  which,  by  that  time,  the  Blenheim,  Orion,  and  Irresistible  were 
pouring  into  the  Santisima  Trinidad.  The  four-decker  is  said  not 
only  to  have  struck,  but  to  have  actually  hoisted  British  colours : 
yet,  be  this  as  it  may,  she  became  no  prize,  for,  relieved  by  two  of 
her  van  ships,  which  wore  to  her  support,  by  the  two  vessels  which 
all  daj-  had  been  coming  up  from  the  west-south-west,  and  by  the 
approaching  junction  of  the  Spanish  lee  division,  she  at  length  got 
clear  of  her  foes.  At  3.52  p.m.,  perceiving  how  many  fresh  ships 
were  coming  up,  Jervis  signalled  to  his  fleet  to  prepare  to  bring  to, 
in  order  to  be  ready  to  cover  the  four  prizes  and  the  disabled  vessels. 
At  4.15  P.M.  the  frigates  were  directed  to  take  the  prizes  in  tow ; 
and  at  4.39  the  fleet  was  ordered  to  form  close  line  ahead  in  wake  of 
the  Victory.  The  action  had  then  practically  ceased,  although  as 
late  as  4.50  the  Britannia  and  Orion  exchanged  some  shot  with  the 
ships  which  were  covering  the  Santisima  Trinidad.^ 

The  numbers  killed  and  wounded  in  each  of  the  British  ships 
have  already  been  given  in  a  note.  It  should  be  explained  that 
the  numbers  returned  as  wounded  included  only  the  very  severely 
injured,  and  that,  though  the  practice  of  omitting  them  was  not 
usual  in  the  service,  the  less  seriously  hurt  were  not  counted.  With 
these   latter,  the  total  of  the  wounded  probably  amounted  to  400 

'  Nelson,  at  5  p.m.,  shifted  his  broad  pennant  from  the  disabled  Captain  to 
the  Irresistibk. 


1797.]  BATTLE    OF   CAFE   ST.     VINCENT.  317 

officers  and  men.  The  only  officers  killed  were  Major  of  Marines 
William  Norris  {Captain),  Lieut,  of  Marines  George  A.  Livingstone 
(CuUoden),  Midshipman  James  Goodench  {Captain),  and  Boatswain 
Peter  Peffers  {ExceUen  t) .  The  officers  wounded  were  :  Commodore 
Nelson  (bruised  only),  Lieutenants  Andi-ew  Thompson  {Irresistible) 
and  Edward  Libby  {Blenheim) ;  Master's  Mates  Hugh  M'Kinnon 
{Irresistible),  Edward  Augustus  Down  {Excellent),  and  Joseph 
Wixon  {Blenheim,  mortally) ;  Midshipmen  Thomas  Mansel  {Orion), 
William  Balfom-  {Irresistible),  and  Thomas  Lund  {Captain) ;  and 
Boatswains  James  Peacock  {Blenheim),  and  Carrington  {Cap- 
tain). The  Captain  w&s  the  only  British  ship  that  lost  any  mast ; 
but  the  Colossus,  CuUoden,  Egmont,  and  Blenheiin  all  had  masts  and 
spars  badly  wounded,  and  were  severely  cut  up.  Only  about  ten  of 
the  Spanish  vessels,  exclusive  of  the  prizes,  appear  to  have  been 
seriously  handled,  the  greatest  sufferer  being  the  Santisima 
Trinidad,  which,  moreover,  lost  upwards  of  200  people  killed  and 
wounded.  All  the  prizes  lost  masts ;  and  the  casualties  on  board 
them  were :  Salvador  del  Mundo,  42  killed,  124  wounded ;  San 
Ysidro,  29  killed,  63  wounded ;  San  Josef,  46  killed,  96  wounded ; 
and  San  Nicolas,  144  killed,  59  wounded. 

It  was  a  great  victory,  but  not,  in  the  circumstances,  a  surprising 
one.  True,  twenty-seven  Spanish  ships  were  opposed  to  the  British 
fifteen,  and  the  numerical  advantage  of  the  Spaniards  was  even 
greater  in  guns  and  men  than  it  was  in  ships.  But,  while  Jervis 
commanded  a  highly  disciphned  and  splendidly  trained  force,  Don 
Jose  de  Cordova  had  under  his  orders  little  better  than  a  raw  and 
presently  a  panic-stricken  mob  of  men.  Some  of  his  ships,  with 
complements  ranging  from  530  to  950  people,  had  on  board  but 
60  or  80  seamen  apiece,  aU  the  rest  being  soldiers  and  fresh 
landsmen.  The  poor  wretches  fought  courageously  enough,  but, 
natiu'ally,  many  of  them  lost  their  heads ;  and  no  better  testimony 
of  the  general  disorganisation  can  be  cited  than  the  fact  that,  after 
the  San  Josef  had  been  taken  possession  of,  it  was  foimd  that  some 
of  the  guns  on  the  side  on  which  she  had  been  most  hotly  engaged 
had  still  their  tompions  in  them.  The  inexperience  of  the  crews 
was  in  no  wise  compensated  for  by  any  skill  on  the  part  of  the 
officers.  From  first  to  last  the  Spanish  fleet  was  so  much  in 
confusion  that  half  the  ships  composing  it  could  not  use  their  gans 
without  inflicting  more  damage  on  their  friends  than  on  their  foes. 
The  officers  were  as  brave  as  gentlemen  of  their  nationahtv  com- 


318 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1797. 


monly  are ;  but,  from  highest  to  lowest,  they  were  excelled  by 
Jervis's  officers  in  knowledge,  seamanship,  coolness,  and  prescience. 
Jervis  himself,  in  boldly  attacking  what  seemed  to  be  so  alarmingly 
superior  a  force ;  Troubridge,  in  leading  with  an  undaunted  front ; 
and  Nelson  and  Collingwood,  in  resom'cefully  doing  the  right  thing 
at  the  right  moment,  all  contributed  equally  to  the  general  result ; 
yet  so  weak  were  the  Spaniards  that  they  must  have  given  way 
before  almost  any  opponents  bold  enough  to  be  blind  to  mere 
numerical  superiority  and  to  lay  on  with  dash,  skill,  and  decision. 
Indeed,  the  deed  was  done  when  it  was  shown  that  the  Spaniards 
were  not  feared. 

Why  then  was  the  victory  not  more  complete?     Why  were  only 


COMMEMOKATIVE    MEDAL   OF   THE    BATTLE   OF   CAPE    ST.    VIKCENT,    1797. 
(From  an  original  lent  hij  B.S.H.  Captiiin  Prince  Louis  of  Batkiiherg,  II.N.) 


four  ships  taken  ?  Why  did  Jervis  allow  his  opponent  to  carry  off 
his  disabled  vessels,  three  or  four  of  which  were  almost  entirely 
crippled  ?  It  is  difficult  to  reply.  Night,  it  is  true,  was  coming  on 
when  Jervis  at  5  p.m.  stopped  the  pursuit,  but,  as  James  says,  "it 
was  that  very  night  which  would  have  brought  the  two  fleets  nearer 
to  an  equality.  The  greater  the  difficulties  of  manoeuvring,  the 
greater  were  the  chances  in  favour  of  the  British ;  and,  with  12 
ships  formed  as  British  ships  usually  are  formed,  it  is  a  question 
whether,  when  the  darkness  of  a  February  night  added  its  horrors 
to  the  destructive  broadsides  of  a  gallant  and  well-disciphned,  though 
numerically  inferior  enemy,  the  Spanish  admiral  would  not  have 
abandoned  the  whole  of  his  crippled  ships  to  the  conquerors." 

During  the  night  of  February  14th,  both  fleets  lay  to  in  order  to 
repair  damages,  and  at  dawn  on  the  l-5th,  the  two  were  within  sight 


1797.]  THE  "SANTISJMA    TBINIDAD."  319 

of  one  another  in  line  of  battle  ahead  on  opposite  tacks.  The 
Spaniards  had  the  wind,  and  could  have  provoked  a  renewal  of  the 
action ;  but  they  contented  themselves  with  bearing  down  at 
2.30  P.M.,  and  hauling  their  wind  as  soon  as  Jervis  hauled  his. 
They  then  disappeared,  and,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  16th,  the 
British  fleet  and  its  prizes  anchored  in  Lagos  Bay.  When  last  the 
enemy  was  seen,  his  disabled  four-decker,  the  Santisima  Trinidad, 
was  distant  from  the  main  body,  and  in  tow  of  a  frigate.  Jervis, 
therefore,  with  a  view  to  the  possibihty  of  picking  her  up,  detached 
from  Lagos  the  Emerald,  36,  Captain  Velters  Cornwall  Berkeley ; 
Minerve,  38,  Captain  George  Cockbiirn ;  Niger,  32,  Captain  Edward 
James  Foote ;  Bonne  Citoijenne,  20,  Commander  Charles  Lindsay ;  and 
Baven,  18,  Commander  James  Prowse  (1),  to  look  for  her.  The 
httle  squadron  sighted  the  Santisi?na  Trinidad  at  3  p.m.  on  Febru- 
ary 20th,  about  eighty  miles  south-south-east  of  Cape  St.  Vincent ; 
and  Berkeley,  who  was  senior  officer,  signalled  for  a  chase.  The 
Emerald,  Minerve,  and  Niger  ^  were  overhauling  the  enemy,  when, 
at  about  6  p.m.,  Berkeley  made  a  signal  "  to  keep  sight  of  the 
enemy,  or  make  known  their  motions  by  day  or  night,"  and  then, 
as  the  Emerald's  log  puts  it,  "  only  being  answered  by  the  Minerve, 
wore  ship  to  the  northward."  Why  Berkeley  behaved  in  this  extra- 
ordinary manner  has  never  been  satisfactorily  explained.  It  has 
been  suggested  that  he  had  reason  to  beHeve  that  he  could  not  count 
upon  the  co-operation  of  the  Bonne  Citoijenne.  But  against  this 
theory  are  to  be  set  the  two  facts  that  he  never  brought  the  Com- 
mander of  that  ship  to  a  court-martial,  and  that,  although  soon 
after  6  p.m.  he  was  joined  by  the  Terpsichore,  32,  Captain  Eichard 
Bowen,  he  still  kept  his  ships  headed  to  the  northward,  and  so 
presently  lost  sight  of  the  disabled  Spaniard.  Bowen  parted  com- 
pany almost  immediately,  and,  whether  by  accident  or  design,  found 
the  Santisima  Trinidad  at  7  p.m.  on  February  28th.  On  March  1st, 
although  he  was  then  alone,  he  pluckily  engaged  her.  He  was 
naturally  unable  to  effect  much  against  his  huge  antagonist,  but  he 
nevertheless  kept  company  with  her  until,  off  Cape  Spartel,  she  fell 
in  with  part  of  the  Spanish  fleet.  It  is  perhaps  unfair  to  draw 
comparisons  between  the  conduct  of  Berkeley  -  and  that  of  Bowen ; 
but  it  is  difficult  to  avoid  regretting  that  the  motives  of  the  former 
for  his   mysterious  action  have  never  been  made  pubhc,  and  that 

'  The  Haven  had  previously  parted  company. 

^  Berkeley  soon  afterwards,  as  James  says,  "judiciously,"  resigned  his  command. 


320  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1797. 

they  are  not  by  any  means  so  obviously  creditable  as  is  Bowen's 
gallantry. 

On  February  23rd,  Sir  John  Jervis  sailed  from  Lagos,  where 
he  had  landed  his  prisoners,  for  Lisbon.  For  his  services,  he  was 
created '  Baron  Jervis  of  Meaford  and  Earl  St.  Vincent,  in  the 
peerage  of  Great  Britain,  and  was  granted  a  pension  of  £3000  a 
year;  Vice-Admiral  Thompson^  and  Rear- Admiral  Parker^  were 
made  Baronets ;  Vice-Admiral  Waldegrave  *  was  rewarded  with  the 
governorship  of  Newfoundland  ;  Nelson*  was  rewarded  with  a  K.B., 
and  the  freedom  of  the  city  of  London ;  and  Captain  Calder  was 
knighted.  The  thanks  of  both  Houses  were  voted  to  the  fleet,  and 
a  gold  medal  was  conferred  upon  each  of  the  Flag-oflicers  and 
Captains.  Collingwood  sturdily  refused  to  receive  bis,  unless  he 
should  first  be  given  one  for  the  Glorious  First  of  June,  on  which 
occasion,  he  said,  he  had  equally  done  his  duty.  His  country 
honoured  itself  by  sending  him  both  medals,  together  with  an 
apologj'. 

The  unfortunate  Spanish  admirals  and  captains  had  to  pay 
heavily  for  the  folly  of  their  government  in  sending  to  sea  a  fleet 
that  was  not  fit  to  fight.  Many  of  them  were  deprived  of  their  rank  ; 
others  were  suspended  ;  and  yet  others  were  publicly  reprimanded. 
The  defeated  fleet  took  refuge  in  Cadiz,  where  Admiral  Massaredo 
assumed  command  of  the  twenty-six  or  twenty-eight  sail  of  the  hne 
that  lay  in  the  port. 

Jervis,  who  had  been  reinforced,  lost  no  time  in  blockading  the 
enemy.  He  left  Lisbon  on  March  31st,  and  appeared  off  Cadiz  on 
April  4th.  But  he  could  not  induce  the  Spaniards  to  risk  another 
general  action,  although,  with  a  view  to  provoking  them  into  coming 
out  and  doing  so,  he  bombarded  the  town  on  the  night  of  July  3rd, 
sending  in  the  Thunder,  bomb,  8,  Lieutenant  John  Goiu'ly,  to  throw 
her  13  "5  in.  shells  into  the  place.  The  Thunder  was  covered  by 
gunboats,  launches,  and  boats  of  the  fleet,  under  the  orders  of 
Nelson,  who  commanded  the  inshore  squadron ;  but,  it  being 
presently  discovered  that  her  largest  mortar  was  unserviceable,  she 
had  to  be  withdrawn,  protected  by  the  fire  of  the  Goliath,  74, 
Captain    Thomas    Foley    (3),    Terpsichore,    82,    Captain    Eichard 

'  On  May  27th,  1797.  ^  Qq  June  23rd,  1797.  '  On  June  24th,  1797. 

*  Subsequently  created  Lord  Radstock  in  the  peerage  of  Ireland,  December  29th, 
1800. 

'  Promoted  to  be  Bear-Admiral  on  February  20th,  six  days  after  the  battle. 


17'J7.]  NELSON   OFF  CADIZ.  321 

Bowen,  and  Fox,  cutter,  10,  Lieutenant  John  Gibson.  As  she 
retired,  she  was  chased  by  gunboats  and  launches  from  the  harbour, 
and  these  were  met  by  similar  craft  under  the  personal  leadership  of 
Nelson,  who,  in  a  boat  containing  but  sixteen  hands  all  told,  came 
into  close  and  fierce  conflict  with  the  barge  of  Don  Miguel  Tyrason, 
manned  with  a  crew  of  twenty-eight  men.  Eighteeia  of  the 
Spaniards  were  killed ;  all  the  rest,  including  Tyrason,  were 
wounded  and  taken  prisoners ;  and,  after  the  enemy  had  been 
driven  under  the  forts,  the  British  retired  with  two  mortar  boats 
and  the  barge,  and  with  a  loss  of  but  one  killed  and  twenty  wounded. 
Among  the  latter  were  Captain  Thomas  Francis  Fremantle  {Sea- 
horse), Lieutenants  William  Selby  {ViUe  de  Paris),  Henry  Nathaniel 
Rowe  (Diadem),  and  Gregory  Grant  {Prince  George),  Master's  Mate 
Hugh  Pearson  (Barfleur),  and  Midshipman  Robert  Tooley  {Prince 
George).  Nelson's  cockswain,  John  Sykes,  who  had  stood  with  him 
on  the  quarter-deck  of  the  ,S'rt/(  Josef,  was  severely  wounded  while 
defending  the  Bear- Admiral. 

Another  bombardment  was  effected  on  the  night  of  July  5th, 
Nelson  again  commanding.  Three  bombs,  the  Thunder,  8,  Terror, 
8,  and  Stromholi,  8,  were  employed,  and  were  covered  by  the 
Theseus,  74,  Captain  Ralph  Willett  Miller,  the  Terpsichore,  32, 
Captain  Richard  Bowen,  and  the  Emerald,  86,  Captain  Thomas 
Moutray  Waller.  Much  damage  was  done,  and  part  of  the  Spanish 
fleet,  apprehending  a  renewal  of  the  firing,  warped  out  of  range  on 
the  following  day.  As  before,  the  small  craft  encountered  one 
another  during  the  darkness ;  but  the  British  lost,  in  the  desultory 
fighting,  only  three  killed  and  sixteen  wounded,  the  latter  including 
Captain  of  Marines,  Thomas  Oldfield  {Theseus),  Lieutenants  John 
CoUins  {Victory),  and  John  Hornsey  {Seahorse),  and  Midshipmen 
John  Collier  {Theseus),  and  John  Stephenson  {Audacious).  A  third 
bombardment,  planned  for  the  night  of  the  8th,  had  to  be  relinquished 
owing  to  the  state  of  the  weather. 

While  the  blockade  still  went  on.  Lord  St.  A^incent  determined 
to  make  an  effort  for  the  capture  of  a  rich  galleon  which,  it  was 
rumoured,  had  arrived  at  Santa  Cruz,^  Tenerife,  from  Manilla.     The 

1  Here,  on  May  29th,  the  boats  of  the  LiveJy,  32,  Captain  Benjamin  Hallowell,  and 
Minerve,  38,  Captain  George  Cockbum,  under  the  orders  of  Lieutenant  Thomas 
Masterman  Hardy,  first  of  the  Minerve,  had  cut  out  in  broad  daylight,  vmder  a  heavy 
fire,  tlie  French  corvette  Mutine,  14.  Hardy,  and  Midshipman  John  Edgar,  with 
thirteen  men,  were  wounded  in  the  affair,  but  no  one  was  killed,  and  Hardy,  for  his 
gallantry  was  made  a  Commander  intfi  the  prize. 

VOL.    IV.  '^ 


322 


MA  J  OB    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1707 


Commander-in-Chief,  who  perhaps  for  once  underrated  the  difficulties 
of  an  enterprise,  entrusted  the  expedition  to  the  orders  of  Eear- 
Admiral  Sir  Horatio  Nelson,  who,  when  his  force  was  complete,  had 
under  him  the  following  vessels  : — 


Ships. 


TJieseiis    . 

CuUoden  . 
Zealous  . 
Leandey^ . 
Seahorse  . 
Emerald  . 
Tcrpsichori-  - 
Fox,  cutter 
and  a  mortar 


Commaiiiiers. 


.      .      .74 

.      .      .        74 

74 

50 

38 

36 

.      .      .        32 

10 

fKear-Adiu.  Sir  H.  Xelson,  KB.  (B.). 
iCapt.  lialjih  Willett  Miller. 

„     Tliouias  Troubridge. 

„     Samuel  Hood  (2). 

„     Thomas  Boulden  Thompson. 

„     Tliomas  Francis  Fremautle. 

„     Thomas  Moutray  Waller. 

„     Richard  Bowen. 
Lieut.  John  Gibson. 


boat. 


'  /.€'»(?e/*  joined  un  .Iiil.v  24111. 


2  Ttfjysw-ftore  joined  ou  July  UltU. 


Nelson  parted  company  on  Julj'  15th,  and  on  the  '20th  arrived  off 
Tenerife,  and  on  that  night  the  Seahorse,  Emerald,  Terpsichore,  and 
Fox,  with  some  of  the  boats  of  the  squadron,  endeavoured  to  land 
men  to  seize  a  fort  on  the  north-east  side  of  the  bay,  but  failed, 
owing  to  adverse  winds  and  currents.  On  the  22nd,  the  squadron 
drew  closer  in,  and,  at  night,  succeeded  in  landing  some  men ;  but, 
as  the  heights  were  found  to  be  strongly  held,  the  people  were 
re-embarked.  On  the  evening  of  the  24th,  Nelson  anchored  his 
squadron  to  the  north-east  of  the  town,  and  made  a  feint  as  if  to 
disembark  a  force  in  that  direction ;  but  at  11  p.m.  he  put  700 
seamen  and  Marines  into  his  boats,  180  more  into  the  Fox,  and  yet 
another  75  into  a  captured  provision  boat,  and,  himself  assuming  the 
command,  pushed  off"  in  rough  weather  and  thick  darkness  for  the 
mole  head.  At  1.30  a.m.  on  the  25th,  the  Fox  and  the  boats 
containing  Nelson,  Fremantle,  Thompson,  and,  Bowen,  as  well  as  a 
few  other  craft,  got  undiscovered  within  half  gunshot  of  their 
destination ;  when  suddenly  an  alarm  was  sounded  and  a  heavy 
fire  was  opened  on  them.  The  Fox  was  sunk,  and  with  her  went 
down  97  men,  including  Lieutenant  Gibson.  Nelson  was  struck  on 
the  right  elbow,  just  as  he  was  drawing  his  sword  and  jumping  ashore 
from  his  barge,  and  he  had  to  be  conveyed  back  to  his  ship.'  Another 
shot  sank  Bowen's  boat,  drowning  seven  or  eight  people.  Yet,  in 
spite  of  these  disasters,  that  part  of  the  British  force  landed  and 
carried  the  mole  head,  driving  off  in  confusion  the  three  or  four 
'  His  right  arm  was  immediately  amputated. 


IT'.iT.]  NELSON  AT  SANTA    CliUZ.  323 

hundred  men  who  had  held  it,  and  capturing  and  spiking  six  24- 
pounders  mounted  upon  it.  But  a  heavy  fire  of  musketr}'  and  gi'ape 
was  immediately  afterwards  directed  upon  the  mole  from  the  citadel 
and  houses  near  it,  and  the  British  were  mowed  down  by  scores,  the 
brave  Bowen  and  his  first  lieutenant,  George  Thorpe,  being  among 
the  killed. 

During  this  time  the  boats  under  Captain  Troubridge,  Captain 
Waller,  and  others,  unable,  owing  to  the  darkness  and  the  surf,  to 
make  the  mole,  had  landed  under  a  battery  to  the  southward  of  the 
citadel ;  and  Captains  Hood  and  Miller  subsequently  landed  further 
to  the  south-west.  Several  boats,  however,  had  to  put  back.  Trou- 
bridge and  Waller,  having  collected  a  few  men,  advanced  to  the  great 
square  of  the  town,  where  they  expected  to  meet  the  Eear-Admiral 
and  the  remaining  Captains.  They  sent  a  summons  to  the  citadel, 
but,  receiving  no  answer,  they  joined  Captains  Hood  and  Miller,  and 
resolved  to  make  an  attempt  upon  the  citadel,  although  thej'  had 
lost  all  their  scaling  ladders.  No  sooner  did  they  begin  to  move 
than  they  discovered  that  the  place  was  crowded  with  troops,  and 
that  every  street  was  commanded  by  field-pieces.  To  add  to  their 
difficulties,  most  of  their  ammunition  was  wet,  and  nearly  all  their 
boats  were  stove  in.  Unable,  thus,  either  to  advance  or  to  retire, 
Troubridge,  with  magnificent  effrontery,  sent  Hood  with  a  flag  of 
truce  to  the  governor,  to  say  that,  if  the  Spaniards  advanced,  the 
British  would  burn  the  town.  At  the  same  time,  he  offered  to 
capitulate  on  the  following  terms :  the  British  to  be  allowed  to 
embark  with  their  arms  in  their  own  boats,  or,  if  these  were 
destroyed,  in  others  to  be  furnished  to  them  ;  and  the  ships  before 
the  town  to  molest  it  no  further,  and  not  to  attack  any  of  the  Canary 
Islands. 

The  Spanish  governor  '  seems  to  have  been  taken  captive  by  the 
very  audacity  of  these  proposals,  coming  as  they  did  from  people  who 
were  already  practically  at  his  mercy.  Not  only  did  he  provide  the 
British  with  boats,  and  allow  them  to  depart,  but  he  also  supplied 
them  with  wine  and  biscuit,  ordered  that  the  wounded  should  be 
received  into  his  own  hospital,  and  sent  a  message  to  Nelson  to 
the  effect  that  the  squadron  was  at  liberty,  during  its  stay,  to  send 
on  shore  and  purchase  whatsoever  refreshments  it  might  need. 

This  lamentable  but  not  inglorious  affair,  was  very  costly  to  the 
squadron.     In  addition  to  Captain  Bowen,  and  Lieutenants  George 
'  Don  Juan  Antonio  Gutteii. 

Y   2 


324  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1797. 

Thorpe  and  John  Gibson  (Fox),  Lieutenants  John  Weatherhead 
(Theseus)  and  WilHam  Earnshaw  (Leander),  Lieutenants  of 
Marines,  Eahy  Eobinson  (Leander)  and  William  Basham  (Emerald), 
and  twenty- three  seamen  and  fourteen  Marines  were  killed.  Eear- 
Admiral  Nelson,  Captain  T.  F.  Fremantle,  and  T.  B.  Thompson, 
Lieutenant  John  Douglas  (2)  (Seahorse),  Midshipman  Robert  Watts, 
and  eighty-five  seamen  and  fifteen  Marines  were  wounded.  In 
addition,  ninety-seven  seamen  and  Marines  were  drowned,  and  five 
were  reported  missing. 

The  Mediterranean,  which  had  been  abandoned  by  the  British  in 
the  previous  year,  was  not  again  effectively  occupied  by  them  during 
1797.  Nelson,  as  has  been  seen,  having  effected  the  evacuation  of 
Elba,  passed  the  Strait  in  the  middle  of  February ;  and  from  that 
moment,  until  November,  scarcely  a  British  frigate  went  east  of 
Gibraltar.  Even  in  November,  nothing  approaching  to  a  re- 
occupation  was  attempted.  Lord  St.  Vincent  merely  detached 
from  his  fleet  in  the  Tagus  the  Leander,  50,  Captain  Thomas 
Boulden  Thompson,  the  Hamadryad,  36,  Captain  Thomas  Elphin- 
stone,  and  a  sloop,  to  Algier,  to  settle  some  disputes  with  the  Dey  ; 
and,  when  the  service  had  been  executed,  the  little  force  withdrew. 
This  long  abandonment  was  contemporary  with  a  great  and  natural 
increase  of  the  French  power  on  the  Mediterranean  coasts.  Austria 
and  the  Pope  relinquished,  for  the  time,  the  struggle  with  the 
Republic ;  which,  by  the  Treaty  of  Campo  Formio,'  acquired,  besides 
the  Austrian  Netherlands,  Corfu,  Zante,  Cephalonia,  and  the  other 
Venetian  islands  south  of  the  Gulf  of  Drin.  The  republic  of  Genoa, 
moreover,  had  ceased  to  exist  on  June  Gth,  and,  under  the  name  of 
Liguria,  had  become  French.  And,  with  the  Ionian  islands,  France 
had  seized,  and  added  to  her  navy,  six  Venetian  64-gun  ships  and 
six  frigates,  beside  other  men-of-war  which  she  had  seized  at  the 
capture  of  Venice  in  May.  The  islands,  and  the  ships  there,  were 
taken  over  without  resistance,  and  garrisoned  or  manned  by  a 
squadron  from  Toulon,  under  Rear-Admiral  Brueys,  reinforced  by 
a  flotilla  of  transports  under  Captain  G.  F.  J.  Bourde.  Brueys 
returned  to  Toulon  in  November. 

In  the  North  Sea,  the  observation  of  the  Dutch  ports  was,  for 
a  time,  almost  put  a  stop  to  by  the  mutinies  and  disaffection  in  the 
fleet.  Towards  the  end  of  May,  Admiral  Duncan's  effective  force 
was,  in  fact,  reduced  to    two   ships,    the    Venerable,    74,    and   the 

'  October  17th,  1797. 


1797.]  DUNCAN   OFF   THE  DUTCH  COAST.  325 

Adamant,  50.  Yet  the  gallant  old  officer  did  not  hesitate  to  proceed 
to,  and  maintain,  his  station  off  the  Texel,  where  lay  a  Netherlands 
fleet  of  fifteen  sail  of  the  line  and  50-gun  ships.  By  repeatedly 
signalling,  as  if  to  ships  in  the  offing,  he  conveyed  to  the  Dutch  the 
impression  that  he  was  amply  supported,  and  so  induced  them  to 
remain  in  harbour  while  he  was  anxiously  awaiting  reinforcements. 
These  began   to  join  him  in  the  shape  of   single  ships  and  small 


VICE-ADMIRAL    SIR    WILLIAM   GEORGE    FAIRFAX. 
(From  an  cnijrar'inij  hij  RiiUeij,  1801.) 

groups  in  the  second  week  of  June ;  and  at  length  Uuncan  was 
again  in  a  position  to  deal  with  the  enemy.  But,  at  the  beginning 
of  October,  being  short  of  stores  and  having  received  a  certain 
amount  of  damage  in  boisterous  weather,  Duncan  put  into 
Yarmouth  road  to  revictual  and  refit,  leaving  Captain  Henry 
Trollope,  of  the  Russell,  74,  with  the  Adamant,  60,  Beaitlieii,  40, 
Circe,  20,  and  Martin,  16,  to  observe  the  motions  of  the  Dutch. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  October  9th,  the  hired  armed  lugger. 
Black  Joke,  appeared  at  the  back  of  Yarmouth  sands  with  the  signal 


326 


MA  JOB    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[ws 


fl3"ing  for  an  enemj'.  Duncan  succeeded  in  weighing  before  noon 
with  the  eleven  ships  of  the  hue  then  with  him,  and  at  once  steered 
across,  with  a  fair  wind,  for  his  old  station.  Later  in  the  day  he  was 
joined  by  the  Powerful,  74,  Agincourt,  64,  and  Isis,  50 ;  and  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  10th,  he  was  off  the  Texel,  within  which  his  scouts 
counted  twenty-two  square-rigged  vessels,  chiefly  merchantmen. 
TroUope  had  informed  him  of  the  course  which  the  Dutch  fleet 
had  taken,  and,  in  consequence,  the  British  headed  to  the  south- 
ward, parallel  with  the  shore.  At  7  a.m.  on  the  11th,  the  Bussell, 
Adamant,  Beaulieu,  which  were  in  the  south-west,  signalled  that 
the  enemy  was  in  sight  to  leeward ;  and  at  8.30  a.m.  the  Dutch  fleet 
was  visible  in  the  indicated  quarter.  The  two  forces  thus  in  presence 
of  one  another  are  set  forth  below. 

The  Fleets  in  the  Action  off  C.-viirERDOWN,  October  11,  17!I7;  indicating  their 
Older,  or  intended  order  in  line  of  battle,  and  slidwing  the  numbers  killed  and 
wounded  in  each  British  ship,  and  the  fate  of  each  Dutch  ship.  (Note. — The 
British  starboard  division  led  ;  but  several  ships  of  both  British  divisions  were  out 
of  station.     The  Dutch  line  was  as  given.) 


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I               son  (1).             / 

5       22 

Staien  Geiieiaal 

74 

llicar-.AUm.       Saniuetj 
StoriJ.                       ^ 

E. 

.Ayincouri    .     . 

64 

Wauenaar 

64 

Com.  A.  Holland. 

T. 

Triumph      .     . 

74 

(    „    "W  dliam  Esshig-1 
1              ton.                  ] 

29      55 

Batavier    .     . 

56 

,,    .Souter. 
lUear-Adm.      J.      A. I 
<     Bloijsvan  Treslong.i 
\C"m.  Polders.                \ 

„    J.  D.  Musf|uetier. 

K. 

to 

(Admiral  Adam  Dun-l' 

Brutus  .     .     . 

74 

K. 

.a 

Venerable    .     . 

V4 

can  cm.                    1    ,,      „„ 
Capt.  William  Georgef    '^     "" 

Leijdeii       .     . 

68 

E. 

•S 

Fairfax                     J 

Mars,  rase  . 

44 

.,    D.  H.  Kolff. 

E. 

~  ■ 

Anient    .     .     . 

U 

/     „     Richard  Kuudlei      ,    ,„- 
\              Uurgcs.*          Ji  ■"    ^l" 

Cerberus     .     . 
Jupiter       .      . 

68 

72 

„    .lacobson. 
(V.-Adm.  H.Reijutjes.j 

E. 
T. 

Beilford .     .     . 

VI 

„   Sir  Thomas  Byarl. 

30      41 

s 

Lancaster    , 

64 

„     John  Wells. 

3      18 

Haarlem    .     . 

68 

Capt.  0.  Wiggerts. 

•]■. 

n 

Jielliqueuz  .     . 

G4 

„     John  Ingl  s  (2). 

26      78 

Alkmaar    .     . 

56 

lom.  J.  W.  Krafrt. 

T. 

s 

Adamant      .     . 

50 

/     „    William  Hothaml 
I               (2)                    i 

"   1   " 

Jle'ft     .     .     . 

54 

r'apt.  G.  Verdooren. 

r. 

\lsis     .... 

50 

,,    WilliamMitcheU. 

2  '  21 

A  tain  lite,  hrig 

18 

Cora.  B.  I'letsz. 

E. 

4U 

j     „     Francis    Fayer-i 
{             man.                J 

I 

Heldii,  .     .     . 
(lalathee,  brig 

32 
18 

(     ,,    Dumenil  de  Le-i 
1                strille.            i 
„    Riverij. 

Beaulieu      .     . 

E. 

K. 

(Hire.     .     .     . 

■J8 

.,    I'etfr  Halkett. 

Minerva     .     . 

24 

„    Eijlbracht. 

E. 

Martin    .     .     . 

u: 

iCiim.     Hon.     Charlesi 
i     I'aget.                         / 

Ajiix,  hrig  .     . 

18 

Lieut,  .\rkenbimt. 

E. 

M'liiikzaaiiiheid 

24 

Com.  M.  van.  Nierop. 

E. 

liose^  hir.  cutter 

10 

Lieut.  Joseph  lirodie. 

Kntlntscadc 

36 

„    J.  Huijs. 

T. 

King  George,  d<j. 

12 

,,      James  Ilains.      |        . 

Haphnt,  brig  . 

18 

Li.ut.  Frederiks. 

E. 

Active,  do.    .     . 

12 

,,      J—  Hamlltim.    |        | 

Mfitiiiikendain 

44 

Com.  Th.  Lauiester. 

T. 

JJilij/ejit,  do. 
fifpecnlator,   bir.i 
lugger.     .     .  i 

6 

„      T —  Dawson. 
H—  Hales. 

1 

HiHigJe,       adv.  i 
l«wt  .      .      .    .( 

6 

Lieut,  Hartingveld. 

E. 

1797.]  THE  BATTLE   OF   CAMPERDOWN.  327 

The  Dutch  had  left  the  Texel  at  10  a.m.  on  October  8th,  with  a 
Hght  breeze  from  east  by  north.  According  to  French  writers, 
Admiral  De  Winter  quitted  port  expressly  to  meet  and  fight 
Duncan  ;  but  it  is  upon  the  whole  more  probable  that  his  im- 
mediate object  was  to  join  hands  with  the  French  at  Brest.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  Trollope  discovered  the  Dutch  that  night,  the  wind 
being  then  south-west,  and  the  enemy  to  windward.  De  Winter 
made  for  the  mouth  of  the  Maas,  where  he  had  expected  to  be  joined 
by  a'  64-gun  ship ;  but,  not  finding  her,  he  stood  to  the  westward, 
still  observed  by  Trollope.  He  made  some  efforts  to  drive  off  or 
capture  the  little  British  force ;  but  on  the  night  of  the  10th,  he 
was  obhged  to  recall  his  chasers  upon  learning  that  Duncan  was 
within  about  thirty  miles  of  him  ;  and,  getting  his  ships  together, 
he  made,  with  a  north-west  wind,  for  a  point  off  Kamperduin  his 
place  of  rendezvous. 

At  daylight  on  the  11th,  the  Dutch  were  about  eighteen  miles  off 
Scheveningen  in  loose  order.  Soon  afterwards,  seeing  Trollope's 
signals  to  windward,  and  knowing  from  them  that  his  enemy  was 
close  at  hand,  De  Winter  ordered  his  captains  to  their  stations, 
and,  to  facilitate  the  junction  of  his  rearmost  ships,  stood  towards 
the  land.  When  the  nearest  coast  bore  east,  about  twelve  miles,  he 
directed  his  fleet  to  haul  to  the  wind  on  the  starboard  tack ;  and,  as 
soon  as  he  sighted  Duncan  in  the  north-west,  he  put  aboiit  on  the 
port  tack,  formed  a  close  line  from  south-west  to  north-east,  and, 
with  main  yards  square,  awaited  the  attack. 

The  British  fleet,  when  first  it  had  sight  of  the  Dutch,  was  in 
very  straggling  order,  chiefly  owing  to  the  unequal  sailing  of  the 
ships.  Duncan  made  his  van  ships  shorten  sail,  and,  at  about 
11.10  A.M.,  brought  to  on  the  port  tack;  but,  observing  a  little 
later  that  the  Dutch,  who  kept  their  main  topsails  now  shivering 
and  now  full,  were  drawing  in  with  the  shore,  he  signalled  in 
quick  succession ;  for  each  ship  to  engage  her  opponent  in  the 
enemy's  line ;  to  bear  up  and  sail  large ;  and  for  the  van  to  attack 
the  enemy's  rear.  At  11.30,  when  the  centre  of  the  Dutch  line 
bore  south-east,  distant  between  four  and  five  miles,  the  British 
bore  down,  still,  however,  in  straggling,  and,  indeed,  in  somewhat 
confused  order.  At  11.53  A.M.,  Duncan  signalled  that  he  should 
pass  through  the  enemy's  line  and  engage  from  leeward ;  but,  as  the 
weather  was  thick,  this  signal  was  not  generally  taken  in.  At  about 
12.5  P.M.  there  was  substituted  for  it  the  signal  for  close  action. 


328 


MAJOR    OPEIiATJOXS,    1793-1802. 


[1797. 


It  was  about  12.30,  when  the  Monarch,  leading  the  larboard 
division  of  the  British  fleet,  cut  through  the  Dutch  line  between 
the  Jupiter  and  the  Haarlem,  firing,  as  she  did  so,  a  broadside  into 
each,  and  then  luffing  up  alongside  the  Jupiter,  while  the  pDU'crful, 
coming  up,  tackled  the  Haarlem.  To  leeward  of  his  line  of  battle, 
De  Winter  had  stationed  a  subsidiary  line  of  frigates  and  brigs  ;  and 
two  of  these,  the  Monikenclam  and   the  Daphne,'^  each   seized  the 


BAT--ri_E    OFF    Camperdown. 

//""  ocr"    /yg?- 

About-     /2SO  /^AfC^^sT  ^^ti.^                                                      ^^C^ijirid^ 

/Iniertt »  <^y^ijhct<i 

Circe  K 

^ 

■^'                              ^                   °                                                       ^i?l 

/      \ft    _ 

>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              < 

> 

_ — ^11 

opportunity  of  pouring  a  raking  tire  into  Yice-Adiniral  Onslow's 
flagship  as  she  rounded  to.  Both  the  small  craft  suflered  severely 
for  their  temerity  in  thus  deliberately  inviting  attention  from  a  ship 
of  the  line.  Most  of  the  other  vessels  of  the  British  larboard 
division  were  close  behind  the  leaders ;  and,  in  a  very  few  minutes, 
the  Dutch  rear,  with  the  exception  of  the  three  headmost  ships  ^  of 
it,  was  very  closely  engaged.  Those  three  ships  were  exposed  only 
to  a  more  distant  fire  ;  and  it  was  to  some  extent  owing  to  this  that 

'  James  says  that  the  brig  was  the  Atalaniti,  not  the  Daphne  ;  but  he  is  mistaken, 
'i'lie  Atakinta  was  the  headmost  sliip  in  the  Dutch  second  line. 
^  Brutus,  LeiJJen,  and  Mars. 


1797.]  THE  BATTLE    OF   CAMPERDOWN.  329 

they  were  subsequently  able  to  attempt  to  succour  De  Winter,  and 
that  they  ultimatelj'  escaped  capture. 

About  eighteen  minutes  after  the  Monarch  had  broken  the  rear 
of  the  Dutch  line,  the  Venerable,  first  endeavouring  to  pass  astern 
of  the  Vrijheid,  but  being  fnistrated  by  the  promptitude  of  the 
Stafeii  Generaal  in  closing  the  interval,  put  her  helm  to  larboard, 
and  delivered  such  a  broadside  into  the  port  quarter  of  Storij"s 
flagship  as  obliged  her  to  bear  up.  The  Venerable  then  ranged 
along  the  lee  side  of  the  Vrijheid,  while  the  Ardent  engaged  the 
same  vessel  from  windward.  A  little  later,  the  Triiinipli  got  into 
close  action  with  the  Wassenaar,  and  the  Bedford  with  the  Admiraal 
Tjerk  Hiddes  De  Vries  and  the  Hercules.  The  last  named  presently 
took  fire ;  and,  although  the  flames  were  promptly  extinguished,  the 
danger  was  at  one  moment  so  great  that  she  had  to  throw  all  her 
powder  overboard.  In  the  meantime  she  had  lost  her  mizen  mast  ; 
and,  having  no  means  of  defence,  she  struck.  In  her  encounter 
with  the  Wassenaar  the  Triumpli  experienced  no  interruption  ;  and 
she  shorth'  compelled  that  vessel  to  surrender.^  She  then  passed 
ahead  towards  the  Vrijheid,  which,  though  terribh'  mauled,  was 
still  firing,  and  which,  indeed,  distantly  assisted  by  ships  from  the 
rear,  had  compelled  the  Venerable  to  haul  off  and  wear  round  on 
the  starboard  tack.  Nor,  until  De  Winter's  flagship  had  defended 
herself  long  and  bravely,  and,  losing  all  her  masts,  had  had  her 
starboard  battery  put  out  of  action  by  their  fall,  did  she  haul  down 
her  colours.  She  seems  to  have  struck  at  about  the  same  moment 
as  the  Jupiter;  and,  with  the  surrender  of  these  two  flagships, 
■the  action  ceased.  The  British  were  then  masters  of  seven  ships 
of  the  line,  two  50's,  and  two  frigates,-  or  more  than  half  the 
strength  of  the  Dutch  fleet.  To  attempt  to  pursue  the  rest  was 
out  of  the  question,  for  Duncan  was  already  in  but  nine  fathoms, 
and  the  low  land,  between  Kamperduin  and  Egmond,  was  only  five 
miles  off. 

It  had  been  a  most  determined  and  sanguinarj'  fight.  On  the 
side  of  the  Dutch,  Eear-Admiral  Johan  Arnold  Bloijs  van  Treslong,^ 
and  Commander  Souter,*  and,  on  that  of  the  British,  Captain  John 

'  The  Wassenaar,  after  striking,  was  fired  at  by  a  Dutch  brig,  which  induced  her 
to  rehoist  her  colours  ;  but  she  struck  again  later  to  the  Russell. 

^  Vrijheid,  Jtipiter,  GeKjkheid,  Admiraal  De  Vries,  Haarlem,  Hercules,  Wassenaar, 
Alkmaar,  Delft,  Monnikendam,  and  Emhuscade. 

'  Condemned,  but  subsequently  reinstated. 

'  Broken  and  inijirisoned. 


330 


MAJOB    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[17!.7. 


Williamson  (1),'  were,  it  is  true,  afterwards  charged  with  dereliction 
of  duty.  But,  upon  the  whole,  and  equally  on  both  sides,  the 
combatants  fought  with  a  thoroughness  and  pertinacit}'  which 
recalled  the  hot  work  of  the  old  Dutch  wars.  A  full  list  of  the 
Dutch  losses  is  not  obtainable  ;  but  it  is  known  that,  of  killed  alone, 
there  were  40  in  the  Gelijkheid,  43  in  the  Delft,  61  in  the  Jupiter, 
.50  in  the  frigate  Monnikendam,  and  58,  besides  98  wounded,  in  the 
Vrijheid.  These  figures  suffice  to  indicate  the  gallantry  of  the 
defence,  and  to  prove  that  the  victory  was  no  easy  one.  As  for 
the  captured  ships,  they  were  all,  says  James,  "  either  dismasted 
outright,  or  so  injured  in  their  masts  that  most  of  the  latter  fell,  as 
soon  as  the  wind  and  sea,  in  the  passage  home,  began  to  act  power- 
fully upon  them.     As  to  their  hiills,  the  ships  were  like  sieves,  and 


ClIJIMKMOliATlVK    MEDAL    OF   THE    BATTLE   OK    CAMrElilloWX,    IVHi. 
(From  on  orkiinul  lent  hij  E.S.H.  CapUiin  Prince  Louix  of  Batknhini.  H.S'J 

only  worth  bringing  into  port  to  be  exhibited  as  trophies."  The 
Embiiscade,  driven  upon  the  Dutch  coast,  was  re-captured-  by  her 
original  owners;  the  M  vnn  ike  nda  in  wan  vf  recked  off  West  Capelle  ; 
and  the  Delft,  with  many  hands  still  in  her,  foundered  in  a  storm  ^ 
on  the  14th.  The  other  prizes  reached  British  ports,  and  were  all 
added  to  the  service,  the  Jupiter  as  the  Camperdown,  the  Hereules 

'  Convicted  of  disobedience  to  signals,  and  of  not  going  into  action,  and  sentenced 
to  be  placed  at  the  bottom  of  the  post-list  of  ITllT,  and  to  be  rendered  inca]iable  of 
further  service  CM.  December  4th  to  January  1st.  Captain  Williamson,  who  was 
acquitted  of  cowardice  or  disaffection,  died  in  1799. 

-  Only  to  become  again  a  British  prize  in  August,  1799. 

'  In  striving  to  save  the  jieople  from  this  disaster.  Lieutenant  Heiberg,  late  first  of 
the  ship,  and  Lieutenant  Charles  Bullen,  in  charge  of  the  prize,  vied  with  one  another 
in  gallantry.  IJeiberg  perished  ;  Bullen,  who  oidy  saved  himself  by  swimming,  died 
Admiral  Sir  Cliarles  Bullen  in  18.53. 


.  ^^oTfz.  ^^y^'^PZa^d^^'. 


//m/v/^//^. 


1797.]  LOSSES  JN   THE  BATTLE.  331 

as  the  Delft,  and  the  rest  under  their  own  names,  but  none  of  them 
were  ever  again  fit  for  sea.  Their  old  masters  had  effectively  used 
them  up  in  that  hard  tussle. 

The  British  ships  also  suffered  very  severely,  but  almost  ex- 
clusively in  the  hulls.  The  Dutch  had  not  wasted  time  in  efforts 
to  destroy  rigging.  They  had  fired  low,  and  had  generally  reserved 
their  fire  until  it  could  hardly  fail  to  tell.  The  Ardent  had  98 
round  shot  in  or  through  her  timbers.  The  Voierable,  Bedford, 
Belliqueux,  Triiimp]i,2bnA.  Monarch,  too,  had  been  badly  mauled;  but 
no  ship  lost  any  more  important  spar  than  a  foreyard.  The  casualties, 
therefore,  as  will  be  seen  on  reference  to  the  note  above,  were 
relatively  heavy,  almost  exactly  ten  per  cent,  of  the  whole  number 
of  officers  and  men  engaged  in  the  British  line  being  killed  or 
wounded.  The  officers  killed  were :  Captain  E.  E.  Burges  {Ardent) ; 
Lieutenants  Francis  Ferrett  (Veteran),  and  Eobert  Webster  {Belli- 
queux) ;  Master  Michael  Dun  (Ardent) ;  Master's  Mate  James  Milne 
(Belliqueux),  and  four  midshipmen,  of  whom  two,  J.  P.  Tindall 
and  Moyle  Finlay,  belonged  to  the  Monarch.  Among  the  wounded 
officers  were  Captain  Essington  (Triumph),  and  Lieutenants  Edward 
Sneyd  Clay  and  William  Henry  Douglas  (Venerable),  James  Eetalick 
(Monarch),  George  Keenor  (Bedford),  Ulick  Jennings  (Powerful), 
James  Eose  and  John  Sobriel  (Ardent),  Eobert  England  (Belliqueux), 
Benjamin  Morgan  (Lancaster),  Patrick  Chapman  and  George  Trollope 
(Triunipli),  Ealph  Sneyd  (Montagu),  and  David  Johnson  (Russell). 
The  Dutch  loss  in  officers,  both  by  immediate  death  and  by  mortal 
wounds,  was  equally  heavy ;  but  it  is  not  true  that,  as  Mr.  James 
says.  Admiral  De  Winter  died  in  London  during  his  captivity.^  On 
the  contrary,  that  gallant  officer  enjoyed  many  years  of  useful 
activity  after  his  exchange,  receiving  from  King  Louis  the  rank 
of  Marshal  and  the  title  of  Graaf  van  Huessen,  and,  in  1810,  taking 
the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Bonaparte,  when  the  kingdom  of  Holland 
was  incorporated  with  the  Empire." 

Admiral  Duncan  reached  the  Nore  on  October  15th.     On  the 

'  .James,  ii.  72  (ed.  1837). 

-  Authorities  for  the  battle  of  Camperdown :  Duncan's  dispatch  of  October  13th ; 
Journal  of  an  Officer  in  'Nav.  Chron.,'  iv. ;  'Biography  of  Sir  H.  Trollope'  in 
U.S.  Journal,  1840;  'Sententie'  of  Admiral  De  Winter;  'Volledige  Verslag,'  etc., 
(1797);  Rear-Admiral  C.  Richardson  in  U.S.  Magazine,  1844;  '  Anecs.  of  Camper- 
down'  in  U.S.  Journal  of  1841;  Decree  of  Nat.  Ass.  of  November  i)th  ;  'Aanmerk. 
van  een  Zee-Officier '  (1805)  ;  '  Leven  van  V.-Ad.  Huijsch  ' ;  '  Life  of  Duncan ' ;  '  Voor- 
loopig  Bericht,'  etc. :  Alius,  of  C.Ms.,  British  and  Dutcli. 


332  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1703-1802.  [ITHT- 

'20th  of  the  same  month  he  was  created  Baron  Duncan  nf  Lundie, 
and  Viscount  Duncan  of  Camperdown  in  the  peerage  of  Great 
Britain ;  and,  on  the  30th,  Yice-Admiral  Onslow  was  made  a 
baronet,  while,  a  little  later,  Captains  Henry  Trollope  and  William 
George  Fairfax  were  knighted.  Duncan  was  further  granted  a 
pension  of  £3000  a  year  for  three  lives.  The  city  of  London 
presented  its  freedom  to  Duncan  and  Onslow,  and  to  the  former  a 


.^nMIRAI.    SIR    RirnARD    ONSI.OW,    liAUT. 
(From  II  litlioijmjih  hii  D.  Ormc,  l»(l:i. i 

sword  costing  200  and  to  the  latter  one  costing  100  guineas.  The 
thanks  of  both  Houses  were  unanimously  voted  to  the  fleet ;  gold 
medals  were  granted  to  the  Flag-officers,  and  to  all  the  Captains, 
except  Captain  Williamson,  who  had  fought  in  the  line ;  most  of 
the  first  Lieutenants  engaged  were  promoted  ;  and  the  King  was  only 
prevented  ^  by  adverse  winds  from  visiting  the  fleet  and  the  prizes. 
On  December  19th,  his  Majesty  went  in  state  to  St.  Paul's  to  return 
'  He  embarked  for  the  purpose  iu  the  Royal  Charlotte  on  October  30th. 


1797.] 


CAPTURE   OF   TRINIDAD. 


333 


thanks  for  the  three  great  naval  victories  which  thus  far  had  blessed 
his  arms  since  the  beginning  of  the  war. 

The  most  important  colonial  expedition  of  the  year  1797  was 
the  one  which  led  to  the  captm-e  of  Trinidad.  On  the  Leeward 
Islands'  station  Eear-Admiral  Henry  Harvey  (1)  commanded,  and, 
in  pursuance  of  instructions,  he  quitted  Port  Eoyal,  Martinique,  on 
February  l'2th,  with  a  squadron,  on  board  of  which  was  a  body 
of  troops  under  Lieut. -General  Sir  Ralph  Abercromby.  At  a 
rendezvous  off  Cari'iacou,  on  the  14th,  he  picked  up  reinforcements, 
and,  on  the  16th,  made  Trinidad,  and  steered  for  the  Gulf  of  Paria 
by  way  of  Boca  Grande.  At  3.30  p.m.,  just  as  the  British  had 
cleared  the  channel,  they  discovered  at  anchor,  in  a  bay  *  within, 
a  Spanish  squadron  of  four  sail  of  the  line  and  a  frigate.^  As  the 
entrance  to  the  enemy's  anchorage  appeared  to  be  well  protected 
by  a  battery  of  twenty  guns  and  two  mortars  posted  upon  the 
island  of  Gaspargrande,  and  as  the  day  was  already  far  advanced, 
Harvey  sent  his  transports,  protected  by  the  Arethusa,  Thorn, 
and  Zebra,  to  find  a  berth  about  five  miles  from  Port  of  Spain,  and 
ordered  the  Alarm,  Favourite,  and  Victorieuse  to  keep  under  sail 
between  the  enemy  and  Port  of  Spain,  while,  with  his  ships  of  the 
line,  he  anchored  within  long  gunshot  of  the  Spanish  ships  and 
batteries,  with  the  intention  of  preventing  the  foe  from  escaping 
during  the  night,  and  of  taking  measures  in  the  morning  for  his 
destruction.     But,   to  the  surprise   of   the   British,  the  Spaniards, 

'  Called  Shaggaramus  Bay  in  the  dispatclies. 

^  Squadron  of  Eear-Admlral  Henry  Harvey  at  the  Capture  of  Trinidad, 
February,  1797,  and  List  of  the  Spanish  Squadron  Burnt  or  Taken  in 
Shaggaramus  Bay  on  February  17th. 


British. 

bl'A-MSn. 

Ships. 

Gims. 

Commanders. 

Ships. 

Grais. 

Commanders. 

iRear-Atlm.    Henry   Har- 

lEear-Adm.  Don  S.  R.  de 

Prince  of  Wales 

98 

i    vey(lKRO- 

ICapt.  John  Harvey  (2). 

San  Vincente  i    . 

80 

<     Apodaca. 

(Capt.  Don  G.  Mendoza. 

BeUona    .     .     . 

74 

„    George  "Wilson. 

Gallardot       .     . 

"4 

„     Do;i.  G.  Sorondo. 

Vengeance     .     . 

VI 

f    „    Tliomas  Macuamara 
I              Eussell. 

Arrof/ante^    .     . 

74 

„     I>uQ  R.  B'jnasa. 

.s'drt  Jjamaso^     . 

74 

„    Don  J.  Jordan. 

Invincible     .     . 

74 

f     „    George      William 
I              Cayley. 

Santa  Cecilia  i   . 

34 

„    Don  M.  Urtesebal. 

Scipio.     .     .     . 

64 

f    „    Charles      Sydney 
\              Davers. 

'  Burnt. 

=  Added  to  the  Navy. 

Arethusa  .     .     . 

38 

„    Thomas  WoUey. 

Alarm. 

32 

„     Edward  Fellowes. 

Favourite.     .     . 

16 

Com.  James  Athol  AVood. 

Zebra  .... 

16 

,, 

Thorn  .... 

16 

,,    John  Hamstead. 

Victorieuse    .     . 

12 

/    ,,    Edward     Stirling 
[              Dickson. 

Terror,  bomb 

3 

,,    Joseph  Westbeach. 

334  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [IT'.iT. 

at  about  2  a.m.  on  the  17th,  began  to  set  fire  to  their  ships,  and, 
ere  dayhght,  ioixr  out  of  the  five  were  practicallj'  destroyed.  The 
fifth,  the  San  Damaso,  74,^  escaped  the  flames,  and  was  brought  off 
without  resistance  by  the  boats  of  the  squadron,  the  Spaniards 
having  evacuated  Gaspargrande  island.  This  was  occupied  in  the 
early  morning  by  part  of  the  Queen's  Regiment,  and,  in  the  course  of 
the  day,  other  troops  were  landed,  without  interruption,  three  miles 
from  Port  of  Spain,  which  was  quietly  entered  that  evening.  On 
the  following  day  the  island  of  Trinidad  peacefully  capitulated.  The 
Spaniards,  it  afterwards  appeared,  had  burnt  their  ships  because  they 
had  barely  half  enough  officers  and  men  wherewith  to  man  them. 

From  Trinidad  Harvey  proceeded  to  the  attack  of  Puerto  Rico,'- 
for  which  island  he  sailed  on  April  8th,  having  been  joined  by  the 
Alfred,  74,  Captain  Thomas  Totty,  Tamer,  38,  Captain  Thomas 
Byam  Martin,  and  a  few  smaller  craft.  He  anchored  off  Congrejos 
point  on  the  17th,  and,  on  the  following  day,  disembarked  some  troops 
with  but  slight  opposition ;  but  San  Juan,  upon  being  reconnoitred, 
was  found  to  be  strongly  fortified,  and  to  be  well  provided  with 
floating  defences ;  and,  after  it  had  been  bombarded  without  effect, 
Abercromby,  on  the  30th,  abandoned  the  enterprise  and  re-embarked 
the  troops,  of  whom  he  had  lost  during  the  operations  31  killed,  70 
wounded,  and  124  prisoners  or  missing.  During  the  rest  of  the  year, 
the  squadron  on  the  Leeward  Islands'  station  confined  its  efforts  to 
capturing  the  enemy's  cruisers  and  protecting  British  trade. 

Vice- Admiral  Sir  Hyde  Parker  (2),  who  commanded  at  Jamaica, 
drove  ashore  ^  and  obliged  the  destruction,  near  Jean  Eabel,  in  San 
Domingo,  of  the  French  frigate  Harmouie,  44,  on  April  16th.  It 
was  discovered  that  she  had  been  sent  to  sea  from  Cape  Fran9ois 
to  convoy  thither  a  number  of  captured  provision-laden  American 
vessels,  which  had  been  collected  at  Port  au  Paix  and  Jean  Eabel 
by  French  privateers.  The  Henniune,  32,  Captain  Hugh  Pigot  (2), 
was  accordingly  despatched,  with  the  Quebec,  32,  Captain  John 
Cooke  (2),  Mermaid,  32,  Captain  Robert  Waller  Otway,  Drake,  16, 

'  Brenton  mistakenly  calls  her  the  Sail  Domingo  (i.  425.) 

2  In  the  meantime,  on  March  22na,  the  Ilcrmio/ic,  32,  Captain  Hugh  Pigut  (2),  had 
most  pluckily  sent  in  her  boats,  imder  Lieutenants  Samuel  Reid  and  Archibald  Douglas, 
and  had  cut  out  or  burnt  from  a  bay  under  a  small  battery  at  the  west  end  of  Puerto 
Eico,  three  French  privateers  and  their  twelve  prizes.  On  the  day  following,  Lieutenant 
Reid  again  landed  and  dismantled  the  battery,  all  without  the  loss  of  a  man.  Tins 
was  six  months  before  the  mutiny  which  is  described  in  the  previous  chapter. 

'  By  means  of  the  Thunderer,  74,  Captain  William  Ugilvy,  and  Vuliaiit,  7-1. 
Captain  Edmund  Crawley. 


1797.]  AFFAIRS   AT  JEAS  BABEL    ASD    CAPE  BOXO.  335 

Commander  John  Perkins,  and  Penelope,  cutter,  Lieutenant  Daniel 
Burdwood,  to  captm'e  or  destroy  the  craft  in  the  last-named  port. 
Towards  midnight  on  April  '20th,  the  boats  of  the  squadron 
were  sent  in,  and  by  4  a.m.  on  the  21st,  in  spite  of  a  heavy 
musketry  fire,  a  ship,  three  brigs,  three  schooners,  and  two  sloops, 
had  been  taken  possession  of,  and  were  standing  out  with  a  land 
breeze.  On  the  night  of  April  6th,  another  resort  of  privateers,  at 
Cape  Roxo,  San  Domingo,  was  raided  by  the  boats  of  the 
Magicienne,  32,  Captain  William  Henry  Eicketts,  and  Begulns,  44, 
Captain  AVilliam  Carthew,  under  the  orders  of  Lieutenants  John 
Maples,  and  Alexander  M'Beath,  assisted  by  Lieutenants  of  Marines 
Philip  Luscombe  Perry  and  George  Frazer,  and  bj-  other  officers. 
The  harbour  was  entered,  thirteen  sail  of  square  rigged  vessels  and 
schooners  lying  in  it  were  taken,  sunk,  or  burnt,  and  two  batteries 
were  destroyed.  Both  at  Jean  liabel  .and  at  Cape  Eoxo  the  work 
was  done  without  the  loss  of  any  British  Ufe.  On  his  way  back  to 
Jamaica  after  his  visit  to  Cape  Eoxo,  Captain  Eicketts'  was  able,  on 
the  22nd,  to  frustrate  a  French  attack  upon  the  port  of  Les  Irois,  near 
Cape  Tibuxon,  and  to  capture  a  privateer  sloop  and  four  schoonei-s, 
besides  a  number  of  field-pieces,  and  a  quantity  of  ammunition  and 
supplies.     In  this  service  the  Navj'  lost  4  killed  and  11  wounded. 

On  other  foreign  stations  no  actions  of  much  importance 
happened  in  the  course  of  1797.  In  North  America  the  Tribune,  44, 
Captain  Scorj'  Barker,  was  unhappily  lost,  with  nearly  all  hands, 
in  particularlj'  sad  circumstances,  off  Herring  Cove,  near  Halifax, 
November  16th ;  and,  at  the  Cape,  as  elsewhere,  the  mutinous 
spirit  then  rife  in  the  Navy  manifested  itself  and  had  to  be  violently 
repressed.  But  allusion  to  this  will  be  found  in  the  previous 
chapter ;  and  such  other  occurrences  as  deserve  mention  may  be 
looked  for   in  the  following  one. 

In  1798,  Admiral  Lord  Bridport,  with  several  flag  officers  under 
him,  continued  to  command  in  the  Channel;  Admiral  Lord  Duncan, 
in  the  North  Sea ;  and  Admiral  Lord  St.  Vincent,  on  the  Mediter- 
ranean and  Lisbon  station.  A^ice-Admiral  Eobert  Kiugsmill  com- 
manded at  Cork  ;  Vice-Admiral  George  Vandeput,  in  North 
America ;  Vice-Admiral  the  Hon.  William  Waldegrave,  at  New- 
foundland ;  Eear- Admiral  Henry  Harvey  (1),  at  the  Leeward  Islands  ; 
Vice-Admiral  Sir  Hyde  Parker  (.2)  at  Jamaica ;  Eear- Admiral 
Thomas  Pringle,  and  later  Eear-Admiral  Sir  Hugh  Cloberry 
'  AVho  then  had  also  in  company  the  Fortune  schooner. 


336  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1798. 

Christian,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope ;  and  Kear-Adminxl  Peter 
Eainier,  in  the  East  Indies.  At  Portsmouth,  Admiral  Sir  Peter 
Parker,  Bart.;  at  Plymouth,  Admiral  Sir  Eichard  King  (1),  Bart.; 
in  the  Downs,  Admiral  Joseph  Pej'ton  (1) ;  and  at  the  Nore,  Vice- 
Admiral  Skeffington  Lutwidge  commanded. 

On  January  25th,  Lord  Bridport  detached  a  division  of  the 
Channel  fleet,  under  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Charles  Thompson,  Bart.,  to 
watch  the  French  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay ;  on  April  9th,  he  detached 
a  smaller  division,  under  Eear-Admiral  Sir  Roger  Curtis,  Bart.,  to 
cruise  off  the  coast  of  Ireland  ;  and,  on  April  I'ith,  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  with  the  main  body  of  the  fleet,  left  St.  Helen's  for  Brest. 
On  the  -ilst,  at  11  a.m.,  as  the  fleet  was  standing  across  the  Iroise  * 
on  the  port  tack,  with  the  wind  N.E.  by  E.,  the  look-out  ships  to 
windward  sighted  and  gave  chase  to  two  sail,  distant  about  12  miles 
to  the  eastward.  At  2  P.M.,  when  the  advanced  British  ships 
were  getting  abreast  of  the  strangers,  a  third  and  much  larger 
vessel  was  seen  in  the  E.S.E.  distant  about  1-5  miles,  working 
up  under  the  shore  towards  Brest.  This  was  chased  by  the 
Mars,  74,  Captain  Alexander  Hood,  BamiUies,  74,  Captain  Henry 
Inman,  and  Jason,  38,  Captain  Charles  Stirling,  the  only  ships  of 
the  fleet  near  enough  to  see  her.  At  6.20  p.m.,  the  RamiUies 
carried  away  her  fore  topmast  and  dropped  astern  ;  but  the  Mars 
continued  to  overhaul  the  French  ship  of  the  line— for  such  she  was 
seen  to  be — and  also  to  outsail  the  Jason. 

At  7.30  P.M.,  when  the  Penmarcks  bore  S.E.^E.,  distant  about 
7  miles,  the  enemy  betrayed  a  design  to  make  his  escape  through 
the  Passage  da  Eaz.  A  little  later  the  Mars  went  about  on  the 
starboard  tack  :  and  at  8.30  p.m.,  when  Bee  du  Eaz  bore  N.  by  E. 
two  or  three  miles,  the  Frenchman  abandoned  the  effort  to  work 
up  against  the  current,  and,  dropping  anchor,  furled  his  sails,  and 
carried  out  a  spring  abaft,  so  as  to  be  able  to  bring  as  heavy  a  fire  as 
possible  to  bear  upon  the  Mars,  then  fast  coming  up.  The  enemy 
was  the  Hercule,  74,  Captain  Louis  L'Heritier,  and  was  on  her  way 
from  Lorient,  where  she  had  been  built,  to  join  the  Brest  fleet. 

At  8.4.5  P.M.,  the  Mars,  which  had  run  the  Jason-  nearly  out  of 
sight,  hauled  up  her  courses,  and,  at  9.15,  received  and  returned 
the  fire  of  the  starboard  broadside  of  the  Hercule ;  but,  prevented 

'  The  Iroise  may  be  called  tlie  wide  outer  bay  of  Brest.     It  lies  outside  the  fifty 
fathom  line,  between  Ushant  and  the  peninsula  of  Douarnenez  which  ends  in  Point  du  Raz. 
'  The  Jason  was  still  two  miles  away  when  the  Hercule  surrendered. 


1798.] 


THE  "  MASS  "    AND    THE  "  BERCULE: 


337 


by  the  current  from  fighting  to  the  best  advantage  under  sail, 
Hood,  at  9.25,  ranged  a  httle  ahead  of  his  opponent,  let  go  an 
anchor,  and  dropped  astern,  the  anchor  on  the  port  bow  of  the 
Mars  hooking  the  anchor  on  the  starboard  bow  of  the  Hercule,  so 
that  the  two  ships  lay  close,  broadside  to  broadside.  From  that 
time  until  10.30,  the  well-matched  74's  fought  with  equal  despera- 
tion ;  and  then,  the  Hercule  having  twice  failed  in  efforts  to  board, 
and  having  suffered  terribly,  hailed  to  announce  her  surrender.^ 
The  damages  of  both  vessels  were  chiefly  confined  to  their  hulls^ 
and  the  French  ship,  by  the  estimate  of  her  own  officers,  had 
lost  290  killed  and  wounded.  The  Mars  also  had  lost  heavily,  but 
far  less  so  than  her  gallant  foe.  She  had  30  killed  or  missing,- 
including  among  the  former.  Captain  Alexander  Hood,  Captain  of 
Marines  Joseph  "Wtite,  and  Midshipman  James  Blythe ;  and  60 
wounded,  including  Lieutenants  George  Argles  and  George  Arnold 
Ford,  and  Midshipman  Thomas  Southey.  Hood^  was  wounded 
twenty  minutes  after  the  beginning  of  the  action,  by  a  ball  in  the 
femoral  artery,  and  died  just  after  the  enemy  had  submitted.  The 
force  of  the  two  ships  is  thus  given  by  James : — 


Broadside  guns 

Crew  on  board 
Tons     .      .      , 


|Xo. 
I  Lbs. 


41 
634 

1  . 9.r>?< 


Hercule. 


39 
985 

680 

1,876 


There  was,  therefore,  little  on  paper  to  choose  between  the  opponents ; 
but,  whereas  the  Mars,  to  quote  Lord  St.  Vincent,  was  "  an  old- 
commissioned,  well-practised  ship,"  the  Hercule  was  brand-new,  and 
had  only  been  twenty-four  hours  out  of  port.  The  command  of 
the  Mars,  after  Hood's  death,  devolved  on  Lieutenant  ^Yilliam 
Butterfield,  who  was  at  once  promoted  to  be  a  Commander. 

The  French  Brest  fleet,  as  a  body,  gave  little  trouble  dming  1798 
to  the  British  commanders  in  the  Channel.  It  was  kept  in  port, 
perhaps  as  an  object  upon  which  the  attention  of  Great  Britain 
might  be  expected  to  concentrate  itself  while  the  Egj'ptian  aspira- 

'  She  was  added  to  the  Navy  undei'  her  old  name. 

°  These  had  probably  been  knocked  overboard  during  the  French  efforts  to  board. 
'  Alexander   Hood   was   a   nephew   of   Lords   Hood   and   Bridport ;    born    1758  ;. 
Commander  and  Captain,  1781. 

VOL.    IV.  Z 


388  MAJOR    OFEJIATJOXS,    1793-180L'.  [1798. 

tions  of  France  were  developing  themselves,  perhaps  as  the  nucleus  of 
a  force  with  which  a  serious  invasion  of  England  was  to  be  attempted. 
Bonaparte  himself  apparently  favoured  the  latter  plan,  for,  in  a  letter' 
of  April  13th,  1798,  he  thus  explained  his  views  on  the  subject  :— 

"  lu  our  ]xii-itiiin  we  ought  to  fight  England  with  success,  and  we  can  do  so. 
Whether  we  have  jieace  or  war,  we  ouglit  to  sjiend  forty  or  fifty  millions  in  re- 
organising our  navy.  Our  land  armj'  will  be  neither  more  nor  less  powerful  in 
consequence ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  war  will  force  England  to  make  inmiensu 
jireparatiuns  which  will  ruin  her  tinances,  destroy  her  commercial  spirit,  and  completely 
change  the  constitution  and  manners  of  her  people.  We  ought  to  spend  the  whole 
summer  in  getting  ready  our  Brest  fleet,  in  exercising  our  seamen  in  the  roadstead,  ami 
in  finishing  the  vessels  which  are  under  construction  at  Eochefort,  Lorient,  and  Brest. 
If  we  jiut  some  energy  into  this  business,  we  may  hope  to  have,  in  September,  thirty- 
tive  ships-  at  Brest,  including  the  four  or  five  which  can  be  built  at  Lorient  and 
Rochefort. 

"Towards  the  end  of  this  month  we  shall  have  in  the  various  ports  of  the  Channel 
nearly  two  hundred  gunboats.  These  sluiuld  be  stationed  at  Cherbourg,  Le  Havre, 
Boulogne,  Dunquerque,  and  Ostend,  and  should  be  utilised  throughout  the  smiimer  for 
training  our  soldiers.  If  we  continue  to  grant  to  the  Commission  des  Cotes  de  La 
Manche  300,000  francs  every  ten  days,  we  can  effect  the  construction  of  two  hundred 
other  boats,  larger  in  size,  and  fit  for  the  transport  of  horses.  Thus  we  should  have  in 
September  four  himdred  gunboats  at  Boulogne  and  thirty-five  shijjs  of  war  at  Brest. 
By  that  time  the  Dutch  should  also  have  twelve  ships  of  war  in  the  Texel. 

"  In  the  Mediterranean  we  have  ships  of  two  kinds :  twelve  ships  of  French  build 
which,  between  now  and  September,  can  be  supplemented  by  two  new  ones ;  and  nine 
of  Venetian  construction.  It  would  be  possible,  after  (the  accomplisliment  of  the 
objects  of)  the  expedition  which  the  government  is  projecting  in  the  Jleditcrranean, 
to  send  round  the  fourteen  to  Brest,  and  to  retain  in  the  Mediterranean  only  the  nine 
Venetian  ships ;  and  thus,  in  the  course  of  October  or  November,  we  should  have  at 
Brest  fifty  men  of  war  and  nearly  as  many  frigates. 

"  It  would  then  be  possible  to  transport  to  any  desired  spot  in  England  40,000  men, 
without  even  fighting  a  naval  action  if  the  enemy  should  be  in  sti'ouger  force ;  for, 
while  40,000  men  would  threaten  to  cross  in  the  four  hundred  gunboats  and  in  as 
many  Boidogne  fishing-boats,  the  Dutch  squadron,  with  10,000  men  on  board,  would 
threaten  to  land  in  Scotland.  An  invasion  of  England,  carried  out  in  that  way,  and 
in  the  month  of  November  or  December,  would  be  almost  certainly  successful. 
England  would  exhaust  herself  by  an  effort  which,  thougli  immense,  wovdd  not  protect 
her  against  our  invasion. 

"  The  truth  is  that  the  expedition  to  the  East  will  oblige  the  enemy  to  send  six 
additional  ships  of  war  to  India,  and  perhaps  twice  as  many  frigates  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Red  Sea.  She  wouM  be  forcal  to  have  from  twenty-two  to  twenty-five  ships  at 
the  entrance  to  the  ilediterranean  ;  sixty  before  Brest ;  and  twelve  off  the  Texel :  and 
these  would  make  a  total  of  a  himdred  and  three  ships  of  war,  besides  those  already  in 
America  and  India,  and  besides  the  ten  or  twelve  50-gun  shi]is  and  the  score  of  frigates 
which  she  would  have  to  keep  ready  to  oppose  the  invasion  from  Boulogne.  In  the 
meantime  we  should  always  be  masters  of  the  Mediterranean,  seeing  that  we  should 
have  there  nine  ships  of  Venetian  build. 


'  '  Victoires  et  Conquetes,'  x.  375. 

''  Bonaparte  speaks  of  "  vaisseaux  de   guerre,"  or   simply  "  vaisseaux,"  when  he 
means  "ships  of  the  line." 


a798.]  THE  INVASION   FLOTILLA.  339 

"  There  would  be  yet  another  way  of  augmenting  our  forces  in  that  sea ;  that  is,  by 
making  Spain  cede  three  vessels  of  war  and  three  frigates  to  the  Ligurian  Republic. 
That  republic  can  no  longer  be  anything  more  than  a  French  department ;  it  possesses 
more  than  20,000  excellent  seamen.  It  is  excellent  policy  on  the  part  of  France  to 
favour  the  Ligurian  Kepublic,  and  even  to  see  to  it  that  she  shall  possess  a  few  ships 
of  war.  Should  difficulties  be  foreseen  in  inducing  Spain  tu  hand  over  to  us  or  to  the 
Ligurian  Republic  three  vessels  of  war,  I  think  that  we  ourselves  might  usefully  sell 
to  the  Ligurian  Republic  three  of  the  nine  ships  which  we  have  taken  from  the 
Venetians,  insisting  that  the  Republic  shall  construct  three  more  for  itself.  We 
should  find  that  we  had  thus  gained  a  good  squadron  manned  by  good  seamen.  AVith 
the  money  which  we  should  have  from  the  Ligurians  we  might  cause  three  good 
■vessels  of  our  own  construction  to  be  biult  at  Toulon ;  for  the  ships  of  Venetian  build 
require  as  manj'  sailors  as  a  fine  74 ' ;  and  sailors  are  our  weak  point.  In  future 
-events  which  may  occur,  it  will  be  much  to  our  advantage  that  the  three  Italian 
republics,  which  should  balance  the  forces  of  the  King  of  Naples  and  the  Grand  Uuke 
of  Tuscany,  shall  have  a  stronger  navy  than  that  of  the  King  of  Naples." 

But,  although  the  Brest  fleet  lay  beyond  reach  of  attack,  there 
was  plenty  to  occupy  the  attention  of  the  British  force  in  the 
Channel  during  1798.  Since  the  autumn  of  1797,  all  the  harbours 
■along  the  coast,  from  Antwerp  to  Cherbourg,  had  been  rapidly 
filling  with  gun-vessels  and  flat-bottomed  boats  for  the  much 
advertised  invasion  of  England.  The  creation  and  maintenance 
■of  this  flotilla  was  the  business  of  that  Commission  des  Cotes  de  La 
Manche  of  which  Bonaparte  spoke  in  the  above  letter.  The 
Commission  consisted  of  General  Andreossi,  director-general,  M. 
Forfait,^  director,  and  Eear-Admiral  La  Crosse,  inspector-general ; 
and  as  local  inspectors,  under  La  Crosse,  were  Captains  Gan- 
teaume,  Decres,  Dumanoir  Le  Pelley,  and  de  Casa  Bianca.  The  flat- 
bottomed  boats,  which  were  built  by  hundreds  by  order  of  the 
commission,  were  popularly  known  as  "  bateaux  a  la  Muskein," 
after  an  Antwerper  named  Muskein  who  had  introduced  the  plans 
of  them  to  France ;  but  the  plans  themselves  seem  to  have  been  the 
work  of  the  Swedish  naval  architect  Chapman.  As  these  boats,  and 
the  seamen  and  soldiers  who  were  intended  to  man  them,  accumu- 
lated in  the  ports,  it  occurred  to  the  French  authorities  that,  pending 
the  sailing  of  the  flotilla,  parts  of  it  might  l)e  usefully  employed  for 
local  purposes.  It  was,  moreover,  desirable  to  familiarise  the  men 
with  the  vessels,  and  to  prevent  them  from  stagnating  in  idleness. 

In  the  road  of  St.  Vaast,  within  sight  of  La  Hougue,  he  the 
two   small   islands  of   St.  Marcou.     They  are  three  or   four  miles 

'   Bonaparte  apparently,  therefore,  contemphited  tlie  building  at  Toulon  of  onlv 
IJO  or  64  gun  sliips.     Otherwise  it  is  hard  to  grasp  his  meaning. 

'^  Pierre  A.  L.  Forfait,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  naval  architects  and  marine 
"engineers  of  his  time.     Born,  1752;  died,  1807. 

z  2 


340  MAJOR    OPEBATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1798. 

distiint  from  the  shore,  and  near  the  route  of  coasters  plJ^ng  between 

Le  Havre  and  Cherboui-g.     As  he  considered  they  would  form  a  good 

base  for  harassing  the  traffic  between  those  two  ports,  Captain  Sir 

William  Sidney  Smith,  of  the  Diamond,  38,  took  possession  of  them 

in  Jiily,  1795,  without  opposition  ;  and  they  were  subsequently  held 

by  a  force  of  about  500  seamen  and  Marines,  and  placed  under  the 

orders  of  Lieutenant  Charles  Papps  Price,  of  the  Badger,  4,  a  Dutch 

hoy  which  had  been  purchased  and  armed  for  the  service.     It  was 

determined  by  the  French  to  attempt  the  recapture  of  these  islands. 

On  April  8th,  the  Diajnond,  38,  Captain  Sir  Eichard  John  Strachan, 

and  Hydra,    38,   Captain   Sir  Francis    Laforey,    discovered   in   the 

Eoad  of  Caen  thirty-three  flat-bottomed  boats,  which,  accompanied 

by  a  few  gun-brigs  and  commanded  by  Muskein '  in  person,  were  on 

their  waj'  from  Le  Havre  to  St.  Marcou  to  oust  the  little  garrison. 

The  British  frigates  worked  up  to  the  enemy  and  opened  fire,  but, 

owing  to  the  grounding  of  the  Diamond,  were  unable  to  effect  much 

that  night.     On  the  following  morning  the  flotilla  proceeded  to  the 

westward  ;  but,  upon  the  appearance  in  the  offing  of  the  Adatnanf, 

50,  Captain  William  Hotham  {-2),  it  ran  back  to  the  eastward,  pursued 

by  the  frigates,  and  finally  took  refuge  in  the  Orne.     There  it  was 

in  time  joined  by  about  40  additional  flats  and  armed  fishing-boats, 

and  seven  gun-brigs  from  Cherbourg  ;  and   at  length,  quitting  his 

shelter,  Captain  Muskein,  with  his  largelj'  increased  force,  made  his 

way  unobserved  along  the  coast  as  far  as  the  road  of  La  Hougue, 

where  he  lay,  awaiting  neap  tides  and   calm  weather,  in  order  ta 

attack  Lieutenant  Price. 

His  opportunity  came  on  the  night  of  May  6th.     The  British 

had  warning  of  his  approach ;  but,  owing  to  the  utter  absence  of 

wind,  the  Adamant,  50,  Eurydice,  24,  Captain  John  Talbot,  and 

Orcsfcs,    18,    Commander  William   Haggitt,    the   only   cruisers    in 

the  neighbourhood,  could  not  get    near   the   islands    to   co-operate 

in  their  defence.     In  the  darkness,  the  French,  who  brought  up  no 

fewer  than   52  craft,  having    on   board  five  or   six  thousand  men, 

stationed   themselves   in  the   most  advantageous  positions  ;  and  at 

daybreak  on  the  7th  the  enemy's  brigs  were  seen  to  be  ranged  at  a 

distance  of  about  350  yards  from  the  British  works,  which  instantly 

opened  fire  upon  them  from  the  only  17  ^  guns  which  would  at  first 

bear.      The   French   replied   vigorously,    and    their  flats    advanced 

'  Made  oapitaine  de  vaisseau  in  the  French  navy. 

^  Six  24-iiounders,  two  6-pounders,  four  4-i)ouuders,  two  32-iiOunder  carronades,. 
and  three  24-pouuder  carronades.     These  had  been  borrowed  from  ships  on  tlie  station 


1798.] 


FRENCH  REPULSE  AT  ST.    MARCOU. 


341 


with  great  determination  in  order  to  land  their  men  ;  hut,  when  six 
or  seven  flats  had  been  sunk,  the  rest  were  glad  to  retire.  The  loss 
of  the  attacking  force  was  never  officially  announced ;  but  one 
French  authority  has  put  it  at  upwards  of  1200  killed,  drowned  and 
wounded.  On  the  British  side,  but  one  man  was  killed,  and  only 
four  were  wov;nded,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  defence  had  been 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  upwards  of  80  guns.  As  the  enemy  drew  off, 
the  three  British  cruisers  managed  to  get  within  range,  but  the  calm 
prevented  them  from  cutting  off  the  retreat  of  the  flotilla.  Lieu- 
tenant Charles  Papps  Price,  who  commanded  the  whole  position, 
and  Lieutenant  Richard  Bourne  (1),  of  the  Sandfly,  5,  who  com- 
manded the  eastern  island,  were  promoted  for  this  service  to  be 
Commanders. 

But  all  the  encounters  which  resulted  from  the  threatened 
invasion  of  England  were  not  equally  successful.  In  the  spring 
of  the  year  it  became  known  to  the  British  government  that  very 
many  small  craft  were  fitting  at  Flushing  for  the  transport  of 
troops,  and  were  about  to  be  conveyed,  by  way  of  the  Bruges 
Canal,  to  Ostend  and  thence  to  Dunquerque.  It  was  determined,^ 
if  possible,  to  frustrate  this  plan  by  destroying  the  lock  gates  and 
sluices  at  Ostend,  and  so  rendering  the  canal  useless  ;  and,  for  the 
purpose,  the  naval  force  mentioned  in  the  note  ^  was  entrusted  to 
Captain  Home  Riggs  Popham  ;  and  a  body  of  troops  under  Major 
General  Sir  Eyre  Coote  was  embarked  in  the  vessels  composing  it. 


and  were  on  the  western  island.     The  work  on  the  eastern  i-slaud,  where  Lieutenant 
Richard    Bourne   (1)   commanded,   mounted,    among    other    gtms,    two    68-pounder 
carronades ;  but  it  could  not  do  much  tmtil  towards  the  close  of  the  action. 
'  Popliam  Papers,  in  Author's  Coll. 

^  Expedition  to  Ostend,  under  Captain  Popham  and  Major-Geneiial 
Sir  Eyhe  Coote,  Mat,  1798; — 


Ships. 


Commanders. 


.•^hips, 


Expalition,  flute  (44) 

Ciri:e     .     .      . 
Vestal  .      .      . 
Ariaitne 
i-^hntitpioii  . 
Htlie,  (iiHe(:i8) 
Minerve.  (lute  (42 
Jlruid,  flute  (32) 
Harpy,  brig     . 

Savage  . 

Dart  .  .  . 
Kite,  brig  .  . 
Tartaiitu,  bomb 


(Capt. 


•28 
28 
20 
24 
14 


18 
16 


Home  IMpgs  Pop- 
ham. 

Robert  Wintlirop. 

Charles  \\  bite. 

James  Bradby(2). 

Henry  Itaper. 

William  Hirchall. 

Jolm  Mackellar. 

Charles  Apthorp. 

Henrj-  Bazely. 

Norborue  Thomp- 
sou. 

Richard  Raggett. 

William  Brown. 

Thomas  Hand. 


JM-la,  lM}mb 
M'olferine  . 
Blazer' 
Barrier 
Vesuve  .     . 

Crash'  .      . 

Uox'-r'  .  . 
At-Utel  .  . 
Aspi      .     . 

yarnace'    . 

Vigilant     . 

niter'    .     . 


Commanders. 


Cora.  James  Oughton. 
Lieut.  Lewis  Mortlock. 

.,      D Burgess. 

,,      Thomas  Lowen. 

„      William  Elliott. 
f     „      Bulk  ley  .Mack- 
l  worth. 

,.      Thomas  (iilbert. 

, ,      .Jeremiah  leavers. 

,,  Joseph  Edmonds, 
f  ,,  .Maurice  William 
I  SuL-klicg. 

.Tohn     Denis     de 
Vitre. 


i( 


•  Carr>iDg  ten  18-pr.  carronadcs,  besides  two  loug  24-prs. 


342  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    17!13-1H02.  [1798. 

The  expedition  assembled  off  Margate,  sailed  for  the  opposite 
coast  on  May  14th,  and  anchored  off  Ostend  at  1  a.m.  on  May  19th. 
Although  the  weather  was  most  unfavourable,  all  the  troops,'  with 
the  exception  of  those  on  board  the  Mitirrrc,  which  had  parted 
company  and  had  not  yet  rejoined,  were  at  once  landed  to  the 
north-east  of  the  town  without  opposition.  At  about  4.1.5  a.m.,  the 
Ostend  batteries,  having  been  alarmed,  opened  fire  upon  the  nearest 
British  vessels,  the  Wolverine,  Asp,  and  Biter,  and,  by  about  8.30^ 
had  so  severely  damaged  the  two  former,  that  Popham  signalled  to 
them  to  weigh  and  move  further  out.  The  Hecla  and  Tartarus  had 
already  begun  to  shell  the  town  and  harbour;  and,  upon  the  with- 
drawal of  the  Wolverine  and  As}),  the  Dart,  Kite,  and  Harpij  took  their 
places  as  nearly  as  the  fact  of  its  then  being  low  tide  would  admit. 

At  9.30  A.M.  the  Miiierve  rejoined  ;  and  her  Commander  went 
ashore  by  Popham's  order  to  report  her  arrival  to  the  general. 
Lieut. -Colonel  Ward,  with  part  of  the  First  Eegiment  of  Guards, 
would  also  have  hastened  on  shore  from  the  Minerve,  had  he  not 
been  stopped  and  dissuaded  while  on  his  way  by  the  prudent 
counsels  of  Captain  James  Bradby  (2),  of  the  Ariadne. 

The  lock  gates  and  sluices,  together  with  several  gunboats,  are 
said  to  have  been  destroyed  by  the  troops  at  10.20  a.m.  ;  but  at 
noon,  when  it  was  sought  to  re-embark,  the  weather  was  fomid 
to  render  the  attempt  perfectly  hopeless.  The  British  had,  in 
consequence,  to  remain  ;  and,  ])eing  attacked  on  the  20th  by  the 
French  in  force,  they  were  obliged,  after  they  had  lost  65  killed 
and  wounded,  to  capitulate.  Among  those  who  surrendered  was 
Commander  Mackellar,  of  the  Minm-e.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
the  objects  to  be  attained  justified  the  risks  involved  in  this  un- 
fortunate expedition ;  it  is  still  more  doubtful  whether  those 
objects  were  attained,  for  the  French  deny  the  fact ;  and  it  is 
certain  that,  whether  the  objects  were  attained  or  not,  the  troops 
ought  never  to  have  been  landed  at  a  time  when  every  indication 
went  to  show  that  it  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to 
re-embark  them  until  after  the  lapse  of  some  days. 

Anotlier  action  in  which  the  invasion  flotilla  was  concerned 
took  place  on  May  30th.  Early  in  the  morning  of  that  day, 
the  Hydra,  38,  Captain  Sir  Francis  Laforey,  the  Vesuvius, 
bomb,  8,  Commander  Eobert  Lewis  Fitzgerald,  and  the  Trial, 
cutter,  12,  Lieutenant  Henry  Gan-ett,  while  standing  in  towards 
'   .\liii\it  1140  (iITkhts  iuiil  iHcn,  witli  six  guns. 


1798]  HUMBERTS   EXPEDITION   TO   IRELAND.  343 

Le  Havre  to  observe  the  preparations  there,  discovered  the  French 
frigate  Confiante,  36,  Captain  E.  Pevrieux,  which,  accompanied  by 
the  Vesuve,  20,  and  a  cutter,  was  bound  from  Le  Havre  to  Cherbourg. 
The  British  ships  chased  the  Frenchmen  back  towards  Le  Havre, 
the  Hydra  warmly  engaging  the  Confiante  for  about  50  minutes,  at 
the  expiration  of  which  time  the  latter  ran  herself  ashore  opposite 
Beuzeval,  and  the  Vesui^e,  harassed  by  the  Vesuvius  and  Trial, 
beached  herself  under  a  liattery  near  the  mouth  of  the  Dives.  On 
the  following  morning  the  boats  of  the  Hydra,  under  Lieutenants 
George  Acklom,  and  William  Joseph  Symons,  burnt  the  Confiante, 
which  had  been  abandoned  by  her  people  ;  but  the  Vesuve,  being 
refloated,  escaped,  and  joined  Muskein's  gunboats  and  flats.  These 
lay  at  Sallenelle,  so  well  protected  by  batteries  that  it  was  judged 
useless  to  attempt  to  attack  them.  The  destruction  of  the  Confiante 
was  effected  without  any  loss  on  the  British  side. 

The  disaffection  in  Ireland,  which,  at  the  end  of  1796,  had 
encouraged  the  Directory  to  attempt  to  send  French  troops  to  the 
island,  developed,  in  1798,  into  open  rebeUion.  Apart  from  the  fact 
that  the  Eepviblicans  in  Paris  were,  to  a  large  extent,  morally 
responsible  for  the  outbreak,  and  were,  therefore,  morally  bound 
to  support  it  in  every  way,  it  was  obviously  to  the  advantage  of 
France  to  lose  no  opportunity  of  feeding  and  fanning  a  con- 
flagration that  could  not  but  gravely  preoccupy  Great  Britain, 
and  add  immensely  to  her  numerous  anxieties.  It  cannot  be  said 
that  the  Republic  manifested  great  promptitude  in  proceeding  to 
the  assistance  of  its  unfortunate  and  over  confiding  pupils ;  yet, 
after  much  delay,  it  organised  two  independent  expeditions,  which 
were  to  have  sailed  simultaneously,  one  from  Rochefort  and  one 
from  Brest.  Owing  to  lack  of  money  at  the  latter  port  for  the  pay- 
ment of  the  forces,  the  plan  for  the  simultaneous  departure  of  the  two 
squadrons  was  not  carried  out ;  and  the  Rochefort  division,  which 
had  on  board  11.50  troops  and  1  field-guns,  under  General  Humbert, 
with  a  quantity  of  ammunition,  arms,  and  accoutrements,  was  the 
first  to  leave.     This  division  consisted  of  the  following  ships  : — 

,,           ,  ,„  (Commodore  Daniel  SavaiT. 

Concord,    ...  40  (capt.  Andre  Pa,.in. 

Franchiae  .      .      .  3G           „     J-  L.  Guiliotiii. 

Medee  ....  36           „     J.  D.  Coudin. 

Venus  ....  28           „     A.  Senez. 

Savary  weighed  from  Aix  road  on  August  6th,  1798,  and,  on 
the  22nd  of  the  same  month,  anchored  off  Kilcummin  Head,  at  the 


344  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1798. 

mouth  of  Killala  Bay,  iu  Mayo.     That  evening  he  disembarked  his 

troops,  in  face  of  a  very  feeble  resistance ;  and,  on  September  7th, 

having  returned  to  France  without  sighting  an  enemy,  anchored  in 

the  mouth  of  the  Gironde.     On  the  following  day,  Humbert,  after 

having  won  some  successes  and  marched  halfway  across  Ireland, 

was   obliged   to   surrender   to   the   British   forces   at   Ballinamuck. 

That  Savary  escaped  the  attention,  both  going  and  retmning,  of 

the  very  numerous  British  line-of-battle  ships  and  cruisers  in  the 

Bay  and  at   the  mouth  of   the  Channel,  aud   of   the  considerable 

squadron   of    frigates   on    the   Irish   station,    is,    upon   the   whole, 

surprising ;  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  expedition  was 

one  which,  in  itself,  was  almost  entirely  impotent  either  for  good  or 

for  evil.      The  squadron  was  not    strong  enough  to  defend   itself 

against  any  but  the  smallest  naval  flotilla ;  the  coi-ps  of  Humbert 

was   not   strong    enough   by   itself    to   meet   a   couple   of    British 

regiments.      The  raid  could  have  produced  effect  only  by  evasion 

in  the  first  place,  and  by  powerful  Irish  co-operation  in  the  second. 

A  serious  invasion  is  a  different  affair  altogether.      It   cannot   be 

organised  in  holes  and  corners  ;  it  cannot  move  with  the  secrecy 

and  speed  of   a   little   frigate  squadron ;    and   it   cannot   afford   to 

neglect  a  "  potential  fleet."     Therefore,  although  Savary  went  and 

retm-ned  unobserved,  and  although  Humbert  was,  as  it  were,  flung 

ashore  to  shift  for  himself,  it  by  no  means  follows  that,  had  Savary 

had   a  more  formidable  squadron,  and   Humbert  a  force  of  more 

independent  character,  the  expedition  would  have  enjoyed  even  that 

very  qualified  deg);ee  of  success  which  actually  attended  it.     That 

such   is  the  case  is  shown  by  the  history  of   the  second   French 

expedition  of  1798  to  Ireland. 

This  was  a  much  more  serious  expedition,  consisting,  as  it  did, 

of  about  3000  troops  under  Generals  Menage  and  Hardy,  a  number 

of  field  and  siege  guns,  and  a  vast  quantity  of  stores,  embarked  in 

the  ships  named  below  : — 

IIoche\      ...        74     jCounuoaore.T  B.F  Bunipart. 
ILapt.  D.  M.  Maistral. 
„      M.  C.  15erj;evin. 
„      A.  J.  Si'i;oiuL 
„      J.  F.  Legraiul. 
„      L.  de  I'eronne. 
„      L.  L.  Jacb. 
„     J.  P.  Bergcau. 
„      X.ClenientdeLa  Houcieie. 
„     M.  A.  Lacouture. 
„     Lieut.  J.  M.  P.  La  Bastard. 

»  Ex  I*egase.     Renamed  iu  bouour  of  General  Hocbe,  wlio  had  died  .it  Wetzlar  ou  September  I8tb,  170". 


JJt/t,/tC       . 

Romaiiie    . 

1  "I 

.       40 

Loivf    . 

.       40 

Jmmoitalife 

.       40 

Co/uiUc 

.       36 

Uel/one. 

.       3(; 

Resohie 

30 

Emhuscudf 

.       36 

Semillaute . 

.       36 

Biche    .      . 

.       36 

1798.]  BOMPARTS   EXPEDITION   TO    IRELAyD.  345 

Bompart  sailed  from  Brest  on  the  evening  of  September  16th, 
hoping  to  get  out  unobserved  during  the  night  by  waj'  of  the 
Passage  du  Eaz.  But,  at  dayhght  on  the  17th,  he  was  seen  by 
the  Boadicea,  38,  Captain  Eichard  Goodwin  Keats,  Ethalion,  38, 
Captain  George  Countess,  and  Sylph,  IS,  Commander  John 
Chambers  \\1iite,  cruisers  belonging  to  the  Channel  fleet.  Keats 
at  once  went  northward  to  communicate  with  Lord  Bridport,  and 
Countess  and  White  kept  company  with  the  French  and  watched 
their  motions.  On  the  18th,  at  2  a.m.,  the  Ethalion  and  Sylph 
were  joined  by  another  cruiser,  the  Amelia,  44,  Captain  the  Hon. 
Charles  Herbert.  That  morning  the  French,  after  working  up  as  if 
they  intended  to  make  Lorient,  chased  the  British  frigates,  but 
without  success.  They  then  steered  as  if  they  might  be  bound  for 
the  West  Indies.  On  the  20th,  the  Anson,  44,  Captain  Philip 
Charles  Durham,  joined  Countess.  At  noon  that  day  the  British 
were  in  latitude  46'  27'  N.,  and  longitude  5'  3'  W.,  and  the  French 
were  nearly  huU  down  to  the  S.W.  by  S.  At  noon  on  the  22nd, 
Bompart  was  seen  to  be  steering  W.N.W.,  and,  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  23rd,  Countess,  having  no  longer  much  doubt  as  to  the  real 
•destination  of  the  foe,  sent  the  Sylph  to  warn  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  on  the  Irish  station. 

The  three  British  frigates  kept  the  enemy  in  sight  until  the 
evening  of  October  4th,  and  then,  the  weather  being  dirty  and  there 
springing  up  a  gale  from  the  S.S.E.,  they  hauled  up.  On  the  7th, 
the  Amelia  parted  company  ;  on  the  9th,  the  Anson  rolled  away 
her  main  topmast  and  mizen  top-gallant-mast ;  and  on  the  11th 
Coimtess  and  Dm-ham  joined  the  squadron  of  Commodore  Sir  John 
Borlase  Warren  off  the  coast  of  Donegal. 

Wan-en  had  been  despatched  from  Cawsand  Bay  on  September 
23rd,  when  it  became  known  that  Bompart  had  sailed,  and  had 
made  direct  for  Achill  Head,  it  being  supposed  that  the  French,  if 
bound  for  Ireland,  would  steer  for  some  point  not  very  far  distant 
from  that  at  which  Humbert  had  landed.  He  had  been  joined  on 
the  10th  by  two  frigates,  which  had  left  Lough  Swilly  in  con- 
sequence of  the  intelligence  brought  by  the  Sylph,  and  one  of  which, 
the  Doris,  36,  Captain  Lord  Kanelagh,  he  immediately  detached 
to  warn  the  coast.  On  the  following  day,  reinforced  by  Countess 
and  Durham,  his  squadron  consisted  of:  — 


346  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1798. 


MAJOR 

OPERATIONS,    1793-1802. 

Canada 

74 

Commodure  Sir  John  Borlasc  Warren. 

Foadroyarit 

80 

Cajit.  Sir  Thomas  Bj-ard. 

Robust .... 

74 

„      Edward  Thorubroiigli. 

Magnanimc     . 

44 

„      Hon.  Michael  de  Courcy  (1). 

Anson  .... 

44 

„      Philip  Charles  Durham. 

Amelia 

44 

„      Hon.  Charle.«i  Herbert. 

Ethalion     . 

38 

„     George  Coimtess. 

Melampus  . 

36 

„     Graham  Moore. 

It  had,  in  fact,  been  intended  by  the  French  to  disembark  in 
Killala  Bay  ;  but,  it  not  being  known  what  had  become  of  Humbert, 
and  it  being  imagined  that  he  would  be  found  somewhat  more  to 
the  northward,  it  was  determined  to  attempt  to  land  in  Lough 
Swilly.  On  the  11th,  at  noon,  however,  Bompart  was  on  his  way 
thither,  and  was  bearing  up  for  Tory  Island,  when  his  leading  ship, 
the  Immortalite,  signalled  the  appearance  of  the  British  to  leeward. 
Bompart,  in  consequence,  eventually  bore  away  to  the  south-west, 
intending  to  land  his  troops  at  any  point  where  occasion  should 
offer.  Warren,  on  learning  of  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  instantly 
ordered  a  general  chase,  and  directed  his  ships  "  to  form  in 
succession  as  they  aiTived  up  with  the  enemy."  That  night 
it  blew  very  hard  from  N.N.W. ;  and,  while  the  Ansou  carried 
away  her  mizen-mast,  main-yard,  and  main-topsail  yard,  the 
Hoche,  still  more  unfortunate,  lost  her  main-topmast  and  her 
fore  and  mizen  top-gallantmasts,  and  the  ResoJuc  sprang  a  bad 
leak.  Soon  after  5.30  a.m.  on  the  12th,  when  the  two  squadrons 
were  again  able  to  see  one  another,  the  following  were,  according 
to  James,  their  relative  positions  : — 

"  The  French  squadron,  loosely  formed  in  two  rather  distant  lines,  with  the  Hvche^ 
who  had  bent  herself  a  new  mainsail,  in  the  centre  of  the  second  line,  was  standing  to 
the  south-west,  the  wind,  as  before,  from  the  north-north-west,  but  now  very  moderate. 
Right  astern,  at  the  distance  of  about  four  miles,  were  the  Robust  and  Magnaiihne; 
about  a  point  on  the  lee  quarter,  at  a  somewhat  greater  distance,  the  Amelia  ;  a  little 
further  forw  ard  in  that  direction,  and  at  about  the  same  distance,  the  Melampus ;  a 
little  before  the  lee  beam,  at  the  distance  of  seven  or  eight  miles,  the  Futidmyanf ;  and 
on  the  lee  bow,  about  a  mile  nearer,  the  Canada.^  The  Anson,  at  this  time,  was  not 
in  sight  01  either  squadron.  Consequently,  M.  Bompart,  in  his  crippled  state,  the  wind 
being  in  the  north-west,  found  ever)'  avenue  of  escajie  shut  against  him,  except  the 
south-west,  the  direction  in  which  he  was  steering." 

By  7  A.M.,  M.  Bompart  had  formed  his  ships  in  a  single 
straggling  line  ahead,  the  order  being :  SemiUante,  Bomaine, 
Bellone,  Immortalite,  Loire,  Hoche,  Coquille,  Emhuscade.  The 
Resolue  had  previously  gone  in  shore   as  a  precautionary  measure, 

'  The  position  of  the  hthalion  is  not  here  given.  She  seems  to  have  been  near 
the  Amelia. 


179P.] 


WARREN'S  ACTION    WITH  BOMPART. 


347 


on  account  of  her  leakiness ;  and  the  Biche  had  been  sent  after  her 
with  orders.  Warren  was  thus  in  every  way  superior  to  his  enemy, 
and  could  have  easily  afforded  to  keep  flying  the  signal  for  a  general 
chase ;  but,  instead,  he  formed  line  of  battle,  directing  the  Robust 
to  lead,  "  and  the  rest  of  the  ships  to  form  in  succession  in  the  rear 
of  the  van."  This  order  brought  the  Eobusf,  which  was  followed  by 
the  Magnanime,  within  long-range  stern  fire  of  the  Embiiscade  and 
Coqiiille  at  about  7.10  a.m.  About  fifteen  minutes  later, ^  the  Bobusf, 
having  retm-ned  the  fire  of  the  two  Frenchmen,  hauled  up  her 
mainsail,  and,  taking  in  her  spanker,  bore  down  to  leeward  of 
them.  By  8.50  a.m.,  she  closed  in  this  manner  with  the  Hoche, 
and  began  a  hot  action  with  her,  broadside  to  broadside,  checking 


COMMEMor.ATIVE    MEDAL    OE    WABHEX's    ACTIUX,    OCT.    IL'TH,    IT'J)^. 
iFnim  an  in-i'jiniil  lent  htj  H.S.H.  C<!pt.  Pri/tcc  Liniis  nf  Bnttcnhcra,  U.K.) 

her  way  to  keep  alongside  of  the  enemy.  The  Magnanime  engaged 
the  Embuscade  and  CoqitiUe,  and,  passing  on  to  leeward  of  the 
Bobiisf,  had  to  starboard  her  helm  to  clear  the  latter.  The  Loire, 
Inunortalite,  and  Bellone  bore  out  of  line  to  rake  her  as  she  did  so; 
but  they  were  soon  driven  to  resume  their  south-west  course,  the 
Foudroijant,  Amelia,  and  Ethalion  then  coming  up.  These  ships, 
as  well  as  the  Melamjjus  '  and  Canada,  all  helped  more  or  less  to 
distress  the  Hoche,  which  at  10.50  a.m.,  after  a  brilliant  defence, 
struck.^      The   Embuscade,  badly  treated  first   by  the  Magiianimr 

'  I.e.,  at  7.2.3  A.M.,  when  the  Bosses  bore  from  the  Canada,  S.S.W.,  distant 
fifteen  miles. 

'  Captain  Moore  either  did  not  see,  or  neglected,  Warren's  signal  to  form  line,  and 
so  got  into  action  much  sooner  than  he  could  otherwise  have  done. 

^  In  the  Hoche  was  Wolfe  Tone,  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Irish  insurgents. 


348  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1798. 

and  afterwards  by  the  Foudroyant,  surrendered  at  11.30  to  the 
Magncuiime,  which,  having  herself  suffered  severely,  remained  by 
her  prize.  The  other  British  ships,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Bobtist,  which  was  disabled,  and  the  Anson,  which  was  still 
struggling  up  from  the  south-east,  chased  vigorously  ;  the  results 
being  that  the  CoquiUe  struck  in  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  and 
that  the  Bellone,  after  having  made  a  desperate  resistance  to  the 
Foudroyant  and  Melampus  in  succession,  hauled  down  to  the 
Ethalion,  but  not  until  she  had  fought  her  for  very  nearly  two 
hours.  The  other  French  vessels  escaped  for  the  moment,  and,  as 
they  got  away,  engaged  the  Anson,  and  inflicted  considerable  damage 
upon  her. 

The  British  losses  were  as  follows :  Canada,  1  wounded 
(mortally);  Foudroyant,  9  wounded;  Robust,  10  killed,  40  wounded  ; 
Magnanime,  7  wounded  ;  Anson,  2  killed,  13  wounded  ;  Ethalion, 
1  killed,  4  wounded  ;  and  Melampus,  1  wounded ;  total,  13  killed, 
and  75  wounded.  No  one  in  the  Amelia  was  hurt,  and  the  only 
British  officers  injured  were  Lieutenant  David  Colby,  and  Lieu- 
tenant of  Marines  William  Cottle,  both  of  the  Robust.  This  was, 
all  things  considered,  a  very  slight  loss  ;  for  the  French  had  fought 
well.  Of  the  prizes,  the  Hoche  had  270  killed  and  wounded ;  the 
Embuscade,  15  killed  and  26  wounded  ;  the  CoquiUe,  18  killed  and 
31  wounded  ;  and  the  Bellone,  35  ^  killed  and  wounded.  The  Hoche 
(renamed  Donegal),  Bellone  (renamed  Proserpine),  and  Embuscade, 
were  added  to  the  Royal  Navy.  The  CoquiUe  probably  would  have 
been,  had  she  not  been  accidentally  burnt  at  Plymouth  on 
December  14th,  1798. 

It  can  hardly  be  said  that  Warren's  conduct  of  this  little  action 
was  particularly  brilliant,  or  that  his  subsequent  dispositions  were 
particularly  wise ;  for,  in  consequence  of  his  having  ordered  the 
Robust,  which  was  seriously  crippled  aloft,  to  tow  the  still  more 
disabled  Hoche  into  Lough  Swilly,  he  narrowly  escaped  losing  the 
largest  of  his  prizes.  Indeed,  had  not  the  Doris,  36,  Captain  Lord 
Ranelagh,  come  to  the  Robust's  assistance,  and  had  not  the  crew  of 
the  Hoche  most  loyally  worked  to  save  their  ship  for  her  captors,  the 
74  must  in  all  probability  have  been  abandoned,  or  retaken.  Yet 
the  service  rendered  was,  after  all,  no  small  one  ;  and  Sir  John,  his 
officers,  and  men  richly  deserved  the  thanks  which  were  voted  to 

'  This  is  the  miuiher  j;iven  in    tlie   Freuch    i-ejioits.     Suiiie    liritish    i-eports    jiut 
it  at  05. 


I'OfeJ  CAPTURE    OF  BOMPAllTS   FRIGATES.  34J> 

them  by  both  Houses.  The  action  seems  also  to  have  won  pro- 
motion for  Lieutenants  David  Colby  (liobust),  George  Sayer  (2) 
(Ethalion),  and  WilHam  James  Turquand ^  {Canada). 

The  five  French  frigates  which  made  off  to  leeward  were  chased 
by  the  Canada,  Foudroijant,  and  Mdampus.  At  about  midnight  on 
the  13th,  the  Melampus  ^ighieAthe  ImmovtalMa.i\A.Iiisolue,xunm-a(r 
out  of  St.  John's  Bay  before  a  fresh  wind ;  and  at  1  a.m.  on  the 
14th  she  succeeded  in  bringing  to  action  the  latter  frigate,  which, 
after  attempting  a  feeble  reply  to  a  few  broadsides,  surrendered, 
having  lost  ten  killed  and  several  wounded.  She  was  making  foux-^ 
feet  of  water  aii  hour,^  and  she  appears  to  have  had  some  of  her 
maindeck  guns  housed,  and  to  have  been  unable  to  fight  them.  The 
Melampus,  which,  it  should  be  remembered,  was  of  about  twice  the 
Besohie's  force, ^  and  which  had  no  one  hurt,  was  in  a  condition  to- 
at  once  engage  the  lynmortaUte,  had  that  ship  been  still  at  hand. 
But  unable  to  near  her  consort,  she  had  prudently  made  off. 

Two   other  frigates  of  M.  Bompart's  squadron,   the  Semillante 
and  Loire,  were  sighted  on  the  morning  of  October  1.5th  by  the 
Bevolutionnaire,  38,  Captain  Thomas  Twysden,  Mermaid,  32,  Captain 
James  Newman  Newman,  and  Kangaroo,  18,  Commander  Edward 
Brace,  off  the  mouth  of  Blacksod  Bay,  and,  after  having  been  chased 
before  the  wind,  separated.     The  Bevolutionnaire,  which   followed 
one,  lost  her  in  the  evening,  and  saw  her  no  more.     The  Merviaid 
and  Kangaroo  pursued  the  other,  and  also  lost  her,  but  found  her 
again  at  dawn  on  the  16th,  and  renewed  the  chase.     This  one  was. 
the  Loire.     At   3  p.m.  the  Kangaroo*  got  up  with  her,  and  most, 
pluckily  engaged,  until  she  lost  her  fore-topmast  and  had  her  fore- 
mast badly  wounded.     She  then  had  to  drop  astern.     At  daybreak  on 
the  17th,  the  Loire  shortened  sail  to  allow  the  Mermaid,  which  was 
then  alone,  to  come  up  ;    and  at  6.45  a.m.,  the  two  frigates  went  off 
together  in  hot  action  nearly  before  the  wind.     After  an  engagement 
of  two  hours  and  a  half,  the  Loire  sensibly  slackened  her  fire,  and 
Captain  Newman  had  given  orders  to  run  athwart  the  hawse  of  his 
sorely  crippled  opponent,  when  the  Mermaid  lost  her  mizen-mast  by 
the  board,  the  falling  wreckage  disabling  several  of  her  after  guns. 
Soon  afterwards  she  also  lost  her  main-topmast,  and,  being  in  many 

'  Drowned  in  command  of  the  Hound,  18,  in  Septemlier,  1800. 
^  Chiefly  in  consequence  of  the  leak  already  mentioned. 
^  The  MclampKs  carried  24:'s,  and  the  Rcsohie  only  12-j)rs. 
*  She  carried  sixteen  32-pr.  carronade.s  and  two  long  6-prs. 


350  MAJOll    OFERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1798. 

other  ways  terribly  mauled,  she  had  to  discontinue  the  action  ; 
whereupon  the  enemy  put  before  the  wind  and  made  off.  The 
gallant  MennaiiP  lost  4  killed  and  IS  wounded.  We  know  from 
French  sources  that  she  inflicted  very  severe  damage  upon  her 
opponent ;  and,  indeed,  she  must  have  done  so  in  order  to  induce 
an  officer  like  Captain  Segond '  to  quit  so  small  and  so  crippled  a 
foe  as  the  British  frigate.  But  the  Loire  was  not  to  escape.  At 
daybreak  on  the  18th,  being  by  that  time  without  a  main  as  well  as 
without  a  fore-topmast,  she  found  herself  to  leeward  of  the  Anson, 
44,  Captain  Philip  Charles  Durham,  and  the  Kangaroo.  The  Anson 
was  as  crippled  as  the  Loire.  The  Kangaroo,  since  the  16th,  had 
got  up  a  new  fore-topmast  and  made  good  her  other  damages.  An 
action  between  the  two  larger  vessels  began  at  10.80  a.m.  ;  and  at 
11.45  A.M.,  when  they  had  almost  completely  disabled  one  another, 
the  brig  was  able  to  throw  the  weight  of  her  broadside  into  the  scale 
and  to  decide  the  issue.  When  the  Loire  struck,  she  had  six  feet  of 
water  in  her  hold,  and,  according  to  French  returns,  had  46  killed 
and  71  wounded.  The  Anson  lost  but  2  killed  and  13  wounded,  and 
the  Kangaroo  had  no  one  hurt.  Both  the  Loire  ^  and  the  Resolue 
were  added  to  the  Navy. 

Yet  another  of  M.  Bompart's  vessels  never  returned  to  a  French 
port.  The  Jmmortalite,  while  making  for  Brest,  and,  in  fact,  while 
nearing  it,  was  fallen  in  with,  on  October  '20th,  by  the  Fishguard,  38, 
Captain  Thomas  Byam  Martin,  a  frigate  of  fairly  matched  force.'' 
An  action  began  at  12.30  p.m.,  and,  although  the  Fishf/uard  had  at 
one  time  to  drop  astern,  and  was,  towards  the  conclusion,  half  full 
of  water,  she  obliged  her  opponent  to  strike  at  about  3  p.m.,  after 
having  reduced  her  to  a  sinking  state  and  killed  or  wounded  115  of 
her  people,  including  Captain  Legrand,  who  fell  fighting  his  ship 
most  gallantly.    The  Fishguard's  loss  was  10  killed  and  26  wounded. 

'  Slie  was  only  a  12-iir.  32-gim  frigate.  Tlie  Loire,  a  40,  carried  18-prs.  The 
weight  of  broadside  was :  Mermaid,  252  lbs;  Loire,  442  lbs. ;  and  tlie  tonnage  was  : 
Mermaid,  693  ;  Loin-,  1100. 

^  Born  1769;  died  1813.  Upon  his  return  to  France,  after  his  captivity,  he  was 
not  received  with  favour,  on  account  of  liis  intolerance  of  discipline ;  and  in  1803  he 
resigned  liis  connnission  in  disgust.  At  one  time  he  proi>osed  to  the  Minister  of 
Marine  a  romantic  scheme  for  kidnapjiing  George  III.  from  AVeyniouth. 

'  Guerin,  in  liis  anxiety  to  magnify  SOgond's  defence,  says:  "Quant  il  Lm  Loire, 
elle  ne  tarda  ]ias  a  colder  Vias."  On  tlie  contrary,  she  was  of  much  service  to  her  new 
masters. 

*  Fishtjuard:  broadside  guns,  23;  weight  of  broadside,  425  lbs.;  crew,  284; 
tons,  1182.  Jmmortalite:  broadside  guns,  21;  weight  of  broadside,  450  lbs.; 
crew,  330  ;  tons,  1010. 


1798.]  RE-OCCUPATION   OF   THE  MEDITERRANEAN.  351 

The  prize  was  piirchased  for  the  British  service,  and  refitted  as 
an  18-pr.'  36-gun  frigate.  The  FishcjuanVs  first  heuteuant,  John 
Surman  Garden,^  was  promoted. 

Of  M.  Bompart's  remaining  ships,  the  Romaine,  after  having 
communicated  with  the  Irish  coast,  siiri'endered  all  idea  of  landing 
troops,  and  returned  to  Brest.  On  her  way  thither  she  picked  up 
the  Biche ;  and  the  two  vessels  anchored  in  their  port  of  destination 
on  October  '23rd.     The  Seniillante  reached  Lorient. 

In  the  meanwhile  much  anxiety  had  arisen  in  France  as  to  the 
fate  of  Humbert  and  Bompart ;  and,  on  October  12th,  Commodore 
Savary  had  been  despatched  from  Bochefort,  with  his  old  squadron, 
consisting  of  the  Concorde,  Medee,  Franchise,  and  Venus,  to  discover 
what  had  happened  to  his  compatriots.  He  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
make  Sligo  Bay,  on  the  27th,  without  adventure ;  and,  learning  of 
the  fate  of  his  friends,  he  at  once  headed  again  for  home.  On  the 
28th,  29th,  and  30th  he  was  chased  by  the  Ccesar,  80,  Captain 
Koddam  Home,  Terrible,  70,  Captain  Sir  Richard  Hussey  Bickerton, 
Bart.,  and  Melpomene,  38,  Captain  Sir  Charles  Hamilton  ;  but  he 
succeeded  in  escaping  from  them  and  in  getting  back  safely  to 
Bochefort. 

After  his  misfortune  at  Santa  Cruz  in  July,  1797,  Nelson 
returned  to  England  to  allow  his  wound  to  heal,  and  to  recover  his 
health ;  and  he  did  not  rejoin  the  fleet  off  Cadiz  until  April  29th, 
1798.  During  his  absence,  the  Mediterranean  remained  practically 
abandoned  by  the  British.  But,  at  about  the  time  of  his  return,  the 
Admiralty  became  very  anxious  concerning  the  object  of  the  pre- 
parations which  were  being  made  by  the  French  at  Toulon ;  and 
orders  were  accordingly  sent  to  Lord  St.  Vincent  to  detach  Nelson  ^ 
w^th  a  few  ships  to  endeavour  to  discover  what  was  going  forward. 
In  pursuance  of  these  orders.  Nelson,  with  his  flag  in  the  Vanguard, 
74,  Captain  Edward  Berry,  parted  company  on  May  2nd,  and,  on 
the  4th,  reached  Gibraltar.  There  he  found,  and  took  under  his 
command  the  Alexander,  74,  Captain  Alexander  John  Ball,  Orion, 
74,  Captain  Sir  James  Saumarez,  Kt.,  Emerald,  36,  Captain  Thomas 
Moutray  Waller,  Terpsichore,  32,  Captain  William  Hall  Gage,  and 
Bonne  Citoijenne,  20,  Commander  Richard  RetaHck.     With  these  he 

'  Her  li4-iirs.  were  deemed  too  heavy  for  her. 

^  He  died,  an  Admiral  on  the  retired  list,  in  1858,  aged  87. 

'  Unless,  indeed,  St.  Vincent  saw  fit  to  go  himself.  The  selection  of  Nelson  gave 
■great  umbrage  to  Rear-Admirals  Sir  William  Parker  (1),  Bart.,  and  Sir  John  Orde,  Bart., 
botli  of  whom  were  with  the  fleet,  and  both  of  whom  were  Nelson's  seniors. 


352  MA  JOB    OPEIiATIOXs.    1703-1802.  [1798. 

proceeded  on  May  9th.  On  the  17th,  when  off  Cape  Sicie,  he 
ohtained  news  that  there  were  in  Toulon  nineteen  sail  of  the  line,  of 
which  fifteen  were  ready  for  sea,  and  that  an  immense  body  of 
troops,  under  Bonaparte,  lay  ready  to  embark  for  an  unknown 
destination.  Very  early  in  the  morning  of  the  21st  the  squadron 
suffered  severely  in  a  gale,  south  of  Hyeres,  and,  in  consequence, 
the  Emerald,  Teiysichore  and  Bonne  Citoyenne  lost  company.'  The 
Vanguard,  much  ci-ippled,  towed  by  the  Alexander  and  accompanied 
by  the  Orion,  made  for  the  coast  of  Sardinia,  and,  on  the  22nd, 
anchored  in  the  road  of  San  Pietro,  where  she  refitted. 

The  genesis  of  the  plan  of  Bonaparte's  Egj'ptian  campaign  is 
thus  summarised  by  James  : — 

"  During  the  negotiations  at  Campo-Foriiiio,  in  the  summer  of  1797,  General 
Bonaparte  took  away  from  the  Ambrosian  Library  at  Milan  all  the  books  he  could  find 
on  subjects  connected  with  the  East ;  and,  on  their  being  brought  to  Paris,  marginal 
notes  were  discovered  in  every  page  that  treated  specially  on  Egypt.  Hence,  it  has 
been  inferred  that  Bonaparte  was,  even  at  this  time,  ruminating  u]ion  the  plan  in  the 
attempted  execution  of  which  his  military  fame  subsequently  received  so  serious  a 
check.  ...  At  all  events,  in  the  early  months  of  the  year  1798,  he  submitted  the 
plan  of  a  campaign  in  Egypt  to  the  directory,  and,  on  the  5th  of  March,  was  appointed 
its  commander-in-chief.  '  Les  ministres  de  la  Guerre,  de  la  Marine,  et  des  Finances,*^ 
proceeds  the  letter  of  appointment,  '  sont  prevenus  de  se  conformer  aux  instructions  que 
\ous  leur  transmettrez  sur  ce  point  important  dont  votre  patriotisme  a  le  secret,  et  dont 
le  Directoire  ne  pouvait  pas  mieux  confier  le  succes  qu'a  votre  genie  et  a  votre  amour 
pour  la  vraie  gloire.'  " 

Bonaparte's  original  view  seems  to  have  been  that  the  Ottoman 
Empire  was  likely  to  crumble  to  pieces  in  his.  day,  and  that  France 
ought  either  to  sustain  it,  or  to  take  a  share  in  it."  He  next  acquired 
the  belief  that  if,  at  the  peace,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  should  be 
confirmed  to  Great  Britain,  Egypt  .vould  form  a  satisfactory  com- 
pensation for  France,^  and  that  any  attempt  to  sustain  the  Ottoman 
Empire  was  vain.*  Later  still  he  undoubtedly  fancied  that  he  saw 
in  Egypt  the  door  to  a  career  of  world-wide  conquest  similar  to  that 
of  Alexander,  and,  above  all,  the  way  to  India  and  to  Great  Britain's- 
position  there.  Yet,  although  he  could  say,  "  Let  us  concentrate 
all  our  activity  upon  the  navy,  and  destroy  England,"  ^  he  was- 
capable  of  embarking  upon  his  Egyptian  expedition  without  having 
first  reflected  upon  the  elementary  principles  of  sea  power,  and  of 
landing  his  army  without  paying  the  slightest  attention  to  the  risks. 

'  Owing,  apparently,  to  the  assumption  of  their  Ca]>tains  that  the  Vanf/iiard  was  so- 
seriously  damaged  that  she  must  return  to  Gibr.iltai'. 

2  '  Corr.  de  Nap.'  Aug.  16,  1797.  ''  Ibid.,  iii.  392. 

'  Ikid.,  iii.  313.  '  Ibid.,  iii.  520. 


1798.]  THE  FRENCH  EXPEDITION   TO    EOYPT.  353 

to  which  he  was  exposed  by  doing  so  while  a  "potential"  iieet 
remained  to  threaten  his  communications.  Had  not  Napoleon  been 
thus  blind  upon  a  single  point,  he  might  perhaps  have  attained  all 
his  ambitions. 

In  pursuance  of  his  directions,  immense  preparations  were  made 
in  most  of  the  Mediterranean  ports  then  under  French  control ;  and, 
on  May  8th,  Bonaparte  reached  Toulon  from  Paris  to  assume  the 
command.  The  expeditionary  force  was  made  up  of  fifteen  sail  of 
the  line  (including  two  armed  en  flute),  fourteen  frigates  (including 
six  armed  en  flute),  and  other  vessels  of  war  bringing  the  total  to 
seventy-two,  besides  about  four  hundred  sail  of  transports,'  under 
the  orders  of  Vice-Admiral  Brueys,  and  Eear-Admirals  Villeneuve, 
Blanquet  du  Chayla,  and  Decres ;  together  with  an  army  of  36,000 
men,  commanded,  under  Napoleon,  by  the  Generals  of  Division, 
Kleber,  Desaix,  Bon,  Eegnier,  Vaubois,  Menou,  Duqua,  Dumas  and 
Dumuy. 

On  May  19th,  the  Toulon  division  of  this  fleet  got  under  way, 
and,  running  towards  Genoa,  was  joined  by  the  transports  from  the 
ports  along  the  coast.  Then,  standing  southward,  it  made  Cape 
Corse  on  the  23rd  ;  and  from  that  day  until  the  first  week  in  June 
it  remained  in  sight  of  Corsica  awaiting  further  transports  from 
Civita  Vecchia.  On  June  3rd,  having  learnt  that  some  British  ships 
had  been  seen  off  Cagliari,  Napoleon  sent  a  division  of  vessels  to 
look  for  them  ;  but  the  detachment  rejoined,  having  discovered 
nothing ;  and,  as  the  expected  convoy  from  Civita  Vecchia  had  not 
arrived,  the  French  proceeded  without  it,  and  passed  Mazzaro  del 
Vallo,  on  the  south-west  coast  of  Sicily,  on  the  7th.  On  the 
following  day  Bonaparte  received  news,  which  was,  in  fact, 
erroneous,  that  he  was  closely  pursued  by  Nelson.  On  the  9th, 
the  French,  being  off  Malta,  were  joined  by  the  transports  from 
Civita  Vecchia,  numbering  seventy  sail ;  on  the  10th,  landings  were 
effected  at  seven  points  on  the  island ;  and  on  the  12th,  after  slight 
resistance,  Malta,  Gozo  and  Comino  capitulated,  with  two  64-gun 
ships,  one  frigate,  and  three  galleys  which  were  in  port. 

By  almost  incredible  exertions  the  Vanguard  was  refitted  in  four 

'  The  figures  here  given  are  those  from  the  '  Hist.  Scient.  et  Milit.  de  PExpedition,' 
etc.  (Paris,  1830-36).  But  it  is  right  to  say  that,  according  to  the  '  Camp.  d'Egypte 
et  de  Syrie,'  as  dictated  by  Napoleon  to  Bertrand,  and  published  in  1847,  there  were 
but  33  men-of-war,  8  fldtes,  and  224  transports,  having  on  board  24,300  infantry, 
4000  cavalry,  and  3000  artillery.  M.  Thiers,  on  the  other  hand,  exaggerates  eveu  the 
figures  given  in  the  text.     '  Hist,  du  Cons,  et  de  I'Emp.' 

VOL.    IV.  2  A 


354  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1798. 

da3'S,  and  on  Ma)'  27th,  she  and  her  two  consorts  put  to  sea  again, 
and  made  for  Toulon,  off  which  port  they  found  themselves  on  the 
31st.  Nelson  had  b}'  that  time  learnt  of  the  saihng  of  the  French, 
but  he  had  nothing  to  guide  him  on  the  subject  of  their  destination. 
On  Jime  5th,  the  Mutine,  16,  Commander  Thomas  Masterman 
Hardy,  joined  him  from  Lisbon  at  the  rendezvous  with  news  that 
reinforcements  were  on  their  way  to  him  from  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  and  with  orders  that,  after  their  junction,  he  should  go  in 
search  of  the  fleet  from  Toulon.  The  reinforcement  fell  in  with  the 
Eear- Admiral  on  June  7th. 

.This  reinforcement,  consisting  of  ten  sail  of  the  line  and  a  50-gun 
ship,  had  been  detached  by  St.  Vincent  on  the  night  of  May  24th. 
It  would  have  been  detached  earlier,  but  it  could  not  be  spared  from 
the  work  of  blockading  Cadiz  until  after  a  reinforcement  from 
England,  under  Kear-Admiral  Sir  Eoger  Curtis,  had  reached  the 
Commander-in-Chief ;  and  Sir  Eoger  did  not  join  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  imtil  May  24th.  Unhappily,  St.  Vincent,  who  supposed 
that  the  Emerald,  Terpsichore,  and  Bonne  Citoyenne  were  still  with 
Nelson,  omitted  to  send  to  his  subordinate  any  more  frigates  ;  so  that 
the  Eear-Admiral,  although  at  length  in  command  of  thirteen  sail  of 
the  line  and  a  50-gun  ship,  had,  to  scout  for  him  on  a  service  the 
success  of  which  essentially  depended  upon  his  ability  to  secure 
intelligence,  nothing  but  a  single  brig-rigged  sloop. 
Nelson's  orders  from  St.  Vincent  were  : — 

"  To  proceed  in  quest  of  the  armament  preparing  by  the  enemy  at  Toulon  and 
Genoa,  the  object  whereof  appears  to  be  either  an  attack  upon  Naples  or  Sicily,  the 
conveyance  of  an  army  to  some  part  of  the  coast  of  Spain  for  the  purpose  of  marching 
towards  Portugal,  or  to  pass  through  the  Straits,  with  a  view  to  proceeding  to 
Ireland.'" 

Nelson  was  further  told  that  he  might  follow  the  enemy  to  any 

part   of  the  Mediterranean   or   even   into  the   Black  Sea.      There 

is,  however,  nothing  in  the  instructions  to  indicate  that  St.  Vincent, 

or   the   Admiralty,  whose   views   he   translated,   ever   dreamt   that 

Napoleon  was   bound   for   Egypt ;    and   all   that  the  Eear-Admiral 

had  to  guide  him  was  the  single  fact  that   the  Toulon   fleet   had 

quitted  Toulon  with  a  north-west  wind.     As  soon,  therefore,  as  he 

could  move,  he  steered  for  Corsica  ;  and,  on  June  12th,  he  was  off 

Cape  Corse.     That  night  he  detached  the  Mutine  to  Civita  Vecchia 

to  seek  inteUigence,  while  he  pm-sued  a  course  down  the  Tuscan 

'  Dated  May  21st. 


1798.]  NELSON  IN  SEARCH   OF  BRUEYS.  355 

coast.  The  Mutine  rejoined  without  having  secui-ed  any  news.  The 
Leander  spoke  a  Moorish  craft  which  falsely  reported  the  French  to 
be  at  Syracuse.  On  the  17th,  the  fleet  stood  into  the  Bay  of  Naples. 
Sir  William  Hamilton,  the  British  Ambassador,  suspected  that  the 
enemj'  had  gone  to  Malta  ;  and,  following  his  indication.  Nelson 
entered  the  Strait  of  Messina  on  the  20th,  and  learnt  from  the 
British  Consul  at  Messina  that  Malta  and  Gozo  had  fallen,  and  that 
the  French  were  believed  to  be  off  the  latter  island.  A  north-west 
breeze  carried  the  Kear- Admiral  through  the  strait ;  but  on  the 
22nd,  when  the  fleet  was  about  thirty-five  miles  south-east  of  Cape 
Passaro,  intelligence  was  obtained  to  the  effect  that  the  enemy  had 
quitted  Malta  on  the  18th  with  a  north-west  wind.  This  news 
suggested  Alexandria  as  the  probable  aim  of  the  French  ;  and,  in 
consequence.  Nelson  bore  up,  and  steered  south-east  under  all  sail. 
During  the  next  five  days,  nothing  was  heard  of  the  foe,  and 
when,  on  the  28th,  Alexandria  was  sighted,  and  the  Mutine  was 
sent  in,  it  appeared  that  no  enemy  either  was,  or  had  been,  on  the 
coast. 

Nelson,  accordingly,  on  the  29th,  steered  north-east  with  a  fresh 
north-north-east  breeze,  and  made  the  coast  of  Anatolia  on  July  4th. 
For  several  days  afterwards  the  weather  was  unfavourable,  but  on 
the  19th,  the  British  were  able  to  put  into  Syracuse  for  provisions 
and  water.  Supplies  were  obtained,  thanks  mainly  to  the  deteiTuina- 
tion  of  the  Kear- Admiral  to  secure  them  at  all  costs,  and  to  suffer  no 
difficulties  to  stand  in  the  way  of  his  Majesty's  service.  Nelson  him- 
self beheved,  however,  that  he  would  not  have  obtained  them  as  he 
did,  but  for  the  influence  of  Lady  Hamilton,  the  wife  of  the  British 
Ambassador  at  the  Court  of  Naples.  By  July  24th,  the  fleet  was 
again  able  to  sail.  Nelson  was  practically  certain  that  the  French 
were  not  at  Corfu  nor  to  the  westward  of  that  island  ;  and  once  more, 
therefore,  he  determined  to  make  for  Alexandria.  He  steered  first, 
however,  for  the  Morea,  and  on  the  28th,  being  off  Cape  Gallo,  sent 
the  CuUoden  into  Coron,  the  governor  of  which  informed  Troubridge 
that  the  French  had  been  seen  about  four  weeks  earlier  off  the  coast 
of  Candia,  heading  south-east.  South-east,  thereupon,  went  Nelson 
with  a  fresh  vdnd  astern.  At  10  a.m.  on  August  1st  he  sighted  for 
the  second  time  the  minarets  of  Alexandria.  The  French  flag  flew 
over  the  city ;  the  harboiU'S  were  crowded  with  shipping ;  and 
for  an  instant  it  appeared  as  if  the  British  had  found  the  object  of 
their  long  and  indefatigable  search.     But  when  the  Alexander  and 

2  A  2 


356 


MA  JOB    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1798. 


Swiftsure  stood  in  to  reconnoitre,  they  reported,  to  the  general 
disappointment,  that  the  flotilla  in  port  was  almost  entirely  com- 
posed of  transports  and  merchantmen,  and  that  there  were  with  it 
but  eight  ships  of  war,'  none  of  which  were  large. 

After  quitting  Malta,  where  a  garrison  of  four  thousand  men  was 
left  under  General  Vaubois,  the  French  had  headed  eastward  with  a 
favourable  breeze,  and  on  June  30th  had  made  Cape  Durazzo,  in 
Candia.  They  had  then  steered  for  a  point  on  the  African  coast 
about  seventy  miles  westward  of  Alexandria,  and,  having  made  the 
land,  had  proceeded  along  the  shore  and  anchored  before  the  city  on 
July  1st.  A  landing  had  been  immediately  begmi.  On  the  2nd, 
after  a  slight  action,  Alexandria  had  been  seized ;  and  on  the  8th, 
the  Old  Harbour  being  supposed  to  be  inconvenient  for  the  men-of- 
war,  Vice-Admiral  Brueys,  with  his  ships  of  the  line  and  such  of  his 
frigates  as  were  not  aimed  en  flute,  had  anchored  in  Aboukir  Bay,* 
twelve  or  fifteen  miles  to  the  eastward. 

Thus  it  was  that  the  Alexander  and  Siviffsure,  upon  looking 
into  Alexandria,  failed  to  find  the  ships  which  they  desired.  But 
the  disappointment  caused  by  their  signal  lasted  but  for  a  short 
time.  A  few  minutes  before  1  p.m.  the  Zealous,  from  which  the 
Pharos  then  bore  S.S.W.,  distant  about  fourteen  miles,  signalled 
that  seventeen  ships  of  war,  thirteen  or  fourteen  of  which  were 
formed  in  line  of  battle,  lay  at  anchor  in  a  bay  upon  her  larboard 
bow.  Nelson  instantly  hauled  up,  and  headed  eastward  under 
topgallant  sails,  with  a  brisk  breeze  varying  from  N.  by  W.  to 
N.N.W.* 

'  The  Dubois,  Causse,  and  six  ex- Venetian  vessels. 

'  Napoleon,  on  hearing  of  this,  sent  a  message  ordering  Brueys  to  remove  to  the 
Old  Harbour;  but  the  message  never  reached  him.  Brueys,  however,  ujion  his  own 
initiative,  was  thinking  of  removing  thither  when  Nelson  caught  him.  (Bruej'-s  to 
Nap.,  July  30th.) 

'  It  may  be  convenient  to  give  in  the  following  form  some  tabulated  particulars  of 
Nelson's  celebrated  search  for  Brueys : — 


Date. 

Nelson. 

Brueys. 

Date.       !             XeUon. 

1           Brueye, 

May        2 

Cadiz,  dep. 

June       14     Off  Clvita  Vecchla. 

4-9 

Gibraltar. 

17     Off  Naples. 

1' 

Off  Cape  Sicie. 

20     OffMesBlna. 

19 

Toulon,  dep. 

221    Off  Cape  Pas.'iaro. 

21 

80  mUes  S.  of  Hyercs. 

„    28-29  ,  Off  Alexandria. 

M           22 

San  Pietro,  arr. 

SO 

Off  Cape  Durazzo. 

23 

Off  Cape  Carbonara. 

July         11 

Off  Alexandria. 

27 

San  Pietro,  dcp. 

4  1  Off  Anatolia. 

31 

Off  Toulon. 

8   ' 

Aboukir  Bay.  arr. 

June        8 

Off  Toulon,  dep. 

Off  Mazzara. 

18     Off  Cape  Passaro. 

.,     10-19 

Malta. 

„     19-24  '  Syracuse. 

12 

Off  Cape  Corse. 

Aug.         1     Off  .Alexandria. 

I  On  the  22u<i  and  tb<'  two  following  days  the  fleets  were  comparatively  near  one  another. 


1798.] 


BEUEYS  IN  ABOUKIR   BAY, 


357 


The  fleets  which  had  for  so  long  played  hide  and  seek  with 
one  another,  and  which  were  at  length  about  to  meet,  w^ere  thus 
composed : — 


Fbench. 


Ships. 


Goliath   . 
Zealous  . 
Orion 
Aiidaciout 

Tkeseus  . 


Vanguard 

Minotaur 
Defence  . 

Bellerophon 

Majestic  . 

Leander  . 

Alexander 

Swiftsure 
CuUodeni 


Commauders. 
*  Lost  their  lives. 


Capt.  Thomas  Foley  (3). 

„      Samuel  Hood  ('2). 

„     SirJamesSaomarez. 

„     Davidge  (-ionld. 
r    „     Ralph  Willett 
[  iliUer. 

{Rear-Adm.  SirH.  Nelson, 
K.B.  (B). 
Capt-  Edward  Berry.        i 
,,     Thom:is  Ivouls. 
„     John  Pej-ton. 

Henrj-     d'Esterre 

Darby. 
George    B 1  a  g  d  e  n 

Westcott.* 
Thomas      Boolden 

Thompson. 
Alexander   John 

Ball. 
Benjamin     Hallo- 
well. 
Thomas  Troubridge, 


II    Hardy. 


1  QTounded,  and  failed  to  get  into  action. 


•a 

.   -s 

3    ^ 


Ships. 


Commanders. 
*  Lost  their  lives. 


21  I  41 
1  I     7 

13  29 
1  i  35 

5   '  30 

76 

61 
11 

148 

143 

14 

58 

22 
0 


Guerrier 
Conquerant 
SiKirtiate 
Aquilon  . 
Peuple    Sou- 
verain  . 

Franklin 


T(mnant . 
Heitr&ux 
Mcrcure  . 

GuxHaume 

TM  .     . 

Girneieux 
Timoteon 


Sirieiise  . 
ArUndse. 

Diane 

Justice    . 
Rn  i  lie  ur 
brig.     . 
Alerte,  brig 


74 
74 
74 
74 

74 


Capt.  J.  F.  T.  TniU.t  (1). 
„     S.  Dalbaradc  (-i). 
„     M.  J.  Emeriau. 
„     H.  A.  ITieTenard  (2).* 


P.  P.  Raccord. 


Blan- 


80 


Rear-Adm.   A.   S.   M. 

quet  du  Chayla.  T 

(Capt.  M.  Gilet.  I 

1  Vice-Adm.  F.  P.  Brucys.* 
120  ^Capt.  H.  Ganteaume,  let.  Burnt 

[    ,,     L.  de  Casa  Bianca,  2ud.* 
80        „     A.  A.  Dupctit  Thouars.*   T 
74        „     J.  P.  Etienne.  Tt 

74         „     C'ambon.  T* 

|Bear-Adm.  P.  C.  J.  B.  S.  ViUe- 
80  <    neuve.  Escpd 

(Capt.  Sanluier.  , 

74        „    Le  Joille.  '  Escpd. 

74        ,.     J.  F.  T.  Trullet  (2).  Burnt 


„     C.  J.  Martin. 

,,  P.  J.  Standelet. 
/Rear-Adm.  D.  Decres. 
leapt.  E.  J.  N.  Solen. 

„     Villeneuve  (2). 


Sunk 
Burnt 

Escpd. 

Escpd. 


and  three  bombs,  besides  several  gunboats. 

*  Burnt,  as  useless,  August  18th. 
f  Burnt,  as  useless,  August  16th. 


The  Bay  of  Aboukir  lies  along  the  coast,  a  few  miles  to  the 
north-east  of  Alexandria,  and  is  a  nearly  semi-circular  indentation 
opening  to  the  northward,  between  Aboukir  Point,  on  the  west,  and 
the  Eosetta  mouth  of  the  Nile,  on  the  east,  a  distance  of  about 
sixteen  miles.  This  opening  is  not,  however,  an  uninterrupted  one, 
for,  from  Aboukir  Point,  in  a  nearly  northerly  direction  there  extends 
a  chain  of  shoals  and  rocks.  Of  the  rocks,  the  largest,  Aboukir 
Island,  is  about  two  miles  from  Aboukir  Point,  and  in  1798  both  it 
and  the  town  of  Aboukir,  on  Aboukir  Point,  were  fortified  and  held 
by  the  French.  There  is  no  passage,  save  for  very  small  craft, 
between  the  shoals  and  rocks  composing  the  chain  above-mentioned, 
and  a  continuation  of  the  shoal  extended  in  1798  north-eastward 
beyond  Aboukir  Island  for  nearly  a  mile  ;  so  that  the  mouth  of  the 
bay,  so  far  as  large  vessels  were  concerned,  practically  narrowed  itself 
to  little  more  than  thirteen  miles. 


358 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1798. 


The  French  ships,  in  line,  at  single  anchor  with  springs  on  their 
cables,'  extended  from  a  point  about  2-400  j^ards  south-east  of  Aboukir 
Island,  towards  the  south-east,  in  the  direction  of  the  shore.  The 
Hne  was  not  quite  straight,  but  was  shghtly  bowed  to  seawards. 
The  Guerrier,  at  the  north-western  end,  lay  about  1000  yards  from 
the  edge  of  the  shoal  that  sm-rounds  the  island,  and,  as  the  ships 
were  anchored  with  intervals  of  about  160  yards,  the  length  of  the 


REAR-ADMIRAL    SIR   EDWARD    BERRY,    RART. 

(From  the  engraviJig  bij  D.  Orme,  after  the  portrait  hy  himself,  paintiid  about  1805,  when 
Bcrnj  was  a  CajMin.) 

whole  line  was  about  2850  yards.  Within  it,  with  its  edge  curving 
in  the  direction  away  from  the  convexity  of  the  line,  was  a  shoal ; 
yet  this  shoal  was  not  so  close  but  that  there  was  room  for  ships  to 
work  in  between  it  and  the  French  fleet.  Nearly  midway  between 
the  line  and  the  shoal,  and  parallel  with  the  former,  Brueys  anchored 

•  When  Brueys  perceived  that  Nelson  was  about  to  attack,  he  ordered  each  ship  to 
lay  out  an  anchor  to  S.S.E.,  and  to  send  a  Btream  cable  to  the  ship  next  astern  of  her, 
making  a  hawser  fast  to  it.     '  Vict,  ct  Conq.,'  ix.  89. 


1798.] 


NELSON  ATTACKS   BBUETS. 


359 


his  four  frigates.  His  bombs  and  gunboats  were  still  closer  inshore, 
under  Aboukir;  and  all  these  vessels,  as  well  as  a  battery  of  two 
brass  and  two  iron  12-ponnders,  two  l.S-inch  brass  mortars,  and 
some  lighter  pieces,  on  Aboukir  Island,  were  so  disposed  as  to  lend 
more  or  less  support  to  the  whole  position,  the  general  nature  of 
which  is  made  clear  by  the  accompanying  plans. 

It  was  2  P.M.  when  the  Heureux  signalled  the  presence  of  a  fleet 
of  twelve  sail  of  the  line '  in  the  N.N.W.     The  French  commander- 


- 

Ill 

Position   of  French  FuEEi-r 

^^ 

Aboukir    Bay. 

• ' 

/ 

,.^.- — ''      ,  :^lhoukLrJ.          A  bau  k  I  r 

\ 

/ 

^     \\           '^- ■■  -  ^^__^ 

LaA-e       ^'^^^^^^ " 

Mad  i  eM.                 ^ 

=! ^ = 

in-chief  at  once  recalled  to  the  ships  a  number  of  men  who  were  on 
shore  with  water-casks,  and  ordered  part  of  the  crews  of  the  frigates 
to  go  on  board  the  vessels  of  the  line.  At  3  p.m.  he  further  signalled 
to  prepare  for  battle,  and,  at  the  same  time,  detached  the  brigs 
Bailleur  and  Alerte  to  endeavour  to  tempt  the  advancing  British  on 
to  the  Aboukir  shoals.  At  4  p.m.,  when  he  learnt  that  not  twelve, 
but  fourteen  ships  were  about  to  fall  upon  him,  he  betrayed 
symptoms  of  an  intention  to  get  under  way,  and  ordered  top- 
gallant yards   to  be  crossed ;    but  he  seems  to    have  subsequently 

'  The  Alexander  and  Swiftsure  being  not  then  in  sight. 


360  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1798. 

concluded  that  his  enemy  would  not  attack  him  until  the  follow- 
ing morning,  and  to  have,  in  consequence,  decided  to  remain  at 
anchor. 

At  2.15  P.M.,  when  the  Alexander  and  Swiftsure,  which  had 
reconnoitred  the  harbours  of  Alexandria,  and  had  been  recalled  by 
signal,  were  standing  under  all  sail  to  rejoin  the  Eear-Admiral,  they 
were  about  twelve  miles  from  the  main  body  which  was  making  the 
best  of  its  way  to  the  eastward.  At  3  p.m..  Nelson  signalled  to 
prepare  for  battle,  and  at  4  p.m.,  when  the  Orient  bore  S.E.  by  S., 
distant  about  nine  miles,  he  ordered  his  ships  to  prepare  to  anchor 
by  the  stern.  Each  ship,  in  pursuance  of  this  direction,  made  fast  a 
stream  cable  to  her  mizenmast,  and,  passing  it  out  of  one  of  her 
,gun-room  ports,  carried  it  along  her  side,  just  below  the  lower  deck 
ports  (from  several  of  which  it  was  slung  by  spun  yarn  lashings),  and 
then  bent  it  to  an  anchor  at  her  bow,  so  that,  upon  that  anchor 
being  let  go,  the  ship  would  run  over  the  cable  leading  from  the 
hawse-hole,  and  would  bring  up  by  the  cable  out  of  the  gunroom 
port.  This  arrangement  had  a  double  object ;  namely,  to  prevent 
the  ships,  upon  anchoring,  from  swinging  head  to  wind,  and  from, 
perhaps,  being  seriously  raked  while  doing  so ;  and  to  enable  them, 
by  hauUng  upon  one  cable  and  slackening  the  other,  to  bring  their 
broadsides  to  bear  in  any  desired  direction.  Having  signalled  to 
prepare  to  anchor.  Nelson  next  intimated  that  he  intended  to  attack 
the  enemy's  van  and  centre.'  As  he  had  previously  explained  to 
his  captains  the  general  plan  upon  which  he  purposed  to  proceed  in 
case  he  should  discover  the  French  in  such  a  position  as  that  which 
they  were  actually  found  to  occupy,  he  was  then  able,  with  con- 
fidence, to  leave  the  execution  of  the  details  to  his  subordinates. - 

The  manoeuvres  of  the  Bailleur  and  Alerte  failed  to  divert  the 
attention  of  the  British  van.  "  The  bait,"  admits  Guerin,  "  was 
a  clumsy  one  to  put  before  a  man  like  Nelson,'"  and  the  fleet  paid 
absolutely  no  attention  to  it.  At  5.30  p.m.,  when  he  was  nearly 
abreast  of  the  Aboukir  Island  shoal,  the  Eear-Admiral  signalled  to 
form  line  of  battle  ahead  and  astern  of  the  flagship,  as  most  con- 
venient, and,  soon  afterwards,  he  hailed  Hood,  of  the  Zealous, 
inquiring   whether    the   latter    thought    that    the    ships   were   far 

'  Brueys,  strange  to  say,  had  anticipated  a  concentration  upon  his  rear.  Brueys  to 
Nap.,  July  13th.  But  it  may  be  that,  when  he  wrote,  his  rear  lay  to  windward,  and 
could  not,  consequently,  be  readily  succoured  by  his  van. 

2  Sir  E.  Berry  in  '  Xav.  Chron.,'  i.  52. 


1798.]  BATTLE   OF    TEE   NILE.  361 

enough  to  the  eastward  to  be  able  to  clear  the  shoal  if  they  bore 
up.^  There  was  no  trustworthy  chart  of  the  bay,  and  the  ground 
was  strange  to  every  Captain  present.  Hood  answered  that  he 
was  then  in  11  fathoms,  and  that,  if  permitted,  he  would  bear  up, 
soimding  carefully,  and  so  serve  as  guide  to  the  fleet.  Nelson 
assented;  and,  while  the  Zealous  cautiously  rounded  the  head  of 
the  shoal,  with  the  Goliath  on  her  port  or  outer  bow,  the  Vanguard 
hove  to  and  allowed  several  vessels  to  pass  her.  As  the  Theseus 
approached,  Miller  was  hailed  by  Berry  and  told  that  he  was  to 
be  Nelson's  next  ahead.  The  Theseus  accordingly  ran  past,  the 
Vanguard  fiUed,  and  at  6  p.m.,  by  signal,  the  column  stood  on, 
the  order  then  being:  Goliath,  Zealous,  Orion,  Audacious,  Theseus, 
Vanguard,  Mvwtaur,  Defence,  Bellerophon,  Majestic,  Leander,  with, 
considerably  to  the  northward,  CuUoden,  and,  still  far  to  westward, 
Alexander  and  Siciftsure  under  a  press  of  sail. 

At  6.20  P.M.  the  Conquerant,  followed  by  the  Guerrier,  opened 

SIGNATURE    OF    ADMIRAL    SIR    THOMAS   FOLEY    (3). 

fire  upon  the  Goliath  and  Zealous,  and  the  battery  on  the  island 
began  to  throw  shells,  but  without  effect.  Ten  minutes  afterwards 
the  Goliath,  which  had  with  difficulty  kept  ahead  of  the  Zealous, 
passed  under  the  forefoot  of  the  Guerrier,  fired  a  raking  broadside 
into  that  vessel,  and  endeavoured  to  anchor  on  her  port  bow.  As, 
however,  the  anchor  was  let  go  rather  late,  the  Goliath  ran  down 
somewhat  further  than  Foley  had  intended,  and  only  brought  up 
abreast  of  the  port  quarter  of  the  Conquerant,  with  which  ship,  and 
with  the  Serieuse,-  on  her  starboard  bow,  she  began  a  warm  action. 
The  Zealous,  also  rounding  the  head  of  the  French  line,  brought  up, 
in  only  five  fathoms,  abreast  of  the  port  bow  of  the  Guerrier.  It 
was  sunset ;  and,  as  the  Zealous  brought  down  the  Guerrier' s  fore- 

'  Williams,  who  was  present,  tells  a  slightly  different  story.  "  Nelson  hailed  Hood, 
and  asked  him  if  he  thought  there  was  sufficient  depth  of  water  for  our  ships  letween 
the  enemy  and  the  shore.  '  I  don't  know,  sir,'  replied  Hood ;  '  but,  vnth  your  permission, 
I  will  stand  in  and  try.' "  According;  to  this.  Nelson  inquired  not  about  getting  round 
the  shoal,  but  about  getting  round  the  head  of  the  French  line. 

^  The  Serieuse  had,  of  course,  already  fired  at  her.  So,  also,  had  the  Eercuh, 
bomb,  to  which  the  Goliath  distantly  replied. 


362  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1798. 

mast  ere  she  had  been  five  minutes  in  action,  the  advancing  British 
ships  gave  three  cheers.     (Fig.  on  opposite  page.) 

The  Orion,  which  vf&s  next  in  order,  rounded  the  starboard 
quarter  of  the  Zealous,  and  running  along  outside  her  and  the 
Goliath,  poured  her  starboard  broadside  into  the  presumptuous 
Sirieuse,  dismasted  her,  cut  her  cable,  reduced  her  to  a  sinking 
condition,  and  then,  dropping  anchor,  veered  away  so  as  to  bring  up 
head  to  wind  a  little  abaft  the  port  beam  of  the  Peuple  Soiiverain, 
but  at  a  rather  greater  distance  from  her  than  Saumarez  had 
intended.'  In  the  meantime  the  Audacious,  cutting  between  the 
Guerrier  and  the  Coitqueixuit,  dropped  her  small  bower  anchor  so 
as  to  bring  up  close  athwart  the  latter  ship's  hawse,  and,  presently 
swinging  round  head  to  wind,  came  to  again  less  than  fifty  yards 
from  the  Conquiranfs  port  bow.  The  Theseus,  taking  a  shorter 
coiurse  than  the  Orion,  passed  romid  the  head  of  the  French  line, 
and  between  it  and  the  already  anchored  Zealous  and  Goliath,  and 
herself  anchored  by  the  stern,  abreast  of,  and  about  three  hundred 
yards  from  the  Spartiate. 

Nelson,  in  the  Vanguard,  followed;  but,  instead  of  cutting 
through  the  line,  he  anchored  at  6.40  p.m.  on  the  starboard  beam  of 
the  Spartiate,  at  a  distance  of  about  eighty  yards.  The  Minotaur 
passed  along  the  Vanguard's  disengaged  side,  and  at  6.45  p.m., 
anchored  abreast  of  the  Aquilon  ;  and  the  Defence,  passing  in  a 
similar  manner  along  the  disengaged  side  of  the  Minotaur,  brought 
up  at  7  P.M.  on  the  beam  of  the  Peuple  Souverain.  At  that  moment, 
therefore,  the  five  leading  French  ships  found  themselves  in  con- 
flict with  eight  British,  five  of  which  were  on  their  port,  and  three 
on  their  starboard  hand.  It  was  at  about  that  time  that  the  fleet, 
which  had  gone  into  action  with  the  White  Ensign  flying,^  began 
to  hoist  the  lights  which  Nelson  had  prescribed  in  order  that  his 
vessels  might  easily  recognise  one  another — fom'  disposed  horizontally 
at  the  mizen  peak.  At  about  the  same  time,  also,  the  Bellerophon 
anchored  by  the  stern  abreast,  and  on  the  starboard  side,  of  the 
Orient.     A  few  minutes  later  the  Majestic  ^  brought  up  in  a  similar 

'  Saumarez  had  to  deviate  from  his  course,  in  the  first  place,  in  order  to  deal  with 
the  Serieuse,  and,  in  the  second,  in  order  to  avoid  fouling  the  Theseus,  which  had 
anchored  before  him. 

^  Nelson,  although  he  was  then  of  the  Blue  Squadron,  had  a  peculiar  alTection  for 
the  White  Ensign,  under  which  he  eventually  fell. 

'  At  about  8.30,  finding  that  she  was  drifting  athwart  the  hawse  of  the  IJeureux, 
the  Majestic  slipped  her  stern  caVile,  and,  lotting  go  her  best  bower,  brought  up  again 
head  to  wind  on  the  port  bow  of  the  Ileureux, 


\Tofacef.  363 


1798.]  BATTLE   OF  THE  SILE.  363 

position  with  regard  to  the  Tonnant.     Such  was  the  situation  in 
the  immediate  neighbom-hood  of  the  French  hue  at  about  7.15  p.m. 

At  about  6.40  p.m.  the  CuUodcn,^  while  rounding  the  point  of 
shoal  eastwai'd  of  Aboukii-  Island,  had,  uufortvmateh%  grounded 
and  stuck  fast,  to  the  immense  mortification  of  the  gallant  Trou- 
bridge  and  his  ship's  company,  who  soon  reahsed  that  the  accident 
must  debar  them  fi'om  having  any  share  in  the  furious  action  that 
was  going  on  under  their  eyes.  The  accident  for  a  time  detained 
the  Leander,  which  was  the  CuUodeiis  next  ahead ;  but,  quickly 
perceiving  where  he  could  be  of  most  use,  Captain  Thompson 
proceeded  on  his  course  towards  the  enemy.  All  that  was  possible 
was  done  to  get  the  Ciilloden  off;  and  the  Mutinc,  after  a  time, 
anchored  hard  by  and  lent  her  assistance;  but  not  until  "2  a.m.  ou 
August  •2nd  could  the  ship  haul  hei-self  clear;  and  by  that  hour 
she  had  bumped  her  rudder  off  and  was  making  seven  feet  of  water 
an  hour.     As  soon,  however,  as  she  had  gi'oimded,  she  had  signalled 


SIGSATCKE   OF    REAR-ADMIRAL   SIR   THOMAS   TROUBRIDGE,   BART. 

hermishap ;  and  her  signals  warned  the  Alexander  and  Sui/tsure, 
as  they  came  up,  of  the  danger  in  their  way ;  so  that  although, 
just  as  they  were  rounding  the  shoal,  the  wind  shifted  from  Is.X.W. 
to  N.,  they  cleared  it.  To  do  so,  however,  the  Alexander  had  to 
tack,  and  so  sm-rendered  her  lead  to  the  Swi/fsure,  which,  as  she 
neared  the  centi-e  of  the  French  hue  at  a  few  minutes  after  8  p.m., 
fell  in  vnth  a  dismasted  hull,  drifting  without  Ughts  or  colom's. 
Hallowell  providentially  hailed  her  instead  of  at  once  firing  into 
her,  and  learnt  that  she  was  the  Bellcrophon,  going  out  of  action 
disabled.  Hallowell,  in  the  darkness,  smoke,  and  general  confusion, 
could  not  tell  exactly  where  he  was,  but,  realising  that  he  was 
quite  close  to  some  part  of  the  French  Une,  he  at  once  let  go  and 
brought  up  by  the  stern  opposite  the  interval  between  the  Franklin 
and  ihe  Orient,  at  a  distance  of  a  cable  from  the  latter's  starboard 
bow.     A  little  earher  the  Peii2)le  Son  vera  in  had  parted   her  cable 

'  Ekins  makes  the  extraordinary  mistake  of  saying  that  the  CuUoden  grounded 
while  leading  the  fleet  in.     '  Nav.  Battles,'  237.  < 


364  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1798. 

and  dropped  out  of  the  French  line,  and  the  Leander,  arri^dng  on 
the  scene  of  action,  and  obsen'ing  the  gap  thus  occasioned  in  it, 
had  kept  for  a  time  under  way  in  the  vacant  space,  and  had  then 
anchored  with  great  judgment  athwart  the  bows  of  the  Franklin, 
in  such  a  manner  that  with  her  port  broadside  she  raked  the 
Franklin  and  the  ships  astern  of  her,  while,  with  her  starboard 
broadside,  she  could  also  rake  the  Aquilon,  receiving  comparatively 
httle  harm  herself.  The  Alexander  had,  ere  that,  cut  the  line 
astern  of  the  Orient,^  and,  coming  round  to  the  wind,  had  anchored 
by  the  bow  on  the  three-decker's  port  quarter. 

It  is  now  time  to  look  at  the  fortunes  of  the  French  ships  which 
were  thus  attacked. 

The  Guerrier,  raked  not  only  by  the  Zealous,  which  was 
anchored  on  her  port  bow,  but  also  by  the  Orion,  Theseus, 
Audacious,  and  Goliath  as  they  proceeded  to  their  stations,  speedily 
lost  all  her  masts.  She  nevertheless  fought  on  wdth  great  heroism 
until  after  9  p.m.,  when  she  surrendered  to  the  Zealous.  The  Con- 
querant,  first  engaged  by  the  Goliath,  then  raked  by  the  Audacious,'' 
and  finally  assailed  with  steady  persistency  by  both  ships,  resisted 
only  for  about  twelve  minutes ;  yet,  when  she  struck,  she  had  lost 
her  fore  and  mizen  masts  and  was  completely  disabled.  The 
Spartiate,  engaged  first  by  the  Theseus,  and  then  by  that  ship  and 
the  Vanguard,  received  also  some  more  distant  fire  from  the 
Minotaur,  and  ultimately  from  the  Audacious  as  well.  The  Aquilon, 
her  next  astern,  assisted  her  for  a  time  by  using  her  springs  to 
bring  her  port  broadside  to  bear  upon  the  Vanguard's  bows;  but 
at  length  the  Spartiate  was  completely  dismasted,  and  soon  after 
9  P.M.  she  struck.  The  Aquilon  had  as  her  nearest  opponent  the 
Minotaur,  which  alone  of  all  the  ships  in  the  two  fleets  carried,  as 
an  upper  battery,  a  tier  of  3'2-pounder  can-onades.  The  Theseus, 
though  much  more  distant,  also  devoted  some  attention  to  the 
Aquilon,  which,  having  lost  all  her  masts  and  suffered  hea\'ily, 
hauled  down  her  flag  at  9.2-5  p.m.  The  Peuple  Souverain,  hotly 
assailed  by  the  Defence  and  Orion,  both  of  which  occupied  advan- 
tageous positions  with  respect  to  her,  soon  lost  her  fore  and  main 
masts,  and  either  parted  her  cable,  or  had  it  shot  away.  She 
consequently   dropped    down    abreast    of    the     Orient,   where    she 

'  The  manoeuvre  being  facilitated  by  the  fact  that  the  Tonnant  had  driven  a  little 
to  leeward. 

'  The  Conqu»rant  also  received  a  passing  fire  from  the  Orion  and  Theseus. 


1798.]  BATTLE   OF   THE  NILE.  365 

reanchored,  having  ceased  firing.  The  Franklin  had  for  a  time  no 
near  opponent,  but  received  a  distant  fire  from  the  starboard  quarter 
guns  of  the  Orion.  The  Leander  then,  as  has  been  seen,  placed 
herself  athwart  the  hawse  of  the  French  80,  and  began  systemati- 
cally to  rake  her ;  the  Swiftsure  gave  her  the  fire  from  her  star- 
board quarter  and  stem  guns ;  and  the  Defence,  together  with  the 
Minotaur,  when  the  latter  had  settled  matters  with  the  Aquilon, 


VICE-ADMIRAL   SIB    THOMAS    BOULDEN   THOMPSON,    KT.    AND   BABT. 

(.From  Ridley's  lithograph  after  the  miniature  by  G.  Engleheart,  painted  when  Thompson 

teas  a  Captain.') 

annoyed  the  Franklin  on  her  starboard  bow  and  beam.  But  before 
the  Franklin  was  silenced  there  happened  an  event  of  so  awful  a 
character  as  for  a  time  to  paralyse,  as  it  were,  both  fleets. 

The  French  flagship  Orient^  was  first  sought  out  by  the 
Bellerophon,  which  anchored  close  alongside  of  the  great  three- 
decker,  but  which  soon  found  the  position  untenable.     By  7.50  p.m. 

'  She  had  previously  been  known  as  the  Sans  Culotie,  and  had  been  renamed  in 
honour  of  the  object  of  the  expedition. 


366  MAJOR   OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1798. 

the  British  1-k  had  lost  her  mizen  mast ;  a  httle  later  her  main  mast 
went  over  the  starboard  how,  and  she  caught  fire  in  several  places ; 
and  at  8.20  p.m.,  being  absolutely  disabled,  she  set  her  sprit-sail, 
cut  her  stern  cable,  and  got  clear.  An  attempt  to  set  her  fore- 
topsail  brought  down  her  shattered  foremast.  In  that  condition 
she  was  fii-ed  into  by  the  Tonnant,^  and,  as  has  been  shown, 
narrowly  escaped  being  fired  into  by  the  Swiftsure.  The  attack 
upon  the  Orient  was  almost  instantly  taken  up  by  the  Swiftsure 
and  the  Alexander ;  and  at  9  p.m.  the  former  vessel  perceived  the 
French  flagship  to  be  on  fire.  The  Siviftsure  concentrated  as 
much  of  her  broadside  as  possible  upon  the  burning  spot,  and  thus 
probably  interfered  with  the  attempts  to  extinguish  the  flames. 
Early  in  the  action  Vice-Admiral  Brueys  had  received  two  wounds, 
and  at  aboiit  8  p.m.,  while  descending  from  the  poop  to  the  quarter- 
deck, he  had  been  almost  cut  in  two  by  a  round  shot ;  but,  when 
asked  to  allow  himself  to  be  taken  below,  had  proudly  answered, 
"  Un  amiral  franpais  doit  mom'ir  sm*  son  banc  de  quart."  He  had 
not  survived  to  witness  the  outbreak  of  the  fire.  Soon  after  his  death 
his  flag-captain,  de  Casa  Bianca,  had  fallen  dangerously  wounded; 
and  it  would  appear,  from  the  accounts  of  survivors,  that,  ere  the 
conflagration  began,  the  ship  had  already  become  a  shambles. 
Yet  worse  was  in  store.  The  flames  increased  and  spread  along 
the  deck  and  leapt  up  the  rigging.  Foreseeing  the  inevitable 
catastrophe,  all  the  vessels  near  the  doomed  three-decker  either 
shifted  their  berths,  or,  closing  their  ports  and  hatchways,  and 
removing  all  ammunition  from  their  upper  decks,  held  in  readiness 
large  bodies  of  men  with  filled  buckets.  At  about  10  p.m.  the 
Orient  was  blown  into  the  air  by  the  explosion  of  her  magazine.^ 
The  concussion  alone  was  so  violent  as  to  seriously  injui'e  ships 
which  lay  even  at  some  distance ;  and  the  hurtling  fragments  of 
spars  and  wreckage  presently  fell  a  burning  shower  all  around. 
Some  fell  in  the  Siviftsure,  some  in  the  Alexander,  but  most  in 
the  Franklin.  The  latter  two  vessels  were  set  on  fire;  yet  in  both 
cases  the  flames  were  quickly  extinguished. 

'  Many  French  accounts  have  it  that  the  BeUerophon's  people,  while  near  the 
Tonnant,  "  et  principalement  lea  officiers,  jeterent  de  grands  oris,  pour  faire  connaitre 
qu'il  etait  rendu."  '  Vict,  et  Conq.,'  ix.  101 ;  Gue'rin,  vi.  168,  etc.  There  is  not  a 
shadow  of  evidence  that  any  soul  in  the  ship  ever  dreamt  of  surrender ;  but  there  is 
evidence  that  her  crew  was  a  noisy  one 

2  About  70  of  her  people  were  saved  by  British  boats,  and  Capt.  Gantcaume  and  a 
few  more  made  their  way  to  the  French  brig  Salamine ;  but,  with  these  exceptions, 
all  perished. 


1798.]  BATTLE    OF   THE  NILE.  367 

It  is  clear  that  the  physical  and  moral  effects  of  the  shock 
■stupefied  almost  everyone  in  both  fleets.  All  accounts  of  eye- 
witnesses agree  in  declaring  that  not  for  several  minutes  after  this 
frightful  catastrophe  was  another  gun  fired  on  either  side.  The 
Franklin,  though  nearly  disabled,  was  the  first  ship  to  renew  the 
struggle ;  but  she  did  not  much  longer  maintain  it.  The  Defence 
and  Sivi/tsure  brought  down  her  main  and  mizen  masts ;  and, 
being  scarcely  able  to  make  any  reply,  she  hauled  down  her  flag. 
By  midnight,  therefore,  all  the  ships  of  the  French  line  ahead  of 
the  Tonnant  had  struck  or  had  been  destroyed.  The  Tonnant 
continued  her  most  gallant  resistance.  She  had  thus  far  been 
engaged  chiefly  with  the  Majestic,  whose  main  and  mizen  masts 
she  had  shot  away,  but,  more  distantly,  with  the  Swiftsure  and 
Alexander.  At  length,  when  all  her  own  masts  had  been  cut  off 
close  to  the  deck  and  had  encumbered  her  batteries  with  their 
wreckage,  she  had  to  cease  firing,  but,  instead  of  immediately 
surrendering,  she  managed,  by  letting  out  cable,  to  drop  into 
a  station  in  which,  for  the  time,  she  suffered  but  little  further 
annoyance.  She  had  indeed  offered  a  magnificent  defence ;  and 
the  end  of  her  captain,  the  brave  Dupetit  Thouars,  deserves  to  be 
remembered  as  one  of  the  brightest  episodes  in  an  action  which 
was  full  of  splendid  deeds.  Eouud  shots  deprived  him  successively 
of  his  right  arm,  his  left  arm,  and  one  of  his  legs ;  whereupon  the 
heroic  officer,  instead  of  letting  himself  be  taken  below,  caused 
himself  to  be  placed  in  a  tub  of  bran,  whence  he  continued  to  give 
his  orders  until  from  loss  of  blood  he  became  insensible.  One 
of  these  was  for  nailing  the  French  flag  to  the  ship's  masts. ^ 
Almost  his  last  words  were  to  implore  his  people  to  sink  rather 
than  surrender.^ 

In  her  new  position  the  Tonnant  practically  constituted  the  head 
of  a  fresh  but  very  irregular  line,  which  had  been  formed  inside 
and  to  leeward  of  the  tail  of  the  old  one,  by  the  ships  of  the  French 
rear,  all  of  which,  with  the  exception  of  the  Tonnant,  were  still 
undamaged.  At  about  4  a.m.  on  the  2nd,  as  day  was  breaking, 
some  of  these  ships  became  distantly  engaged  with  the  Alexander 

'  Ab  these  afterwards  fell,  the  precaution  was  useless. 

^  Aristide  Aubert  Dupetit  Thouars :  born,  1760 ;  fought  at  Ushant  and  in  North 
American  waters ;  captain,  1783  ;  led  the  expedition  in  search  of  La  Perouse.  His  sou 
Abel,  another  brilliant  naval  officer,  established  the  French  protectorate  over  Tahiti, 
and  died  a  vice-admiral,  1864.  His  son  Abel  (2),  also  a  naval  officer,  served  in  the 
Crimea,  at  Simonosaki,  and  at  Strasburg  (1870),  and  died  a  rear-admiral  in  1890. 


368  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1798. 

and  Majestic.  The  firing  attracted  to  the  spot  the  TJieseus  and 
Goliath,  which  anchored  near  the  French  frigate  Artemise.  Her 
captain  fired  a  broadside  into  the  Theseus,  and  then  struck ;  but, 
when  taken  possession  of,  she  was  found  to  be  on  fire ;  and  she 
afterwards  blew  up.  In  the  meantime  the  vessels  of  the  French 
rear,  and  the  two  remaining  frigates,  had  dropped  so  much  further 
to  leeward  as  to  be  almost  out  of  gunshot.  The  Heureux  and 
Mercure,  in  fact,  had  gone  to  the  length  of  running  themselves  on 
shore  in  the  bight  of  the  bay. 

At  6  A.M.  the  Zealous,  Goliath,  and  TJieseus  were  signalled  to 
weigh,  and  the  first-named  was  presently  directed  to  chase  the 
frigate  Justice,  which  was  making  for  the  disabled  Bellerophon 
with  a  view  to  summoning  her  to  surrender.  The  other  two 
British  74's,  accompanied  by  the  Alexander  and  Leander,  followed 
up  the  Heureux  and  Mercure,  and,  after  exchanging  a  few  shots 
with  them,  forced  them  to  strike.  The  Zealous  easily  induced  the 
Justice  to  abandon  her  absurd  design  against  the  Bellerophon,  and 
then,  by  Nelson's  direction,  joined  Captain  Darby's  ship  in  order 
to  protect  her  from  molestation  by  any  more  serious  foe. 

While  the  Zealous,  Goliath,  Theseus,  Alexander,  and  Leander 
were  thus  employed,  the  Guillamne  Tell,  Genereux,  Timoleon, 
Tonnant,  and  Diane,  which  had  been  rejoined  by  the  Justice, 
found  themselves  with  no  British  vessels  very  near  them.  The 
Tonnant,  of  course,  could  not  move;  the  Timoleon,  which  had 
got  herself  fairly  embayed  among  the  shoals  to  leeward,  en- 
deavoured to  make  sail  upon  the  port  tack,  and,  in  the  effort, 
ran  herself  ashore.  But  the  other  French  ships  had  room  to 
manoeuvre  and  were  perfectly  able  to  do  so;  and,  seizing  their 
opportunity,  they  hauled  close  on  the  port  tack,  and  made  a 
bold  bid  for  safety.  The  Zealous,  observing  them,  chased  and 
was,  a  few  minutes  afterwards,  actually  engaging  single-handed 
the  four  uninjured  ships,  and  endeavouring  to  cut  off  the  rear- 
most frigate,  when  Nelson  recalled  her.  Thus  did  Eear-Admiral 
Villeneuve,  with  the  GuiUaume  Tell,  GinSreux,  Diane,  and  Justice, 
escape  from  the  fatal  Bay  of  Aboukir.^  The  whole  of  the  rest  of 
the  fleet  of  Brueys  either  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors  or  was 
destroyed  ;  for,  on  the  morning  of  August  3rd,  the  Tonnant,  being 

'  These  escaped  only  for  a  time.  The  Ge'iiereux  was  taken  on  Feb.  18th,  the 
Ouillaume  Tell  on  March  30th,  and  the  Diane  on  Aug.  24th,  1800.  The  Justice  wan 
captured  at  Ale.xandria  on  Sept.  2nd,  1801. 


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' '  '  ■\  „*''  '"\  1  [\OutUt3umc  7e// 

The  Battle  of  The'  Nile  ^tJre      -f' 

The   Heicmt  Of  the.  Act\on       ',.''  '  _,-^ 

^Boi"-3  3oAM.oA>    ^ua    2''''\       :  ,--''  C\7imo/e'on 


so  a 


Ym^og 


[To  face  jj.  36S. 


1798.3  BAITLE   OF   TEE   MLE.  3G9 

threatened  by  the  Theseus  and  Leander,  struck,  and,  dui'ing  the 
afternoon  of  the  same  day,  the  gi'ounded  Timolcon  was  set  on  fire 
by  her  crew,  and  eventually  blew  up. 

Nearly  all  the  British  ships  had  suffered  in  their  rigging.  The 
Belleroplion  lost  all  three  masts,  the  Maji:dic  lost  her  main  and 
mizen.  But  these  were  the  only  vessels  which  had  lost  any 
lower  masts,  and  the  damages  of  the  others  aloft  were,  with  few 
exceptions,  not  very  serious.  The  chief  sufferers  in  their  hulls 
were  the  Bellerophon ,  the  Majestic,  and  the  Vanguard.  The  total 
loss  of  each  British  ship  in  killed  and  wounded  will  be  found  set 
forth  in  the  table  on  page  357.  The  officers  killed  were :  Captain 
George  Blagden  Westcott  {Majestic) ;  Lieutenants  Eobert  Savage 
Daniel  (1783),  Philip  William  Launder  (1790),  and  George  Jolliffe 
(1797),  (BeUerophon),  John  G.  Kirchner  (Minotaur),  and  John 
Collins  (Alexander) ;  Captain  of  Marines  William  Faddy  (Vanguard), 
Master's  Mates  William  Davies  (Goliath),  Peter  Walter  (Minotaur), 
and  Thomas  Ellison  (Bellerophon) ;  Midshipmen  Andrew  Brown 
(Goliath),  Thomas  Seymour  and  John  George  Taylor  (Vanguard), 

and  Zebedee  Ford  (Majestic) ;  Captain's  Clerk Baird  (Orion)  ; 

and  Boatswain  Andrew  Gilmore  (Majestic).  Among  the  officers 
wounded  were  Eear-Admiral  Sir  H.  Nelson ;  Captains  A.  J.  Ball, 
Sir  J.  Saumarez,  and  H.  d'E.  Darby  ;  Lieutenants  Nathaniel  Vassall 
and  John  Miller  Adye  (Vanguard),  Kichard  Hawkins  (Theseus), 
John  Jeans  (Audacious),  William  Wilkinson  (Goliath),  and  Thomas 
Irwin  (Minotaur) ;  Mr.  John  Campbell,  Nelson's  secretary,  and 
Captains  of  Marines  John  Creswell  (Alexander),  and  John  Hopkins 
(Belleroj^hon). 

Nelson  was  wounded  early  in  the  action  by  a  splinter,  which 
struck  him  above  his  blind  right  eye,  and  w^hich  left  pendent  a  strip 
of  flesh.  For  a  short  time  he  believed  the  wound  to  be  a  mortal 
one,  but,  when  it  had  been  sewn  up,  the  Eear-Admiral  was  able  to 
retiu-n  to  his  duties  on  deck.  Captain  Westcott,^  of  the  Majestic, 
lost  his  life  by  a  musket  ball  fired  from  the  Toiuiant.  After  his 
death,  the  ship  continued  to  be  most  effectively  fought  by  her  first 
lieutenant,  Eobert  Cuthbert.^ 

'  George  Blagdeu  Westcott  was  made  Comruander  in  1787,  and  was  jjosted  on 
Oct.  1st,  1700. 

-  The  first  Lieutenants  of  the  ships  engaged  were,  it  would  appear:  Goliath,  George 
.Tardiue ;  Zealous,  William  Henry  Wehley ;  Orion,  James  Barker ;  Audacious, 
Thomas  AVhite  (2) ;  Tlieseus,  Puchard  Hawkins ;  Vanguard,  Edward  Galwey ; 
Miniifnur,    Charles   Marsh    Schomherg;    Defence,    Richard    Jones   (1);    BeUeropho?/, 

VOL.    IV.  2   B 


370  MAJOI!    OPERATIONS,    1703-1802.  [1798. 

From  what  has  been  ah-eady  written,  it  will  be  understood  that 
the  French  ships  which  were  closely  engaged  were  all  very  badly 
damaged.  Five  of  them  were  left  without  a  stick  standing,  and 
were  so  shattered  in  hull  as  to  be,  for  the  time,  quite  unseaworthy. 
Two  others  remained  with  but  one  mast  each,  and  with  riddled 
hulls.  Estimates  of  the  French  loss  in  killed,  drowned,  burnt, 
wounded,  taken  and  missing,  vary  between  '2000  and  5000,  but  no 
official  returns  exist.  It  is  probable,  all  things  considered,  that 
about  3500  was  the  true  number.  Among  the  French  officers  who 
perished  were,  in  addition  to  Vice-Admiral  Brueys,^  and  Captain 
Dupetit  Thouars,  Captains  Thevenai'd  ('2),  and  de  Casa  Bianca.^ 
Captain  Dalbarade  (2)  never  recovered  from  his  wounds. 

The  CuUoden,  it  will  have  been  seen,  was  able  to  take  no  part 
whatsoever  in  the  action ;  yet,  even  if  she  be  counted  as  part  of 
Nelson's  effective  force,  the  British  in  this  great  battle  were  in 
tonnage  and  gun  power  inferior  to  their  opponents.  Brueys, 
leaving  aside  his  frigates,  had  thirteen  ships,  mounting  nominally  * 
1026  guns.  Nelson  had  fourteen  ships,  mounting  nominally  1012 
guns.  But  the  French  ships  threw,  upon  the  whole,  much  heavier 
broadsides  than  the  British,  and  were  also,  upon  the  whole,  much 
larger  vessels.  The  biggest  British  ship  in  the  battle  was  the 
Minotaur,  of  1718  tons.  Of  the  prizes,  the  Spartiate  measured 
1949,  the  Franklin,  2257,  and  the  Tonnant,  2281  tons.  The 
Orient,  the  GuiUaumc  Tell,  and  several  more  were  also  larger  than 
anything  in  the  British  line  on  that  glorious  occasion.     And  when 


Robert  Savage  Daniel,  killed  ;  Robert  Cathcart,  senior  surviving ;  Majestic,  Robert 
Cuthbert;  Swiftsure,  John  Lawes  Waters;  Alexander,  .John  Yule;  Leander,  William 
Richardson  (1).  These  seem  to  have  been  all  promoted,  though  one,  Lieutenant 
Schomberg,  did  nut  receive  that  reward  until  1802,  and  another,  Lieut.  Yule,  vmtil  1805. 
Lieut.  Cathcart  was  posted.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  two  Lieutenants  of  the  name  of 
Thomas  White  were  made  Commanders  in  1798,  and  that  both  these  officers  were  posted 
in  1810,  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  separate  all  their  services ;  but  the  first  Lieutenant 
of  the  Audacious  was  the  officer  who  was  born  in  1755,  made  a  Commander  ou 
Oct.  8th,  1798,  and  posted  on  Oct.  21st,  1810,  and  who  died  in  1833,  being  still  a 
Captain.  {Naut.  Mofj.,  ii.  624.)  I  have  not  succeeded  in  ascertaining  the  name  of  the 
CuUoden's  first  Lieutenant ;  but  he  also  was  ordered  to  be  promoted. 

'  Francois  Paul,  Comte  de  Brueys  d'Aigailliers ;  born  1753  at  Uzes ;  lieu- 
tenant 1780;  cajitain  before  the  Revolution;  made  a  rear-admiral  by  Truguet  and  a 
vice-admiral  by  Bonaparte.     lie  was  brave,  but  quite  incapable  as  a  flag-officer. 

^  Lueieu,  Comte  de  Casa  Biauca ;  born,  1755.    His  sun,  aged  ten,  perished  with  him. 

'  I  say  "nominally,"  iu  order  to  avoid  having  to  enter  here  into  elaburate  explana- 
tions of  the  real  number  of  guns  carried  by  each  ship.  As  a  matter  uf  fact,  the  ships  on 
both  sides  carried  mure  than  their  nominal  number  of  guns:  but  iu  real,  as  in  nominal 
number,  the  French  were  suj  criur. 


1798.] 


BATTLE    OF   THE  NILE. 


371 


it  is  remembered  that  the  CuUoden  had  no  share  in  the  fight,  and 
that  Nelson  had  no  frigates,  while  Brueys  had  four  frigates, 
nominally  mounting  152  guns,  besides  a  battery  on  shore  to 
support  the  head  of  his  line,  the  disadvantages  under  which  the 
British  laboured  become  even  more  noteworthy.  Looking,  there- 
fore, to  the  unflinching  determination  with  which  the  French 
fought,  to  the  completeness  of  the  victory  gained,  and  to  the 
effects  produced,  the  Battle  of  the  Nile  may  justly  be  deemed 
the  most  splendid  and  glorious  success  which  the  British  Navy 
gained  up  to  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Nelson  not  only 
defeated  an  enemy  of  superior  force,  but  practically  annihilated 
his  fleet.     In  addition,  he  inflicted  the  first  serious  blow  upon  the 


COMMEMORATIVE    MEUAL    OF    THE    BATTLE   OK   THE   NILE,    179b!. 
(From  an  original  lent  hi/  H.S.H.  Cajil.  Prince  Louis  of  Battenhenj,  B.X.) 


colossal  schemes  of  Napoleon,  and  saved,  certainly  great  part  of 
the  Ottoman  Empire,  and  possibly  also  India,  from  becoming, 
temporarily  at  least,  a  prey  to  France. 

To  what  causes,  then,  was  the  victory  owing?  They  were  both 
positive  and  negative.  The  chief  causes  were  Nelson's  prescience 
and  unrivalled  boldness,  and  the  complete  military  efliciency  of  his 
ships,  his  officers,  and  his  men.  The  plan  of  attacking  the  head 
and  centre  of  the  enemy's  line  and  of  doubling  upon  it  was,  of 
comrse,  at  the  root  of  all.  Yet  the  negative  causes  were,  it  must 
be  admitted,  scarcely  less  instrumental  than  the  positive  in  securing 
the  result.  Brueys,  in  spite  of  his  personal  bravery,  was  both 
sluggish  and  incompetent.  He  stationed  his  fleet  so  that  the  two 
sides  of  it  which  formed   the   angle,  the  apex  of  which  was  the 

2  B  2 


:^7•2  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1708. 

Orient,  could  not,  without  moving,  support  one  another.  He 
dehberately,  in  spite  of  the  advice  of  his  most  experienced  officers, 
elected  to  fight  at  anchor.  He  underrated  his  enemy.  Till  the 
very  hour  of  the  onset  he  exclaimed,  "  They  dare  not  attack  me." 
In  spite  of  the  number  of  small  craft  at  his  disposal,  both  at 
Aboukir  and  at  Alexandria,  he  had  no  scouts  out,  and  secured  no 
warning  of  the  approach  or  the  force  of  his  foe.  He  had  no 
assurance,  for  he  did  not  take  the  trouble  to  sound  the  passage, 
that  the  British,  by  entering  between  Aboukir  and  the  island,  could 
not  eet  inside  his  line  :  and  he  must  have  known,  had  he  reflected, 
that  they  could  get  round  the  head  of  it ;  yet  he  caused  his  fleet  to 
clear  for  action  only  on  the  starboard  or  seaward  side ;  and  so 
imperfectly  did  his  own  ship  clear  that  numerous  special  cabins 
which  had  been  fitted  in  her  for  mihtaiy  and  civilian  passengers 
were  never  removed  at  all.  Nor  were  the  junior  flag-officers, 
Villeneuve  and  Decres,  less  remiss  than  their  chief.  If,  as  James 
says,  the  six  French  rear  ships — and  I  would  add,  the  frigates — as 
soon  as  they  saw  the  manoeuvre  that  was  about  to  be  practised  on 
their  friends  in  the  van, — had 

"got  under  way  aud  stood  out,  they  -would  have  found  full  employment  for  the  five  or 
si.\  British  ships  tliat  had  not  yet  got  into  action.  They  -would  undouhtedly  have 
captured  the  C'liUnden,  and  prevented  the  Alexander  .and  Swifts^irc  flora  entering  the 
bay.  Had  those  six  French  ships  -weighed  at  .any  time  before  7  p.m.,  they  might,  with 
the  -wind  as  it  then  was,  have  made  a  good  stretch  out  of  the  bay,  and,  by  tacking,  when 
the  wind,  as  it  afterwards  did,  shifted  to  north,  might  liave  stood  for  the  van  of 
their  line  with  their  yards  nearly  square." 

Of  the  nine  prizes,  the  Giierrier,  Heureux,  and  Mcrcure,  as  being 
useless,  were  ultimately  burnt  by  the  victors.  The  Petiple  Souverain, 
ha\ang  been  brought  as  far  on  the  way  to  England  as  Gibraltar,  was 
renamed  Guerrier,  and  was  left  there  as  a  guardship.  The  five 
remaining  ships,  which  aiTived  in  safety  at  Plymouth,  were  added 
to  the  Navy,  the  Franklin  as  the  CanopuA,  the  Aquilon  as  the 
Aboukir,  and  the  others  under  their  old  names. 

On  August  5th,  Nelson  sent  oft"  dispatches  for  his  Commander-in- 
Chief,  Lord  St.  Vincent,  by  Captain  Berry,  late  of  the  Vanguard, 
who  sailed  in  the  Leander.  Berry's  place  as  flag-captain  was  taken 
by  Thomas  Masterman  Hardy,  previously  of  the  Mufinc  ;  and  Hardy's 
place  as  Commander  of  the  Mutine  was  given  to  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Bladen  Capell,^  who,  on  the  13th,  sailed  in  his  sloop  for  Naples  with 

'■  He  had  been  junior  and  signal  Lieutenant  of  the  Vanyuani. 


i79y.]  noA'OUJis  for  the  victors.  373 

duplicate  dispatches.  Berry,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  next  chapter, 
had  the  misfortune  to  be  captured,  while  on  his  way  to  Cadiz,  \>y 
the  Gcnereux,  74 ;  but  Capell  safely  reached  his  destination.  With 
a  view  to  reassure  the  officials  of  the  East  India  Company,  Nelson 
also  sent  overland  to  Bombay  Lieutenant  Thomas  Duval,  of  the 
Zealous,  who  arrived  there,  after  many  adventiu-es,  on  October 
21st.  On  August  14th,  the  main  part  of  the  fleet,  under  Sir  James 
Saumarez,  and  such  of  the  prizes  ^  as  were  to  be  removed,  stood  out 
of  the  road,  and  on  the  following  day  proceeded  westward ;  and  on 
the  19th  Nelson  himself,  in  the  Vanguard,  with  the  CuUoden  and 
Alexander,  sailed  for  Naples,  leaving  Captain  Samuel  Hood  (2),  as 
senior  officer,  before  Alexandria,  with  the  Zealous,  Goliath,  Swiftsiire, 
Seahorse,  28,-  Emerald,  36,''  Akniene,  32,*  and  Bonne  Citoijenne,  20.^ 
Napoleon  learnt  on  the  14th  of  what  had  happened  in  Aboukir  Bay. 
News  of  the  victory,  travelling  by  way  of  Naples,  reached  the 
Admiralty  on  October  2nd.  For  three  months  prior  to  that  daj'. 
Nelson's  popularity  had  been  under  a  cloud,  and  had  not  saved  the 
Rear- Admiral  from  the  most  baseless  accusations  of  remissness  and 
incompetence.  The  Government  hastened  to  make  amends  for  the 
popular  unreasonableness.  On  October  Gth,  the  victor  was  created 
Baron  Nelson  of  the  Nile,  and  of  Burnham  Thorpe  ;  on  November 
20th,  at  the  opening  of  Parliament,  the  King's  speech  contained  a 
most  handsome  reference  to  the  triumph  which  had  been  won  ;  and 
this  was  presently  followed  by  the  granting  of  a  pension  of  .£2000  a 
year  to  Nelson  and  his  two  next  heirs  male  by  the  Parliament  of 
England,  and  of  one  of  £1000  a  year  by  the  Parhament  of  Ireland. 
Both  Parliaments  also  voted  thanks  to  the  officers  and  men  who  had 
been  concerned ;  gold  medals  were  presented  to  the  Bear- Admiral 
and  his  Captains,  including  Troubridge  ;  the  first  Lieutenants  of  all 
ships  present  were  ordered  to  be  promoted  ;  the  East  India  Compauj' 
gave  Nelson  £10,000 ;  the  Porte  created  a  new  order  in  honour  of 
the  occasion  and  made  the  Rear- Admiral  the  first  member  of  it ;  and 
rewards   or   presents   were   showered   upon   the   conqueror   by  the 

'  Ultimately  commissioned  as  follows :  Canopus,  Capt.  Bartholomew  James ; 
ToTDiant,  Cayit  Loftus  Otway  Bland;  Conqnerant,  Capt.  George  Clarke;  Guenier 
(es.  Peuple  Souverain),  Capt.  Thomas  Steplien.son ;  Spartiate,  Capt.  Hon.  Charles 
Herbert  Pierrep^nt ;  and  Aboukir,  Capt.  Thomas  Bowen. 

^  Capt.  Edward  James  Foote,  joined  on  the  ITtli. 

'  Capt.  Thomas  Montray  Waller,  joined  on  the  13th. 

*  Capt.  George  Hope  (1),  joined  on  the  13th. 

^  Com.  Richard  Retalick,  joined  on  the  13th. 


374  MAJOE    OPERATIONS,   1703-1802.  [1798. 

corporations  of  London  and  of  Liverpool,  by  the   Sultan,  and  by 
several  other  foreign  sovereigns. 

While  on  his  way  to  Gibraltar  with  the  prizes,  Sir  James 
Saumarez  fell  in,  near  Malta,  with  a  small  Portuguese  squadron, 
which,  mider  Eear- Admiral  the  Marques  de  Niza,  had  been  sent 
into  the  Mediterranean  by  St.  A'incent  to  reinforce  Nelson.  On 
September  25th,  Saumarez  and  de  Niza  summoned  the  French 
garrison  of  Valetta,  which,  however,  declined  to  submit ;  and,  being 
precluded  by  the  nature  of  his  orders  from  unnecessarily  delaying 
his  voyage,  Sir  James  contented  himself,  ere  he  proceeded,  with 
putting  ashore,  for  the  use  of  the  numerous  islanders  -^iio  were 
well  disposed  to  the  British,  1200  muskets  and  a  quantity  of 
ammunition.  De  Niza  remained  for  a  time  in  the  vicinity,  and  was 
presently  joined  by  the  Alexander,  74,  Captain  Alexander  John  Ball, 
Culloden,  74,  Captain  Thomas  Troubridge,  and  Colossus,  74,  Captain 
George  Murray  (3),  which  had  been  detached  by  Nelson  from 
Naples  for  the  blockade  of  Malta.  That  blockade  became  effective 
from  about  October  l'2th  ;  *  and  on  the  24th,  Nelson  himself,  in  the 
Vanguard,  with  the  Minotaur,  74,  Captain  Thomas  Louis,  assumed 
immediate  command  of  the  blockading  force.  The  French  position 
in  the  island  was  already  a  precarious  one.  The  garrison,  of  about 
3000  soldiers  and  seamen,  had  been  driven  by  the  inhabitants,  who 
occupied  Old  Valetta  under  Neapolitan  colour's,  into  New  A^aletta ; 
and  the  invaders  were  very  short  of  supplies.  General  Vaubois 
commanded  the  troops,  Eear-Admiral  Decres  commanded  the 
seamen  who  had  been  put  ashore,  and  Eear-Admiral  Yilleneuve 
had  under  him  in  the  harbour  the  Guillamne  Tell,  80,  Diane,  40, 
Justice,  40,  Athenien,  64,^  Dego,  64,^  and  CartJiagenaise,  36;"  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  10,000  Maltese  were  in  arms,  and  the  patriots 
possessed  not  only  cannon  but  also  armed  gallays  and  gunboats. 
It  was  expected,  therefore,  that  Malta  would  not  hold  out  for  very 
long,  and  this  expectation  seemed  to  receive  some  degree  of  justifica- 
tion when,  on  October  28th,  the  French  garrison  of  the  neighbouring 
and  dependent  island  of  Gozo  capitulated.  Captain  John  Cresswell, 
of  the  Alexander's  Marines,  hoisted  British  colours  on  the  castle 
and  took  temporary  possession  ;  and  on  the  day  following  the  place 
was   handed   over   to   the   islanders,    the   Neapolitan  flag  was  sub- 

'  It  nominally  commenced  on  Sejitember  2Gtli,  and  lasted  till  the  surrender  of  Malta 
on  Septemlier  4tli,  1800. 

-  Formerly  of  the  Maltese  navy. 


1798.]  FERDINAND   IV.    FLEES    TO   PALERMO.        .  375 

stituted,  and  the  sovereignty  of  Ferdinand  IV.  was  acknowledged. 
From  that  time  forward,  however,  little  progress  was  made ; 
and,  for  very  many  months  afterwards,  the  observation' of  Malta 
remained  one  of  the  most  anxious  duties  of  the  British  fleet  in  the 
Mediterranean. 

In  the  meantime,  the  check  inflicted  on  the  French  arms  by  the 
Battle  of  the  Nile  encouraged  the  tottering  Italian  kingdoms  to 
make  new  struggles  for  life.  As  soon,  however,  as  Sardinia  made  a 
movement,  the  French  drove  King  Charles  Emmanuel  from  the 
mainland  and  occupied  Piedmont.  The  efl'orts  of  Naples  were  not 
quite  so  quickly  stifled.  The  French,  indeed,  were  actually  driven 
from  Eome ;  but,  in  little  more  than  a  fortnight,  they  repossessed 
themselves  of  it,  and  then  marched  upon  Naples.  Despairing  of  his 
ability  to  resist,  and  distrusting  his  own  people,  Ferdinand  IV., 
on  December  21st,  took  refuge  on  board  Nelson's  flagship,  the 
Vanguard,  and,  five  days  later,  landed  at  Palermo,  the  capital  of 
his  Sicilian  dominions.  Russia  and  Turkey  were  similarly  stimulated 
to  activity,  and,  by  October  10th,  their  fleets,  under  Vice-Admiral 
Ushakoff  ^  and  Cadir  Bey,  had  deprived  the  French  of  all  their  new 
acquisitions  at  the  mouth  of  the  Adriatic,  except  Corfu,  where 
General  Chabot  held  command,  and  where  there  lay  in  harbour  the 
Genh-enx,  74,  her  prize,  the  Lcander,  .50,  the  Brune,  28,  a  bomb,  a 
brig,  and  four  armed  galleys.  Ushakoff  and  Cadir  appeared  before 
that  island  on  October  20th,  and  presently  disembarked  troops  and 
began  siege  operations ;  but,  although  they  gradually  reduced  the 
defenders  to  greai  straits,  they  could  not,  or  at  least  did  not,  prevent 
the  GenereiLC  from  getting  away  to  Ancona ;  and,  at  the  end  of  the 
year  ths  French  flag  still  flew  over  Corfu.-  A  reinforcement  from 
Ancona  intended  for  the  island  was,  however,  deterred  by  the  obvious 
hopelessness  of  the  French  position  from  attempting  a  landing. 

The  French  naval  force  blockaded  in  Alexandria  by  the 
division  under  Captain  Samuel  Hood  (2)  consisted  of  the  Causse,  64,^ 
Dubois,  64,3  Juno)i,  38,  Carrere,  38,'  Miiiron,  38,^  Alceste,  36, 
Courageuse,  36,  Leohen,  32,^  Mantoue,  32,"  Montenotte,  32,*  four 
brig-corvettes,  and  nine  gunboats,  etc."  These  vessels  had  left 
Toulon  armed  en  flide  ;  but,  after  having  disembarked  their  troops 

»  I'eodor  Feodorovitcli  Ushakoff;  entered  the  Russian  navy,  ITGG;  fought  against 
Turkey,  1768-74;  retired,  1807;  died,  1817. 

-  Chahot  did  not  capitulate  until  March  3rd,  1799. 

'  Previously  of  the  Venetian  navy. 

*  Ganteaunae's  return  of  14  Fructi<lor  (August  .Slst). 


376  MAJOli    OPEBATIONS,    17D3-1802.  [1798. 

in  Egypt,  they  had  all  got  up  such  guns  as  they  had  stowed  below, 
and  were  once  more  fully  armed.  Moreover,  as  appears  from  an 
official  return  which  was  intercepted  by  the  British,  they  were 
fully  manned.  They  were  commanded,  first  by  Eear-Admiral 
Granteaume,'  and  subsequently  by  Commodore  Dumanoir  Le  Pelley. 
Besides  the  squadron  at  Alexandria,  there  were,  co-operating  with 
the  army  up  the  Nile,  fifteen  large  gun-vessels  under  Commodore 
Perree.  Several  gallant  deeds  were  done  during  the  early  part 
of  the  blockade ;  and  some  of  them  must  be  recorded  here. 

The  Alcmine,  on  August  '22ud,  was  in  the  act  of  capturing  the 
French  gunboat  Leijire,  6,  carrying  dispatches  for  Bonaparte,  when 
a  French  officer  on  board  the  prize  was  observed  to  throw  some 
papers  overboard.  Although  the  Alcmbie  was  travelhng  at  the  rate 
of  nearly  six  knots,  the  seamen  John  Taylor  and  James  Harding 
instantly  jumped  into  the  water  and  saved  the  whole  of  the  papers 
at  the  risk  of  their  lives.  Three  days  later,  the  boats  of  the  Goliath, 
under  Lieutenant  William  Debusk,  most  bravely  cut  out  in  the 
small  hours  of  the  morning  from  under  the  guns  of  the  castle  of 
Aboukir  the  armed  ketch  Torride,  7.  And  on  September  2nd,  after 
the  French  cutter  Anemone,  4,^  had  been  driven  ashore,  and  had 
gone  to  pieces,  near  Marabou,  when  it  was  seen  that  the  crew, 
which  had  got  safely  ashore,  was  about  to  be  attacked  by  a  party 
of  Arabs,  boats  from  the  British  squadron  generously  attempted 
to  rescue  the  unfortunate  Frenchmen.  A  landing  was  found  to 
be  impossible,  owing  to  the  breakers ;  but  Midshipman  Francis 
William  Fane,^  of  the  Emerald,  voluntarily  swam  through  the 
heav}'  surf  with  an  empty  keg  to  which  a  line  had  been  fastened, 
and  so  brought  off  enseigne  de  vaisseau  Blaise  Gaudran  and  four 
men,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  some  of  the  fugitives  had  actually  fired 
on  the  boats  which  were  trying  to  save  them.  Many  of  the  rest 
were  massacred  by  the  natives  before  the  eyes  of  the  British,  who 
were  powerless  to  interfere. 

In  October,  the  Portuguese  squadron,  lender  the  Marques  de 
Niza  appeared  for  a  short  time  off  Alexandria,  but  soon  returned 
to  Malta.  The  Lion,  64,  Captain  Manley  Dixon,  which  had  been 
serving  with  the  Portuguese,  was  left  with  Hood ;  and  later  in  the 
month  the  blockading  force  was  further  strengthened  by  the  arrival 

'  (jouimoiloi'e  imtil  November  7th,  1708,  wlien  he  w.is  promoted. 

-  Six  days  from  Malta,  with  disjiatehes,  and  a  few  officers  and  soldiers. 

■'  Dieil  a  liear-Admiral  in  1S4-1. 


1798.]  CAPTUBE    OF  MINOnCA.  ^11 

of  two  Russian  frigates,  two  Turkish  corvettes,  and  sixteen  other 
Tui-kish  craft,  chiefly  gunboats.  On  October  21st,  Captain  Benjamin 
Hallowell,  with  the  Siciftsure  and  three  gunboats,  was  detached 
to  attack  the  castle  of  Aboukir  and  a  French  camp  lying  on  the  shores 
of  Lake  Madieh.  The  Turks  being  found  to  be  too  careful  of 
their  skins,  Hallowell  sent  fifteen  of  his  own  men  on  board  each 
gunboat;  and  from  the  25th  to  the  28th  the  enemy  was  daily 
annoyed,  though  no  great  damage  was  done  on  either  side.  It  is 
worth  noting  that  the  most  effective  missiles  thrown  by  the  gunboats 
were  certain  fireballs  and  shells  which  had  been  taken  in  the 
Spartiate  at  the  battle  of  the  Nile,  and  that,  little  suspecting  the 
origin  of  these  missiles,  some  French  officers  went  off  under  a  flag 
of  truce  to  protest  against  the  employment  of  such  incendiary 
projectiles.  In  December  the  Turkish  and  Russian  contingents 
departed,  and  the  Lion  rejoined  Nelson;  yet,  though  Hood  was 
ultimately  left  with  but  two  ships  of  the  line  ^  and  one  or  two 
frigates,  no  attempt  was  made  to  drive  him  from  his  station. 

After  the  departure  eastward  of  Nelson  and  the  reinforcements 
which  followed  him.  Lord  St.  Vincent  continued  to  blockade  Cadiz 
with,  upon  the  whole,  much  success,  although,  on  April  12th,  the 
Monarca,  74,  with  two  frigates  and  a  small  convoy  of  merchantmen, 
managed  to  get  to  sea.  The  blockade  continued  throughout  the 
summer  with  but  little  excitement  or  variety  ;  and  it  is  probable  that 
it  was  his  growing  familiarity  with  the  lukewarmness  of  the  Spanish 
attitude  towards  France,  and  with  the  unenterprising  character  of 
Admiral  Massaredo,  that  induced  the  Commander-in-Chief,  at  the 
end  of  October,  to  weaken  his  numerically  inferior  fleet  by  detaching 
a  squadron  against  Minorca.  This  squadron,  commanded  by  Com- 
modore John  Thomas  Duckworth,  and  constituted  as  shown  below, - 
carried  a  body  of  troops  under  General  the  Hbn.  Charles  Stuart,  and 
appeared  off  Fornello,  on  the  north  of  the  island,  on  November  7th. 
After  but  slight  resistance  had  been  offered,  a  landing  was  effected 
in  the  neighbouring  creek  of  Addaya.  Fornello  was  abandoned  by 
the  Spaniards,  and  the  troops  quickly  took  possession  of  Mercadal, 

'  Xnilous  and  Siviflsuri'. 

^  Zei'M</inn,  74,  Commodore  J.  T.  Duckworth,  Capt.  Henry  Digliy ;  Cintuur, 'i-i, 
Capt.  Thomas  Markham  ;  Argo,  4-.I-,  Capt.  James  Poweu  (1)  ;  Dulphin,  ii,  Capt.  Josiah 
Kisbet  (actg.)  ;  Aurora,  28,  Capt.  Thomas  Gordon  CauUeikl ;  Cormoraiit,  20,  Capt. 
Lord  Mark  Robert  Kerr;  Feirel,  16,  Com.  Charles  Long;  Ulysses,  44,  storeship,  Com. 
Thomas  Pressland ;  Calcutta,  24,  armed  transjwrt.  Com.  Eichard  Pouklen ;  Voromandel , 
24,  armed  transport,  Lieut.  Robert  Simnionds;  Constifiitivn,  hired  armed  cutter,  Lieut. 
.Tolm  Whiston,  and  several  merchant  transport.s. 


378  MAJOB    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1798. 

thence  following  np  the  enemy  to  Ciudadella  and  to  Mahon.  On 
November  9th,  Fort  Carlos,  an  outpost  of  the  latter  town,  sur- 
rendered; on  the  13th,  Duckworth  chased  off  a  small  Spanish 
squadron,  and  retook  from  it  the  late  British  sloop.  Petrel ; '  and  on 
the  15th,  the  whole  island  capitulated,  together  with  its  garrison 
of  about  3.500  men,  an  unfinished  brig,  which  was  afterwards 
completed  and  named  Port  Mahon,  and  several  small  craft. ^  In 
these  excellently  managed  operations,  the  British  suffered  no  loss 
whatsoever.  For  the  service.  General  Stuart  was  made  a  K.B. ; 
but  Commodore  Duckworth,  apparently  in  consequence  of  the  rather 
ungenerous  manner  in  which  St.  Vincent  officially  wrote  of  him, 
received  no  reward  whatsoever. 

In  the  North  Sea,  no  great  events  happened  during  the  year. 
The  Dutch,  taught  by  the  lesson  received  off  Camperdown,  and 
threatened  by  largely  superior  forces,  remained  in  their  ports,  and 
were  observed,  or  blockaded,  by  a  British  fleet  ^  under  Lord  Duncan, 
and  a  Eussian  one  *  under  Vice-Admiral  Makaroff.  Both  in  the 
Portuguese  and  in  the  Eiissian  contingents,  which  were  co-operating 
with  the  Navy  of  Great  Britain,  many  British  officers  served,^  and  it 
may  be  said  without  exaggeration  that  each  contingent  owed  much 
of  such  efficiency  as  it  possessed  to  its  British  Captains. 

In  distant  waters,  also,  the  year  1798  witnessed  no  very  im- 
portant transactions.  Early  in  May,  the  British  troops,  under 
Brigadier-General  the  Hon.  Thomas  Maitland,  still  holding  outlying 
ports  in  the  western  part  of  San  Domingo,  evacuated  Port  au  Prince, 
Saint  Marc,  and  Aux  Cayes,  in  pursuance  of  an  agreement  arrived  at 
with  the  republican  general  Toussaiut  Louverture,  and,  together 
with  those  of  the  inhabitants  who  desired  to  leave,  were  embarked 
in  British  ships  of  war,  and  conveyed  to  Cape  Nicolas  Mole.  A  little 
later,  the  position  of  the  French  was  further  strengthened  by  the 
arrival  at  Cape  Fran9ois,  with  supplies  from  Europe,  of  three  French 
frigates,  which,  eluding  the  blockade,  safely  re-entered  Lorient  on 
December  4th.  In  September,  the  Spaniards  made  repeated  attacks 
upon  the  British  settlements  in  the  Gulf  of  HondiTras,  and  especially 
upon   the   approaches   to   Belize,  which  was   garrisoned   by   small 

'  Belonging  to  the  squadron.  She  had  been  captured  on  the  12th,  and  owed  lier 
recapture  to  the  Argo,  44. 

^  Including  fourteen  gun-vessels. 

'  Of  si'Cteen  sail  of  the  line,  and  many  50-gun  ships  and  frigates. 

*  Of  ten  sail  of  the  line. 

°  See  lists  in  James,  ii.  181 ;  Schombsrg,  iv.  595. 


1799.] 


THE   COMMANDS   IN  1799. 


379 


detachments  of  the  63rd  regiment,  and  of  the  6th  West  India 
regiment,  tinder  Lieut. -Colonel  Thomas  Barrow.  The  onlj'  ship  of 
the  Eoj'al  Xavj'  in  the  port  was  the  Merlin,  16,  Commander  John 
Ealph  Moss,  but  the  colony  had  fitted  out  and  armed  the  gunboats 
Tickle)-,  Tou-zer,  and  Mermaid,  and  the  schooners  Teazer  and 
Swinger,  besides  eight  gun  launches  ;  and  with  this  force,  under  the 
direction  of  Captain  Moss,  the  vastly  superior  Spanish  flotilla  was 
beaten  back  on  September  3rd,  4th,  and  5th,  off  Montego  Key  ;  on  the 
6th,  off  St.  George's  Key ;  and  on  the  10th,  in  the  same  neighbour- 
hood. On  the  British  side  no  one  was  hurt.  The  Spaniards,  whose 
loss  is  unknown,  remained  off  Key  Chapel  until  the  loth,  when 
they  retired,  some  going  to  Bacalar  and  some  to  Campeche.  They 
appear  to  have  employed  in  these  futile  operations  about  twenty 
schooners  and  sloops  and  about  ten  transports  and  victuallers, 
having  on  board  five  hundred  seamen  and  nearly  two  thousand 
troops. 

In  the  year  1799,  the  chief  naval  commands  at  home  and  abroad 
were  held  as  follows  : — 


Portsmoutli .... 

Sept.  14th 
Plymouth    .... 

Mar.  29th 
Tlie  Downs  .... 

Ap.    .      . 

T)ie  Nore     .... 

„  Ap.    .      . 

Aug..      . 

Cork 

The  Channel 

The  Xortli  Sea  . 

Lisbon  and  Mediterranean 

„  June. 

North  America. 
Newfoundland  . 
Leeward  Islands 
„  later  . 

Jamaica 

Cape  of  Good  Hope 
East  Indies  .... 


Admiral  Sir  Peter  Parker,  Bt.  (W). 
Admiral  Mark  Milbanke  (W). 
Admiral  Sir  Bichard  King  (1),  Bt.  (B). 
Vice-Adm.  Sir  Thomas  Pasley,  Bt.  (R). 
Admiral  Joseph  Peyton  (1),  (.B). 
Vice-Adm.  Skeffington  Lutwidge  (R). 
Vice-Adm.  Skeffington  Lutwidge  (R). 
Vice-Adm.  Andrew  Mitchell  (B). 
Vice-Adm.  Alexander  Gramme  (Wj. 
Admiral  Robert  Kingsmill  (B). 
Admiral  Lord  Bridport  (W). 
Admiral  Lord  Duncan  (W). 
Admiral  Lord  St.  Vincent  (W). 
Vice-Adm.  Lord  Keith  (R). 
Admiral  George  Vandeput  (B). 
Vice-Adm.  Hon.  William  Waldegrave  (R). 
Vice-Adm.  Henry  Harvey  (1),  (W). 
Vice-Adm.  Lord  Hugh  Seymour  (B). 
Admiral  Sir  Hyde  Parker  (2),  (B). 
Vice-Adm.  Sir  Roger  Curtis,  Bt.  (W). 
Vice-Adm.  Peter  Rainier  (1),  (B). 


It  has  been  seen  that  the  external  preoccupations  of  France  had 
been  much  added  to  by  reason  of  her  sudden  attack  upon  Egypt  in 
the  previous  year ;  that  Sardinia  and  Naples,  though  with  no  great 
success,  had  recommenced  active  hostilities  against  her;  and  that 
Turkish  and  Kussian  fleets  had  been  provoked  into  aiding  her  other 


380  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1799. 

foes  in  the  Mediterranean.  In  1799,  Austria  joined  the  coalition 
against  the  Kepubhc.  But  the  exertions  of  France  grew  greater  as 
the  number  of  her  enemies  increased.  She  laid  down  many  new 
ships ;  she  stinted  herself  to  pay  the  arrears  of  wages  due  to  her 
seamen  ;  and  A^'ice-Admiral  Bruix,'  her  Minister  of  Marine,  himself 
went  to  Brest  to  accelerate  the  preparations,  and  to  take  command 
of  the  rapidly  increasing  fleet  in  that  port. 

The  British  squadron  off  Brest  during  the  earlier  part  of  the  year 
consisted  of  but  eight  or  nine  sail  of  the  line  detached  from  the 
Channel  Fleet  and  successively  commanded  by  Vice-Admiral  Sir 
Charles  Thompson,  Bart.,  Vice-Admiral  Lord  Hugh  Seymour,  and 
Bear- Admiral  the  Hon.  George  Cranfield  Berkelej\  On  April  16th, 
though  chased  by  this  squadron,  a  large  and  valuable  French  convoy 
succeeded  in  getting  into  the  harbour;  and  on  the  following  day 
Lord  Bridport,  arri\ang  in  the  Boijal  George,  110,  with  five  or  six 
other  ships,  himself  assumed  the  command  of  the  watching  force. 
In  the  forenoon  of  the  '2oth,  Bridport,  who  had  with  him  or  near 
him  sixteen  sail  of  the  line  and  three  or  four  frigates,  looked  into 
Brest,  and  saw  thirteen  French  ships  of  the  Une  at  anchor,  and  five 
more  under  way  in  Bertheaume  road,  as  if  preparing  to  put  to  sea 
with  the  fresh  north-east  wind  which  was  then  blowing.  It  is 
difficult  to  guess  what  were  the  conclusions  of  the  British  Com- 
mander-in-Chief; but  it  is  probable  that  he  beheved  that  if  the 
French  really  put  to  sea,  Ireland  would  be  their  destination.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  he  made  sail  at  2  p.m.  to  the  W.N.W. ;  and  at  4  p.m. 
he  was  about  twelve  miles  W.S.W.  of  Ushant.  That  evening,  while 
Bridport  had  thus  for  a  time  lost  touch  of  his  foe,  Bruix  left  port 
with  a  fleet  which,  after  it  had  been  joined  on  the  following  day  by 
one  or  two  vessels  that  were  late  in  weighing,  consisted  of  twent}'- 
five  ships  of  the  line,  five  frigates,  and  several  small  craft, — one  of 
the  best  manned  and  best  found  fleets  that  ever  issued  from  a 
French  harbour. 

At  9  A.M.  on  the  26th,  when  part  of  this  fleet  was  rounding 
the  Saintes,  it  was  discovered  b}-  Captain  Percy  Fraser,  of  the 
NijmpJie,  36,  who  at  once  made  all  sail  to  rejoin  Lord  Bridport,  but 
who,  in  doing  so,  lost  sight  of  the  enemy.    At  1  p.m.  Fraser  signalled 

'  Eusticlie  Bruix;  bom  1759;  obliged  to  quit  the  Xavy  at  the  Hevolutiou ; 
rejoined  it  and  served  under  Villarct-.Joyeuse ;  as  Minister  of  Marine  took  the  Brest 
fleet  to  tlie  assistance  of  Massena  at  Genoa ;  returned  ^Yith  it  in  safety ;  commanded 
the  Invasiop  Flotilla  ;  resigned  because  of  ill-health ;  died  1£05. 


1799.]  BRUIX  AND   KEITH.  381 

his  intelligence  to  the  Dragon,  74,  Captain  George  Campbell,  and 
the  Dragon  instantly  repeated  it  to  the  Commander-in-Chief,  who 
immediately  steered  again  for  Brest,  to  find,  at  noon  on  the  STtb, 
that  Bruix  had  vanished.  Bridport  instantly  sent  off  dispatches  to 
England,  directing  reinforcements  to  join  him  off  Cape  Clear  ;  to 
Lord  Keith,*  off  Cadiz  ;  and  to  Lord  St.  Vincent,  off  Gibraltar ;  and 
then  made  the  best  of  his  way  towards  the  coast  of  Cork,  which  he 
sighted  on  the  30th,  and  where  he  found  ships  which  augmented  his 
fleet  to  twenty-six  sail  of  the  line.  Unhappily,  the  conviction, 
which  he  had  by  that  time  certainly  formed,  that  Bruix  was  bound 
for  Ireland,  was  fortified  by  the  perusal  of  some  dispatches  which 
had  been  taken  on  the  27th  in  the  French  chasse-maree  Rebecca,  1(3, 
by  the  hired  armed  lugger  Black  Joke,  10,  Lieut.  James  Nicolson, 
and  which  had  been  deliberately  prepared  for  the  purpose  of  being 
captured.  While,  therefore,  Bridport  remained  off  the  Irish  coast, 
Bruix  was  able,  unhampered,  to  steer  across  the  Bay  of  Biscay 
before  a  fine  north  wind. 

St.  Vincent,  who  was  in  bad  health,  had  delegated  the  active 
work  of  the  blockade  of  Cadiz,  where  Admiral  Massaredo  still  lay, 
to  a  force  varying  from  eleven  to  fifteen  sail  of  the  line  iinder  Vice- 
Admiral  Lord  Keith.  Keith  made  occasional  trips  to  Tetuan  to 
water  his  ships,  but,  upon  his  return,  invariably  found  the  Spaniards 
where  he  had  left  them.  On  May  3rd  he  was  off  the  port  when  he 
was  joined  by  the  Childers,  14,  Commander  James  Coutts  Crawford, 
wath  news  that  five  Spanish  sail  of  the  line  had  left  Ferrol;^  and  by 
the  Success,  32,  Captain  Shuldham  Peard,  with  the  still  more 
important  intelligence  that  the  Brest  fleet  had  been  seen  at  noon  on 
May  1st  about  one  hundred  miles  west  of  Oporto  steering  S.W.  bj'  S. 
Keith,  who  then  had  with  him  fifteen  ships  of  the  line  and  no  frigate 
save  the  Success,  instantly  weighed  and  prepared  for  action,  at  the 
same  time  sending  the  Childers,  with  three  transports  under  her 
convoy,  to  Lord  St.  Vincent  at  Gibraltar.  The  fleet  stood  oft'  and 
on  with  a  fresh  N.W.  breeze  until  8.30  A.M.  on  May  4th,  when 
the  French  were  sighted  about  fifteen  miles  to  the  W.N.W.  At 
10  A.M.  the  Majestic,  74,  Captain  Eobert  Cuthbert,  signalled  that 
they  numbered  thirty-three  sail.  At  about  that  time  they  wore  from 
the  rear,  and  formed  on  the  port  tack  with  their  heads  to  the  N.E., 
the  British  soon  afterwards  forming  on  the  same  tack ;  but  a  little 

'  Second  in  command  of  tlie  Lisbon  and  jNIediterranean  station. 

'  These  ships,  failing  to  fall  in  with  Bruix,  ultimately  put  in  to  nocheloi't. 


382  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1799. 

later,  when  the  wind  had  very  much  increased,  the  enemj'  wore 
again,  and  stood  S.W.  By  5  p.m.,  owing  to  the  mist  and  spray,  the 
French  were  ahuost  invisihle  from  the  flagship  Barfleur.  As  the 
gale  blew  right  into  Cadiz,  it  was  impossible  for  Massaredo  to  come 
out ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  nothing  could  be  more  favourable  for 
the  French,  who  obviously  desired  to  pass  the  Strait.  On  the  5th, 
at  break  of  day,  four  more  French  ships,  stragglers  from  the  main 
fleet,  were  sighted  by  the  British,  to  windward  of  whom  they  passed 
at  a  distance  of  about  seven  miles ;  and,  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
same  day,  twenty-six  sail  of  the  enemy,  of  which  at  least  nineteen 
were  of  the  line,  were  observed  from  Gibraltar,^  bound  eastward 
through  the  Strait. - 

The  immediate  object  of  the  French  Government,  and  of  Bruix, 
was  to  eflect  in  the  Mediterranean  as  large  a  concentration  of 
men-of-war  as  possible,  and  then,  by  employing  overwhelming  force, 
to  again  oust  the  British,  who,  since  the  battle  of  the  Nile,  had 
resumed  their  activity  and  influence  in  that  sea,  and  to  re-open 
communications  with  Egypt.  There  is  no  evidence  that  Bruix,  in 
the  prosecution  of  this  plan,  ever  thought  of  entering^  Cadiz.  The 
idea  seems  rather  to  have  been  that  when  the  French  fleet  should 
show  itself  off  those  Spanish  ports  in  which  lay  men-of-war  ready 
for  sea,  the  Spanish  vessels  should  go  out,  and  join  the  great 
armament  which  was  bound  for  Toulon.  Five  sail  of  the  line  had 
quitted  Ferrol  in  accordance  with  this  scheme,  but  had  missed 
Bruix  and  had  found  their  way  to  Eochefort.  The  ships  in  Cadiz, 
as  has  been  seen,  had  been  prevented  by  the  state  of  the  weather 
from  leaving  port.  The  French,  in  consequence,  having  failed  to 
pick  up  any  reinforcements*  on  their  way,  did  not  acquire  that 
overwhelming  superiority  of  force  which  was  necessary  for  the 
complete  fulfilment  of  their  ambitions.  Yet  the  appearance  of  Bruix 
within  the  Strait  once  more  rendered  the  British  position  in  the 
Mediterranean  most  precarious  ;  for,  though  St.  Vincent's  command 
was  formidable,   it   was   scattered ;    and   several  of   the   detached 

'  There  was  at  the  time  no  efteetive  British  force  at  the  Kock.  St.  Vincent  had  his 
flag  in  the  guardship  Guerrier ;  and  Kear-Adm.  Thomas  Lenox  Frederick  was  living 
on  shore. 

^  It  entered  Toiduu  on  May  13th,  witliout  serious  adventure. 

'  Brenton  says  tliat  he  "  wished  to  enter "  it,  but  produces  no  evidence  to  that 
effect,     i.  478. 

*  Instead  of  gaining,  they  actually  lost  strength,  on  their  voj-age ;  for  certainly  the 
Censeur,  7-i,  and  possibly  two  other  French  ships  as  well,  suffered  so  much  in  the  bad 
weather  of  the  4th  as  to  be  obliged  to  run  for  Cadiz. 


1799.]       CONCENTRATION   OF    ST.     VINCENT'S    COMMAND. 


383 


divisions  of  it  were  liable  to  be  sui-prised  and  cut  off  ere  they  could 
be  warned  of  what  had  happened.  So  soon,  therefore,  as  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief learnt,  by  the  arrival  of  the  Childers  at  Gibraltar, 
of  the  movements  of  the  French,  he  took  steps  to  concentrate  his 
forces.  Keith  was  still  off  Cadiz  with  his  fifteen  sail  of  the  line ; 
the  Edgar,  74,  Captain  John  M'Dougail,  was  at  Tetuan  ;  Duckworth, 
with  four  sail  of  the  line,  was  at  Minorca  ;  other  vessels  were  at 


GliOKUE    KKITII    ELPIIIXSTOSE,    VISCOUNT   KEITH,    K.B.,    F.E.S.,    ADJOKAI.    OF    THE    llEU. 

CFruin  I!  drawiiio  by  J.  Jacksori,  after  a  portrait  hi/  G.  Saunders,  painted  irlicii   liix  Lurdsliip  «'«s  an 

Admiral  of  the  White.) 


Palermo  with  Nelson ;  yet  others  were  with  Ball  blockading  Malta  ; 
and  yet  others  were  at  Alexandria.  Keith's  squadron,  and  the 
Edgar,  were  ordered  to  join  the  Admiral  at  Gibraltar ;  and  the  other 
detached  commands  were  communicated  with,  and  directed  as  to  the 
com-se  which  was  to  be  pui-sued  in  certain  contingencies ;  but  Keith, 
and  the  Edgar,  did  not  reach  Gibraltar  until  May  10th  ;  and  not 
until  the  morning  of  the  12th  was  St.  Vincent  able  to  weigh  and 


384  MAJOR    OPEHATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1799. 

bear  np  for  the  Mediterranean  with  the  sixteen  sail  of  the  Hne 
named  in  the  note.'  On  the  17th  and  18th  he  encountered  bad 
weather ;  but  on  the  ^Oth  he  was  off  Minorca,  and  was  joined 
by  Rear-Admiral  John  Thomas  Duckworth,  with  the  four  Ti's 
Leviathan,  Centaur,  Bellerophon,  and  Fou-crfuh  That  night  he 
anchored  in  Port  Mahon. 

In  the  meantime,  encouraged  by  the  knowledge  that  a  strong 
French  fleet  was  to  the  eastward  of  him,  and  by  the  disappearance 
of  the  blockading  force  mider  Keith,  Admiral  Massaredo  had,  on 
May  14th,  put  to  sea  from  Cadiz  with  seventeen  sail  of  the  line. 
The  bad  weather  of  the  17th  and  18th  did  him  more  harm  than  it 
did  to  St.  Vincent ;  and  when,  on  the  '20th,  he  struggled  into 
Cartagena,  nine  of  his  seventeen  ships  of  the  line  were  more  or 
less  dismasted,  three  of  them,  besides  a  frigate,  having  lost  every 
stick. 

St.  Vincent,  who  by  that  time  knew  that  Bruix  had  reached 
his  port,  weighed  from  Mahon  on  May  22nd,  and  made  sail  for 
Toulon  ;  but,  on  the  26th,  in  consequence,  so  James  believes,  of 
information  that  the  Spaniards  were  at  Cartagena,  he  altered  com-se 
to  the  westward,  so  as  to  place  himself  between  Massaredo  and 
Bruix,  and,  from  the  27th  to  the  30th,  cruised  off  Cape  de  Creus. 
On  the  30th  he  received  news  that  the  French  had  left  Toulon  on 
the  27th,  and,  fearing  for  Nelson  at  Palermo,  he  at  once  detached 
Eear-Admiral  Duckworth,  with  the  Leviathan,  74,  Foudroijant,  80, 
Northumberland,  74,  and  Majestic,  74,  to  reinforce  him  there.  Later 
on  the  same  day  the  Commander-in-Chief  was  joined  by  Eear- 
Admiral  James  Hawkins  Whitshed,  with  the  Queen  Charlotte,  100, 
Captain,  74,  Defiance,  74,  Bellona,  74,  and  Bepulse,  64  ;  and,  with 
the  tweiaty-one  sail  of  the  line  thus  at  his  disposal,  he  cruised  down 
the  Spanish  coast  until  he  was  off  Barcelona,  and  then  returned  to 
the  north-east,  having  seen  nothing  of  the  enemy.  By  that  time 
St.  Vincent's  health  was  in  such  a  bad  state  that,  on  June  2nd,  his 
lordship,  in  the  Ville  de  Paris,"  quitted  the  fleet,  the  charge  of  which 

1  Villc  de  Paris,  110  (flag  of  Adm.  Lord  St.  Vincent) ;  Barfleur,  98  (flag  of  Vice- 
Adm.  Lord  Keith) ;  Prince  George,  98  (flag  of  Vice-Adm.  Sir  AVilliam  Parker  (1)  Bt.)  ; 
Princess  lioi/a^,  98  (flag  of  Kear-Adni.  Thomas  Lenox  Frederick);  London,  98; 
A^rwiHr,  90:  Foudroyant,  80 ;  Oibrcdiur,  SO;  Edgar,  l-^;  Montagu,  1-^  \  Northumh:r- 
Jand,  74;  Marlhoro'igh,  74;    Warrior,  74;  Hector,  74;  Defence,  74:  and  Majestic,  74. 

-  James  reproaelies  St.  Vincent  for  having  thus  withdrawn  a  llO-gim  sliip  from  the 
fleet,  wlien  a  frigate  would  have  answered.  But  St.  Vincent  was  very  feeble,  and  could 
ill  bear  transfer  fruva  sliip  to  An]>,  while,  in  .iddition,  frigates  were  scarce. 


1799.]  KEITH  MISSES    THE  FliEXCH.  385 

he   handed   over   to   Lord    Keith,  and   proceeded    to  Port  Mahon, 
whence  he  determined  to  go  home. 

Keith  continued  towards  Toulon,  and,  on  the  3rd,  when  he 
was  close  oS  the  port,  his  advanced  ships,  the  Centaur,  74, 
Captain  John  Markham,  and  Montagu,  74,  Captain  John  Knight, 
captured  four  settees,  from  the  people  in  which  it  was  learnt  that 
the  French  fleet  had  gone  to  the  eastward.  Eastward,  therefore, 
Keith  also  went ;  and  on  the  15th  he  was  infonned  by  the  hired 
armed  brig  Telegraph,  Commander  James  Andrew  Worth, ^  that 
on  the  previous  evening  the  enemy  had  been  seen  at  anchor  in 
Vado  Bay,  near  Savona.'  The  British  headed  in  that  direction,  and 
on  the  6th  were  fired  at  in  passing  by  some  small  island  forts  off 
Antibes.  On  the  8th,  however,  ere  he  could  enter  the  Gulf  of  Genoa, 
Keith  received  three  separate  dispatches  from  St.  Vincent  at  Port 
Mahon,  ordering  him  to  send  off  two  additional  74's  to  Nelson,  and 
then,  with  the  rest  of  the  fleet,  to  proceed  to  Kosas  Bay,  on  the 
north-east  coast  of  Spain,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  intercept  the  French 
who,  he  had  reason  to  believe,  were  on  their  way  to  join  the 
Spaniards  in  Cartagena.^  The  Vice-Admiral,  therefore,  detached  the 
Belleroplion  and  Powerful  to  Palermo,  and  crowded  sail  to  the  south- 
west. But  instead  of  making  direct  for  Kosas  Bay,  he  steered  for 
Cape  de  la  Mola  in  Minorca,  off  which  he  was  joined  on  Jmie  15th 
by  the  Ville  de  Paris.*  He  then  went  to  the  northward,  and  on  the 
19th,  when  he  was  about  sixty  miles  south  of  Cape  Sicie,  his 
advanced  division,  consisting  of  the  Centaur,  74,  Captain  John 
Markham,  Bellona,  74,  Captain  Sir  Thomas  Boulden  Thompson, 
Captain,  74,  Captain  Sir  Eichard  John  Strachan,  Emerald,  36, 
Captain  Thomas  Moutray  Waller,  and  Santa  Teresa,  42,  Captain 
George  Barker,  were  so  fortmiate  as  to  capture  a  French  squadron, 
bound  from  Jaffa  to  Toulon,  and  made  up  of  the  Junon,  40  (bearing 

'  He  had  been  so  promoted  on  March  29th,  but  still  held  what  was  onl.y  a  Lieu- 
tenant's command. 

"  This  news,  so  far  as  the  French  fleet  itself  was  concerned,  was  incorrect.  There 
were  probably  transports  at  Vado :  but  the  fleet  had  left  the  bay  on  the  1st  or  2nd. 

^  Keith's  lack  of  success  during  this  cruise  is  attributed  by  Dundonald  to  the 
manner  in  which  St.  Vincent  hampered  him,  and  to  the  Commander-in-Chiefs  pro- 
fessional jealousy.  '  Autobiog.  of  a  Seaman'  (Ed.  1861),  i.  84,  85.  Dundonald  was 
in  Keith's  flagship  at  the  time;  but  he  wrongly  states  that  St.  Vincent  ordered  Keith 
to  return  to  Port  Mahon,  instead  of  to  Rosas  Bay,  and  so  somewhat  vitiates  the  value 
of  his  testimony. 

*  St.  Vincent  remained  at  Port  Mahon,  preparing  to  go  home.  On  the  14th  Keith 
had  shifted  his  flag  to  the  Queen  Clmrlotte,  and  Whitshed  his  to  the  Barfleur. 

VOL.   IV.  2   c 


386  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [179?. 

the  tlcig  of  Eear-Admiral  Perree),  Alceate,  8G,  Courageuse,  32, 
Calamine,  18,  and  Ahrte,  l-i}  Lord  Keith  cruised  off  Toulon  until 
June  23rd,  and,  seeing  no  more  of  the  enem}',  looked  into  Vado  Bay 
on  the  24th,  and  into  Genoa  on  the  2Gth  :  but,  still  learning  nothing 
fresh  concerning  his  foe,  he  next  headed  for  Minorca. 

The  French  fleet,  then  including  twenty-two  sail  of  the  line,  had 
indeed  quitted  Toulon  on  May  27th,  and  had  gone  to  the  eastward. 
On  the  31st  it  had  anchored  in  Vado  Bay,  there  landing  troops  and 
stores  for  the  relief  of  Savona,  which  was  besieged  by  the  Russians 
and  Austrians.  On  June  3rd  it  had  appeared  off  Genoa ;  and 
it  had  remained  there  until  the  6th,  when  it  had  made  sail  to  the 
westward.  On  the  9th  it  had  passed  in  sight  of  Toulon  ;  and 
on  the  22nd  it  had  arrived  off  Cartagena.  If,  therefore,  Keith,  upon 
receiving  St.  Vincent's  orders  on  June  8th,  had  proceeded  with  the 
greatest  possible  despatch  direct  for  Eosas  Bay,  it  is  more  than 
possible  that  he  would  have  fallen  in  with  the  French,  and  would 
have  been  able  either  to  bring  them  to  action  or  to  prevent  them 
from  uniting  with  the  Spaniards.  The  Vice-Admiral's  i-easons  for 
not  implicitly  obeying  the  instructions  of  the  Commander-in-Chief 
have  never  received  adequate  explanation.  But,  so  far  as  British 
interests  in  the  Mediterranean  were  concerned,  Keith's  conduct, 
though  it  may  have  deprived  him  of  a  victory,  led  to  no  immediately 
baneful  results.  The  allies,  no  doubt,  knew  that  Keith  had  with 
him  nineteen  sail  of  the  Hue;  that  Nelson,  Ball,  and  Troubridge 
had  fifteen  (besides  two  or  three  Portuguese  74's) ;  and  that  sixteen 
sail  of  the  line  had  been  detached  from  the  Channel  Fleet  for 
Lisbon  and  the  Mediterranean.  Although,  therefore,  the  French 
and  Spaniards  in  Cartagena  numbered  40  '^  sail  of  the  line  ready 
for  sea,  their  leaders  appear  to  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that 
that  huge  fleet  would  find  a  more  untrammelled  field  for  action 
in  the  Atlantic  than  in  the  Mediterranean ;  and,  after  they  had 
transferred  to  a  flotilla  of  transports  a  body  of  about  five  thousand 
troops  destined  for  Majorca,  they  quitted  Cartagena  in  company  on 
June  24th,  when  Keith  was  off  Vado,  and  headed  for  the  Strait 
of  Gibraltar. 

Keith  reached  Minorca  from  Genoa  on  July  (5th ;    Ijut  he  was 

'  These  were  all  added  to  the  Xavy,  the  Juiion  as  the  J'rinnss  Charlotte  (later  the 
Andromache),  the  Ahrte  as  the  Minorca,  and  the  rest  under  their  old  names. 

'  In  addition,  two  74'b,  which  had  been  left  under  repair  at  Toulon,  eventually 
joined  the  allies. 


ITOit.]  THE  ALLIES   ENTER    BREST.  387 

still  in  ignorance  of  the  movements  of  the  enemy.  On  the  7th,  he 
was  joined  by  twelve '  out  of  sixteen  -  ships  of  the  line  which  had 
been  detached  to  him  from  the  Channel  Fleet. ^  A  day  later,  news 
reached  him  that  the  junction,  of  which  St.  Vincent  had  forewarned 
him,  had  been  effected  between  Bruix  and  Massaredo ;  and  on  the 
10th,  he  weighed  and  went  in  pursuit,  after  having  sent  orders 
to  Nelson  to  detach  ships  for  the  protection  of  Minorca.^  On 
July  26th,  the  British  put  into  Tetuan  for  water ;  and  on  the  29th 
they  made  Gibraltar,  to  find  that  the  allies  had  passed  the  Strait 
three  weeks  ahead  of  them. 

The  allies  had,  in  fact,  passed  on  July  7th,  capturing  on  their 
way  the  British  hired  cutter  Penelope,  18,  Lieut.  Frederick  Lewis 
Maitland,  which  had  been  sent  out  of  harbour  to  reconnoitre,  and 
which,  unfortunately,  had  on  board  a  considerable  sum  of  money. 
On  the  10th  and  two  following  days  the  enemy  entered  Cadiz,  and 
on  the  21st  they  sailed  once  more,  bound  for  Brest.  As  they  were 
leaving  port,  the  Santa  Ana,  112,  grounded,  and  was  with  difficulty 
floated  again.  Being  leaky,  she  was  sent  back  under  convoy  of  the 
Mexicanu,  112  ;  and  Admiral  Massaredo  proceeded  with  fifteen  sail 
of  the  line,  Bruix  having  twentyrfive.^  In  the  afternoon  of 
July  30th,  an  easterly  wind  sprang  up,  and  Keith,  with  his  thirty- 
one  sail  of  the  line,  continued  the  pursuit.  On  August  8th,  when 
off  Cape  Finisterre,  he  fell  in  with  a  Danish  vessel  which  had  passed 
through  the  allied  fleets  two  days  earlier.  On  the  9th,  he  was  met 
by  the  Stag,  36,  Captain  Joseph  Sydney  Yorke,  with  news  that  the 
allies  had  been  seen  off  Cape  Ortegal,  steering  north-east.  On  the 
14th,  when  he  detached  Sir  Edward  Pellew  to  look  into  Brest,  that 
ofi&cer  saw  the  French  and  Spaniards  moored  in  the  road.  They 
had  arrived  only  on  the  previous  day,  so  that  Lord  Keith,  in  the 
chase,  had  almost  overtaken  them. 

'  Prince,  'J8  (flag  of  Rear-AJiii.  Sir  Charles  Cotton)  ;  Trinmph,  7-1  (Hag  of  Hear- 
Adm.  Cuthbert  Collingwood) ;  Formidable,  98 ;  St.  Oeorye,  98 ;  Neptune,  98 ; 
Glori/,  98 ;  Pragon,  74 :  Impetueux,  74 ;  Terrible,  74  ;  Superb,  74  ;  Pompee,  74 ; 
•  and  Canada,  74. 

-  The  other  four  ships  had  put  into  the  Tagus,  to  escort  thence  a  convoy  and  the 
Xile  prizes.  They  were  the  Royal  Sovereign,  110  (flag  of  Admiral  Sir  Alan  Gardner); 
Csesar,  80;  Magiiifrent,  74  ;  and  Russell,  74. 

'  It  is  remarkalile  that  these  ships  did  not  sight  tlie  allies.  Tliey  must,  at  one 
time,  have  been  very  near  them. 

■*  Nelson  deliberately  disobeyed  this  order,  although  it  was  more  than  once 
rejieated. 

°  This  number  included  the  Alliance,  74  (ex  San  Sebastian),  which  had  been 
.presented  by  Spain  to  the  Repviblic  to  take  the  place  of  the  unseaworthy  Censeur. 

2  c  2 


388  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1799. 

This  cruise  of  Bruix  was,  in  many  respects,  a  vei-y  remark- 
able one ;  but,  owing  rather  to  the  vacillating  plans  of  the 
French  and  Spanish  leaders  than  to  any  strategj'  on  the  part  of 
the  British  Admirals,  it  was  practically  futile.  It  has  been  sug- 
gested that  Bruix,  after  he  had  joined  the  Spaniards,  would  have 
sought  and  fought  Keith,  had  he  not  seen  signs  which  con- 
vinced him  that  Massaredo's  ships  were  not  to  be  depended 
upon.  This  explanation  may  be  correct.  There  was  no  reason 
to  beUeve  that  the  fighting  quality  of  the  Spanish  navj'  had 
improved  since  the  daj^  of  the  battle  of  St.  Vincent ;  and,  although 
Keith  had  showed  himself  but  a  poor  strategist,  it  was  notorious 
that  his  fleet  was  in  a  most  efficient  state.  If,  therefore,  he,  with 
his  thirty-one  sail  of  the  line,  had  been  offered  an  opportimitj' 
of  trying  conclusions  with  the  forty  or  forty-two  sail  of  the  allied 
line,  he  would  almost  certainly  have  defeated  them.  But,  though 
he  was  the  man  to  have  won  a  victory,  he  was,  unhappil}',  not 
the  man  to  find  the  enemj'  and  to  force  him,  against  his  will, 
to  fight. 

It  should  be  added  that  the  arrival  at  Rochefort  of  the  five 
Spanish  ships  of  the  line  ^  from  Ferrol,  and  the  southward  course 
of  the  Brest  fleet, ^  had  been  promptly  reported  to  Admiral  Lord 
Bridport,  who  then  lay  in  Berehaven,  waiting  for  the  anticipated 
French  invasion  of  Ireland  ;  and  that,  in  pm-suance  of  orders  from 
the  Admiralty,  he  had,  on  Jime  1st,  detached  Admiral  Sir  Alan 
Gardner,  with  the  sixteen  sail  of  the  line  named  in  the  notes  on 
page  387  to  reinforce  Lord  St.  Vincent. 

This  detachment  left  Lord  Bridport  with  but  ten  sail  of  the  line 
under  his  immediate  orders.  He  sailed,  also  on  June  1st,  for 
Basque  road,  and,  on  June  4th,  sighted  the  Spanish  squadron, 
which,  as  soon  as  it  perceived  him,  moved  to  the  road  of  Aix.  The 
Admiral  remained  off  Eochefort  until  the  8th,  when  he  returned 
to  England  with  the  Boyal  George,  100,  Atlas,  98,  Achilles,  74,  and 
Agincoiirt,  64,  lea^^ng,  as  a  blockading  force,  the  six  74-gmi  ships 
Mars  (flag  of  Eear-Admiral  the  Hon.  George  Cranfield  Berkeley), 
Venerable,  Benoivn,  Ajax,  Bamillies,  and  Robust.  Within  the  next 
few  weeks,  this  squadron  was  joined  by  the  Sans  Pareil,  80,  the 

'  These  had  been  watched  by  the  Indefatujahh,  44,  Captain  the  Hon.  Henry 
Curzon,  from  April  28th,  when  they  left  port,  till  April  30th.  The  news  of  their 
having  entered  Kochefort  was  brought  by  another  cruiser. 

'  Reported  by  the  Childers,  which  had  been  sent  home  from  Gibraltar  by  Lord 
St.  Vincent. 


1799.]  PULE   IN  AIX   liOADS.  389 

Royal  George,  100  (then  bearing  the  flag  of  Kear-Admiral  Charles 
Morice  Pole),  and  several  bombs  and  small  craft ;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  Mars  and  RamilUes  parted  company.  On  July  2nd,  Pole 
made  an  attack  upon  the  Spanish  ships,  which  were  moored  in  line 
ahead  between  the  Isle  of  Aix  and  the  Boyart  shoal,  and  which 
were  protected  by  a  floating  mortar  battery  ;  but  it  was  soon  found 
that  the  French  mortars  were  of  so  much  greater  range  than  the 
British  that,  while  the  latter  could  not  reach  their  target  at  all, 
the  former  threw  shells  well  over  not  only  the  British  bombs  but 
also  the  covering  frigates.  When,  therefore,  the  enemy,  finding 
that  he  could  not  be  injured,  began  to  assume  the  offensive,  and 
to  send  gunboats  to  inflict  additional  annoyance  upon  the  attacking 
party,  both  frigates  and  bombs  were  ordered  to  weigh  and  stand  out. 
They  were  followed,  for  a  time,  by  the  hostile  gunboats ;  and,  in 
consequence,  the  French  claimed  the  affair  as  a  British  defeat ;  but 
the  fact  is  that  on  neither  side  was  there  any  loss  or  damage.^ 
For  some  time  afterwards,  the  Spaniards  were  blockaded,  but  in 
the  middle  of  September  they  managed  to  put  to  sea.  They  first 
endeavoured  to  enter  Brest,  but,  finding  it  too  well  watched, 
returned  at  last  to  Ferrol.  During  the  absence  of  Bruix,  five 
additional  French  sail  of  the  Ime  had  been  commissioned  at  Brest, 
so  that,  after  his  return  with  Massaredo,  no  fewer  than  forty-seven 
ships  of  the  line  ^  lay  in  the  port,  ready  for  service  ;  yet,  strange 
to  say,  this  immense  fleet  made  no  fm-ther  movement  during  1799. 

In  the  meantime  great  events  were  in  progress  in  that  part 
of  the  Mediterranean  which  had  fallen  to  Nelson's  command.  In 
January  the  French  had  captm-ed  Capua  and  Naples ;  in  March 
they  had  seized  Florence  and  Leghorn,  and,  while  Ferdinand  of 
Naples  had  retired  to  Palermo,  Charles  Emmanuel  of  Sardinia 
had  fled  to  Cagliari ;  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany  had  sought  refiTge 
in  Austria ;  and  the  Pope  had  been  taken  prisoner.^  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Eussians  and  Turks  had  completed  the  reduction  of  the 

'  The  British  ships  present  at  tliis  harmless  afl'air  were  :  Bvyal  George,  100,  Rear- 
Adin.  Charles  Morice  Pole,  Captain  William  Domett;  Sans  Pareil,  80,  Captain 
William  Browell ;  Venerable,  74,  Captain  Sir  William  George  Fairfax ;  Renown,  74, 
Captain  Albemarle  Bertie;  Ajax,  74,  Captain  Hon.  Alexander  luglis  Cochrane; 
iiloiiisi,  74,  Captain  Herbert  Sawyer;  Boadicea,  ZB,  Ca.\)t3.m  Richard  Goodwin  Keats; 
Uranie,  .38,  (.'aptain  George  Henry  'I'owry ;  San  Fioremn,  36,  Captain  Sir  Harry 
Burrard  Neale ;  f«('cor«,  32,  Captain  Philip  Wilkinson;  Sylph,  18,  Commander  John 
Chambers  White  ;  and  the  bombs  Sulphur,  Explosion,  and  Volcano. 

'  Besides  nearly  forty  frigates  and  corvettes. 

'  He  died  soon  afterwards  at  Valence. 


390  MAJOH    Ol'EIUTIONS,    1793-lt02.  [V.W. 

Ionian  Islands,  capturing  at  Corfu,  which  capitulated  on  Marcli  Hrd. 
the  Leander,  50,  and  the  Brune,  'IS.  The  former,  which  had  lieen 
taken  by  the  French  from  the  British,  was  restored  l)y  the  Tsar 
to  her  original  owners.  Later  in  the  year,  an  Austrian  army, 
assisted  by  Russian  and  Turkish  squadrons,  retook  Ancona. 

Before  he  was  reinforced,  Nelson  occupied  himself  at  I'alermo 
in  inducing  the  authorities  to  mount  in  the  batteries  guns  which 
had  been  broi;ght  from  Naples,  and  to  fit  out  a  number  of  gunboats. 
Troubridge  joined  him  from  Alexandria  on  March  IBth,  with  his  own 
ship,  the  Ciilloden,  74;  the  Zealous,  74,  Captain  Samuel  Hood  (2) ; 
the  Stviftsure,  74,  Captain  Benjamin  Hallowell ;  the  Seahorse,  38, 
Captain  Edward  James  Foote  ;  the  Perseus,  bomb.  Commander 
Jaaies  Oswald,  and  the  Bulldog,  bomb,  Commander  Adam  Drum- 
mond.  The  Minotaur,  74,  Captain  Thomas  Louis,  also  joined  on 
the  24th ;  whereupon  Nelson,  on  the  31st,  despatched  Troubridge 
with  the  Culloden,  Zealous,  Swiftsure,  Mmotaur,  Seahorse,  Perseus, 
Bulldog,  and  the  Portuguese  Sao  SebastiTio.  74,  to  blockade  Naples. 
The  squadron  anchored  in  the  bay  on  April  2nd,  and,  on  the  part 
of  Iving  Ferdinand,  quietly  took  possession  of  I'rocida,  Ischia,  Capri, 
and  the  Ponza  Islands.  But  on  May  13th  Nelson  hurriedly  recalled 
Troubridge  to  Palermo,  in  consequence  of  having  received  in- 
telligence ^  that  the  fleet  of  Bruix  had  passed  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar 
and  was  in  the  Mediterranean.  Nelson  also  sent  on  the  disquieting 
news  to  Captain  Ball,  who  was  off  Malta  with  the  Alexander,  74, 
Goliath,  74,  and,  perhaps,  a  Portuguese  ship  of  the  line ;  and  to  the 
Russian  Admiral.  Troubridge,  who,  by  direction,  left  his  small 
craft  to  take  care  of  the  newly  surrendered  islands,  joined  the  Rear- 
Admiral  on  the  17th  with  the  Culloden,  Swiftsure,  and  Sao  Sebastido, 
the  Minotaur  following  on  the  20th,  and  another  Portuguese  74, 
the  Sao  Affonso,  arriving.  Nelson  previously  had  with  him  his 
flagship  the  Vanguard,  74,  Captain  Thomas  Masterman  Hardy,  a 
Portuguese,  74  {Principe  Real),  and  a  frigate,  and  the  Haarlem,  64 
{en  fiute),  Captain  George  Burlton  ;  and  with  these  ships  he  cruised 
for  several  days  off  the  western  end  of  Sicily,  being  joined  in  the 
meantime  by  the  Zealous,  74,  and  the  Lion,  64,  Captain  Manley 
Dixon.  On  the  30th  he  returned  and  re-anchored  off  Palermo. 
The  Audacious,  74,  Captain  Davidge  Goi;ld,  arrived  on  June  1st ; 

'  The  Espoir,  14,  Com.  James  Sanders,  reached  Palermo  on  the  12th,  with  news 
that  tlie  French  bad  been  seen  oft'  (Jporto;  and  an  ofticer  who  had  travelled  through 
Sicily  reported  on  the  13th  that  they  had  passed  Gibraltar. 


1799.]  POSITION   OF   THE  FItENCH  AT  NAPLES.  oiU 

and  on  June  7th  the  squadron  was  further  reinforced  by  Rear- 
Admiral  John  Thomas  Duckworth/  with  the  Foudroijant,  80, 
Captain  William  Brown  (1),  Leviathan,  74  (flag),  Captain  Henry 
Digby,  Nvrthumhedand,  74,  Captain  George  Martin  (2),  and 
Majestic,  74,  Captain  George  Hope  (1).  On  the  8th,  Nelson  shifted 
his  flag  to  the  Foudroijant,  taking  Captain  Hardy  with  him.  Captain 
Brown  exchanged  to  the  Vanguard.  The  whole  squadron  put 
to  sea  on  the  13th,  and  met  on  the  14th  with  the  BeUerophon,  74, 
Captain  Henry  d'Esterre  Darby,  and  Powerful,  74,  Captain  William 
O'Brien  Drury,"  its  total  strength  being  thus  brought  up  to  sixteen 
sail  of  the  line,  of  which  thirteen  were  British.  Unfortunately 
Nelson  had  with  him  no  frigates  ;  and  although  he  cruised  off  Sicily 
and  did  his  best  to  learn  something  of  the  whereabouts  of  the  enemy, 
he  was  able  to  discover  little  or  nothing.  His  small  craft,  the 
SeaJiorse,  38,  Captain  Edward  James  Foote  (senior  ofiftcer),  Perseus, 
bomb.  Commander  James  Oswald,  Mutine,  14,  Commander  William 
Hoste,  and  San  Leon,  16,  Commander  John  Harward,  were  in  the 
Bay  of  Naples ;  and  the  Espoir,  14,  and  Bulldog,  bomb,  appear 
to  have  been  detached  elsewhere. 

On  shore  the  French  were  by  that  time  hard  pressed.  Count 
Alexander  Suwaroff,  with  a  verj-  large  Austro-Eussian  army,  had 
entered  Italy  in  April,  and  was  triumphantly  moving  southward  : 
Cardinal  Euffo  defeated  the  Eepublicans  on  June  .5th  near  Naples  ; 
and  on  June  14th  and  1.5th  Eivigliano  and  Castellamare  surrendered 
to  Captain  Foote,  it  being  agreed  that  the  garrisons  should  march 
out  with  the  honours  of  war,  and  that  any  part  of  them  might  claim 
and  receive  the  protection  of  the  British  flag.^  This  arrangement 
luft  the  forts  of  Castel  del'  Uovo,  Castel  Nuovo,  and  Castel  St.  Elmo 
as  the  sole  points  still  in  the  possession  of  the  French  at  Naples.* 
On   June    17th,    the    Seahorse    and    Perseus   proceeded   off   Castel 

'  Detached  by  St.  Vincent  on  May  30tli. 

-  Detached  by  Keith  on  .June  8th. 

'  Curiously  emmgh,  my  researches  into  what  really  happened  at  Naples  on  this 
occasion  led  me,  in  the  summer  of  1897,  to  consult  certain  new  evidence,  which,  1 
since  find,  has  also  been  consulted  by  Mr.  F.  P.  Badham  ('  Eng.  Hist.  Eev.',  Ap.  1898,\ 
I  was  directed  to  most  of  these  authorities  by  a  paper  in  the  Picista  Marittima—a. 
valuable  storehouse  of  facts  and  suggestions  bearing  upon  the  naval  history  of  the 
Italian  States.  The  results  arrived  at  do  not  materially  touch  the  conclusions  of 
James  and  the  contentions  of  Capt.  Foote;  but,  as  they  throw  so  unfavourable  a 
light  upon  Nelson's  action,  and  as  much  of  the  evidence  seems  to  have  escaped  the 
attention  of  ilahan,  I  give  fuller  references  than  usual.  For  a  few  points,  which  might 
otherwise  have  escaped  me,  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Badham's  paper. 

*  See  chart  on  following  page. 


392 


MAJOR    UPERATIONS,    1793-1802. 


[1799. 


del'  Uovo  ;  and  on  the  following  day  Captain  Foote,  who  had  been 
directed  to  co-operate  with  Kuffo,  the  Sicilian  commander-in-chief 
on  shore,  sent  in  Commander  Oswald  to  offer  British  protection 
to  the  commandant  and  garrison.  The  commandant  declined  the 
honour ;  and  Foote  thereupon  informed  linffo,  who  was  the  king's 
vicar-general,  of  his  intention  at  once  to  attack  the  fort,  linffo 
appearing  to  concm*,  the  attack  was  begim  on  the  19th ;  but  scarcely 
had  it  commenced  ere  Foote,  to  his  astonishment,  received  from  the 
Cardinal  a  letter  begging  him  to  desist,  and  not  to  resume  hostilities 
so  long  as  a  flag  of  truce  remained  flying,  for  that  negotiations  were 


A"  .!  J.  F,  S  .V  O 


in  progress.  Foote  acquiesced  ;  but  that  night  he  sent  an  officer 
to  the  Cardinal,  protesting  against  so  long  a  suspension  of  hostilities, 
and  asserting  his  right  to  be  kept  informed  of  Euffo's  proceedings. 
The  Cardinal  answered  that  the  negotiations  were  being  conducted' 
by  Micheroux,  a  Eussian  officer  serving  with  the  Neapolitans  on 
shore,  and  that  Micheroux  would  furnish  the  particulars  ;  and  upon 
Foote  refusing  to  act  with  Micheroux,  of  whom  he  knew  nothing, 
Euffo  declared  that  he  was  ignorant  of  what  was  going  on.  This, 
of  course,  was  very  unsatisfactory ;  but  on  the  20th,  when  the 
Cardinal  sent  to  Foote  terms  of  capitulation  which  already  had  been 
signed  by  himself  and  Micheroux,  and  begged  the  British  officer 
to  affix  his  signature,  the  latter,  anxious  to  further  what  seemed 


1799.]  NELSON  AT  NAPLES.  393 

to  be  the  interests  of  King  Ferdinand,  complied,  declaring,  however, 
that  he  considered  the  terms  to  be  unduly  easy. 

The  docimient,  which  stipulated  for  the  capitulation  both  of 
UoYO  and  of  Nuovo,  was  ultimately  signed  also  by  the  Tm'kish 
representative  on  the  spot,  and  approved  by  Colonel  Mejan,  the 
French  officer  commanding  at  St.  Elmo.  It  specified,  among  other 
things,  that  the  garrisons,  chiefly  Neapolitan  rebels,  and  about 
one  thousand  five  hundred  in  number,  should  march  out  with 
military  honoui-s  ;  that  their  private  property  should  be  respected ; 
that  they  might  either  remain  in  Naples  or  embark  in  cartels 
for  Toulon ;  that,  mitil  the  cartels  should  be  ready,  the  gamsons 
should  retain  possession  of  the  forts ;  and  that,  pending  the  receipt 
from  Toulon  of  a  report  that  the  persons  to  be  despatched  thither 
had  arrived,  fom-  hostages  should  be  detained  at  St.  Elmo. 

Preparations  were  accordingly  made  for  sending  away  the  garri- 
sons ;  transports  were  assembled ;  and  on  both  sides  flags  of  truce 
remained  hoisted  ;  but  the  arrangement  had  not  been  entirely  carried 
into  effect,  when,  on  June  24th,  Lord  Nelson,'  with  his  whole 
squadron  entered  the  bay,  the  Foudruyant  flying  a  signal  annulling 
the  flag  of  truce.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  at  a  conference  ^ 
at  which  not  only  Nelson  and  Kuffo,  but  also  Sir  William  Hamilton, 
British  ambassador  to  the  coiu't  of  Naples,  and  his  wife,  were 
present,  the  Cardinal  warmly  held  that  the  treaty  ought  to  be  most 
scrupulously  observed,  the  Eear-Admiral  as  warmly  maintaining  that 
a  settlement  entered  into  with  rebels  ought  not  to  have  any  validity 
so  long  as  it  was  not  expressly  approved  by  King  Ferdinand.  Kufl'o 
thereupon  retired.  When,  in  the  evening,  Foote  went  on  board 
the  flagship.  Nelson  gave  him  all  credit  for  his  zeal  and  good 
intentions,  but  said  that  he  had  been  imposed  upon  by  the  Cardinal, 
and  that  Euffo  was  not  loyal  to  his  sovereign.^  Foote  excused 
himself   for   having   signed   the    capitulation   by  pointing   out  that 

'  He  had  left  Palermo  on  June  21st. 

^  For  accounts  of  tkis :  see  Sacchinelli,  '  Mem.  s.  vita  del  Card.  Euffo ' ;  '  Nel. 
Disps.,'  iii.  390 ;  Sic.  Papers,  P.R.O.,  xlv. ;  and  Harrison,  '  Life  of  Kelson '  (Lady 
Hamilton's  version). 

^  Nelson  wrote  to  this  effect  to  the  king  at  Palermo,  and  on  June  30th  received 
authority  to  arrest  the  Cardinal  if  necessary  ;  but  Ruflb  eventually  gave  way  to  the 
Itear-Admiral.  It  is  certain  that  until  the  30th  Nelson  liad  no  power  to  arrest, 
supersede,  or  override  the  Cardinal.  'Nel.  Disps.,'  vii.  addenda,  p.  186;  'Morrison 
Coll.,'  405;  Sic.  Papers,  P.H.O.,  xlv.;  'Borboni  di  Napoli,'  iv.  92;  'Rose's  Diaries,' 
i.  230.  The  dispatches  giving  Nelson  power  over  Piuffo  and  enjoinmg  the  latter  to 
obey  were  dated  Jime  27th. 


3i)i  MAJOR    OPERATION!^,    1793-1802.  [ITO!'. 

when  he  had  signed  it  he  had  thought  it  far  more  probaljle  that 
a  French  than  that  a  British  fleet  was  in  the  neighbourhood ;  and 
he  excused  himself  for  having  been  guided  by  Euffo  by  pointing 
out  that,  since  the  Cardinal  was  in  high  ai;thority,  it  was  but 
natural  to  assume  that  he  had  his  sovereign's  confidence  and  was 
acting  in  his  sovereign's  interests. 

On  the  '26th,  in  spite  of  what  had  occurred,  the  garrisons,  in 
conformity  with  the  treaty,  having  liberated  their  prisoners, 
marched  out  with  the  honours  of  war,  grounded  their  arms,  and, 
with  but  few  exceptions,  went  on  board  the  small  transports,' 
fourteen  in  number,  which  had  been  prepared  to  carry  them  to 
Toulon.  They  believed,  of  course,  that  they  were  to  go  thither. 
Instead,  by  Nelson's  orders,  they  were  detained,  pending  King 
Ferdinand's  decision  as  to  what  should  be  done  with  them. 

Nelson's  conduct  in  all  this  unfortunate  business  was  not,  it  must 
be  admitted,  quite  that  of  a  man  of  scrupulous  honour.  When  he 
arrived  before  Naples,  the  treaty  was  already  signed,  and  had  alread}' 
been  so  far  executed  that  the  gate  (Porta  Eeale)  leading  to  Castel 
Nuovo  had  been  surrendered ;  the  garrisons  had  released  their 
British  prisoners  ;  some  of  the  non-emigrating  part  of  the  garrisons 
had  left  the  forts ;  and  the  stipulated  hostages  had  been  lodged 
in  St.  Elmo."  It  had  been  represented  to  Nelson  by  Euffo  that 
if  the  treaty  had  to  be  annulled,  the  only  just  way  of  annulling 
it,  and  the  only  way  which  would  insure  the  safety  of  the 
hostages,  was  by  restoring  the  status  quo  ante.'^  Achmet,  the 
Turkish,  and  Baillie,  the  Eussian  military  commander,  had  both 
protested  that  to  violate  the  treaty  would  be  to  outrage  public 
faith. ^  Moreover,  Nelson  had  no  legal  power,  even  though  he 
knew  that  the  arrangement  was  contrary  to  the  w'ishes  of  the 
king,  to  go  behind  Euffo's  action.  Yet,  impelled  by  his  zeal  in  the 
cause,  stimulated  by  his  dislike  and  suspicions  of  the  Cardinal,  and 
not  restrained  by  Hamilton,  the  man  who  ought  to  have  been  a 
guardian  of  British  honour.  Nelson,  misusing  his  might,  took 
back  the  pledges  which  Euffo  and  Foote  had  given.     Nay,  he  did 

'  There  is  some  sliglit  evidence  tliat  part  embarked  as  early  as  the  '23rd.  Foote, 
'  Vind.,'  193  ;  Hamilton  to  Grenville,  July  11th  ;  Pcpe,  '  Mems.,'  i.  105  (1847). 

^  Foote,  '  Yindic.,'  48;  Hamilton  to  Grenville,  July  14th;  memorial  of  Kicciardi  in 
Williams's  '  Sketch  of  Manners,'  ii.  325  ;  '  Arch.  stor.  per  le  Prov.  Napol.'  (1888),  72  ; 
Add.  MSS.,  B.M.,  34,912.     The  evidence  is  overwhelming. 

»  '  Mem.  del  Card.  Ruffo,'  254,  264. 

*  ;/-(./.,  251. 


1799.]  NELSON  AT  NAPLES.  395 

worse ;  for  it  can,  unhappil}%  be  shown  that  he  permitted  the 
garrisons  to  go  on  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  the  treaty  in  all 
good  faith,  after  he  had  decided  that  he,  on  his  part,  would  not 
be  bound  by  them.  Nelson,  it  is  admitted,  signalled  to  Foote  on 
Jmie  24th  annulling  the  flag  of  truce,  and  declared  that,  instead  of 
observing  the  treaty,  he  would  attack  the  forts  :  but  we  know  that 
Ruffo  refused  to  be  a  party  to  anything  of  the  kind,  and  that  the 
refusal  induced  the  Rear-Admiral  to  abandon  the  project.  It  is 
admitted,  too,  that  on  the  25th,  Nelson  wrote  a  message  which 
was  to  be  sent  to  the  forts  by  Ruffo,  and  in  which  it  was  stated 
that  the  garrisons  would  not  be  allowed  to  embark  ;  but  we  know 
that  Ruffo  decHned  to  transmit  this  message  ;  and,  although  Nelson, 
after  his  conduct  had  been  publicly  called  in  question,  asserted^ 
that  he  had  thereupon  forwarded  the  message  direct,  his  ex  parte 
assertion  not  only  stands  without  corroboration,  but  is  distinctly 
contradicted  by  a  large  mass  of  circumstantial  e^^dence.'  Con- 
ceding, however,  that  Nelson,  up  to  the  evening  of  the  25th,  had 
no  thought  of  leaving  the  garrisons  under  any  misapprehension, 
how  is  it  possible  that  there  can  be  two  opinions  concerning  his 
attitude  on  and  after  the  26th?  On  that  day  Hamilton  wrote  to 
Ruffo:— 

"  Lord  Nelson  begs  me  to  assure  your  Eminence  that  he  is  resolved  to  do  nothing 
which  can  break  the  armistice  which  your  Eminence  has  accorded  to  the  chSteaux 
of  Xaples."  ^ 

And,  in  reply  to  some  comment  or  question  froru  Rufib,  Nelson 
himself  wrote  on  the  same  day  : — 

"I  am  just  liououred  with  j'our  Eminence's  letter;  and  as  Sir  AV.  Hamilton  wrote 
this  morning  that  I  will  not  on  any  consideration  break  the  armistice  entered  into  by 
you,  I  hope  your  Eminence  will  be  satisfied  that  I  am  supporting  your  idea.';.  I  send 
once  more  Captains  Troubridge  and  Ball."  * 

Again,    on  the  27th,  replying   to   a    letter   of   thanks  from   Ruffo, 

Hamilton  wrote  : — 

"I  can  assure  j-our  Eminence  that  Lord  Nelson  congratulates  himself  on  the 
decision  which  he  has  taken,  not  to  interrupt  your  Eminence's  ojierations,  but  to  assist 
you  with  aU  his  power  to  terminate  the  affair  which  your  Eminence  has  so  well 
conducted  up  to  the  present."  ° 

'  '  Nel.  Disps.,'  iv.  232. 

^  Espec.  by  Albanese's  letter  of  June  29th  in  '  Mem.  del  Card.  Ruffo,'  262. 
»  '  Mem.  del  Card.  Euftb,'  255. 

*  Printed  in  '  Nel.  Disps.,'  iii.  184 ;  but  there  misdated.  Ruftb's  letter  is  not 
to  be  found. 

'  '  Mem.  del  Card.  Rufib,'  259. 


^9(5  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1799. 

It  is  noteworth)'  and  significant  that  when  Troubridge  and  Ball 
saw  Kuffo  on  the  '26th,  they  verbally  confiiTued  the  assurance 
conveyed  in  Nelson's  letter  of  that  date  above  quoted,  but  they 
declined  to  sign  a  formal  document  to  the  same  effect.'  Yet  Kuffo 
was  satisfied,-  and  he  at  once  directed  Micheroux  to  desire  the 
garrisons  to  embark  immediately.  Micheroux  went  with  Ball 
and  Troubridge  to  deliver  this  intimation ;  and  at  about  5  p.m.  the 
emigrating  part  of  the  garrisons  embarked.  At  Castel  dell'  Uovo, 
a  specific  pledge  was  given,  when  the  place  was  handed  over,  that 
thirty-foui"  non-emigrants,  who  were  there,  should  be  sent  home  at 
11  o'clock.^  There  can  be  no  doubt  at  all  that  the  embarking 
garrisons  fully  believed,  and  were  entitled  to  fully  believe,  that 
the  stipulations  of  the  treaty  would  be  rehgiously  observed.  Even 
after  the  fourteen  transports  (polaccas)  had  been  detained  for  three 
days,  the  emigrants  did  not  altogether  realise  that  they  were 
prisoners,  for,  on  the  '29th,  they  complained  that  there  had  been 
delay  although  the  wind  was  fair.*  Yet  ere  that,  although  the 
garrisons  did  not  know  it,  Hamilton  had  practically  admitted  that, 
as  Foote  words  it,  they  had  been  enticed  from  the  castles  "  under 
pretence  of  putting  the  capitulation  I  had  signed  into  execution."  * 
Hamilton  cj-nically  wrote  to  Acton  on  Jmie  28th  :— 

"  Lord  Kelson  kept  the  promise  which  he  had  given  to  the  Cardinal.  He  did  not 
opi)Ose  the  embarkation  of  the  garrisons  ;  but,  when  the  garrisons  were  once  embarked, 
it  became  clear  what  the  situation  was."  ° 

Prince  Francesco  Caracciolo,'  a  Neapolitan  naval  officer  of  some 
distinction,  who  had  served  side  by  side  with  the  British,  and, 
indeed,  with  Nelson,  in  the  action  off  Genoa  on  March  14th,  1795, 
had  been  faithful  to  his  sovereign  during  the  earlier  part  of  the 
revolutionary  disturbances  in  Italy ;  but,  influenced  to  some  extent 
by  Ferdinand's  abandonment  of  Naples,  and  to  a  greater  degree  by 
a  decree  of  the  Parthenopaean  Bepublic  ordering  the  confiscation 
of  the  property  of  absent  Neapolitans,  he  at  length  joined  the 
Kepublican  navy.     He  was  in  Castel  Nuovo  w'hen  it  was  about  to 

»  '  Mem.  del  Card.  Euffo,'  256,  and  app. 

-  Up  to  the  evening  of  the  2uth  lie  had  suspected  Nelson.  Iluffo  to  Massa :  '  Mem. 
del  Card.  Ruftb,'  252. 

'  '  Mem.  del  Card.  Eufib,'  257. 

■•  Ibid.,  262-64. 

■■>  'Vind.,'39. 

"  'Borboiii  di  Xap.,'  iv.  94.     The  letter  is  in  Italian. 

'  lie  was  in  1799  about  47  years  of  age;  yet  English  writers  have  usually  referred 
to  him  as  an  old  man. 


1799.]  EXECUTION   OF  CARACCIOLO.  397 

capitulate ;  and,  doubtful  of  what  fate  was  in  store  for  him,  he  fled, 
probably  on  June  17th,  and  secreted  himself.  His  whereabouts 
became  known  to  Euffo ;  and  Nelson  requested  the  Cardinal  to 
hand  over  the  Prince ;  ^  but  the  Cardinal  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the 
Eear-Adniiral,  and  expressly  forbade  the  making  of  any  arrests 
without  his  personal  authority."  It  has  been  seen  that,  until 
June  30th,  Nelson  had  no  legal  authority  to  supersede  or  override 
Euffo,  the  king's  vicar-general ;  yet  Nelson  caused  Caracciolo  to 
be  privily  arrested  on  shore  during  the  night  of  the  '28th,  to  be 
abducted  in  such  a  manner  as  to  evade  the  notice  of  Kuffo's  officers, 
to  be  embarked  at  Granatello,  and  to  be  brought^  on  board  the 
Foudroijant.*  Within  an  hour  of  his  delivery  on  board,  he  was,  by 
Nelson's  directions,  put  on  trial  before  a  court-martial  which  met 
in  the  Foudroyant,  but  which  was  composed  of  Neapolitan  officers, 
whose  president  was  Count  Thurn,  an  old  enemy  of  the  prince.^ 
Caracciolo  pleaded, — and  it  can  be  proved, — that  he  had  served  the 
Republicans  unwillingly  and  under  a  thi-eat  of  death ;  ^  but  he  was 
not  allowed  any  opportunity  of  producing  evidence.  He  had  asked 
to  be  tried  by  British  officers.'  After  his  condemnation  by  a 
majority, — not  all, — of  his  judges,  he  demanded  a  second  trial. ^  But 
all  in  vain.  His  death  had  been  predetermined ; '  and  at  5  p.m., 
on  June  29th,  five  hours  after  his  sentence  had  been  pronounced, 
he  was  removed  from  the  Foudroyant,  and  hanged  at  the  fore- 
yard  arm  of  Count  Thurn's  ship,  the  Minerva.  The  arrest  had 
been  ordered  by  Nelson ;  the  trial  had  been  ordered  by  Nelson  ; 
the  request  for  a  second  trial  had  been  refused  by  Nelson ;  a  plea 
for  shooting  instead  of  hanging,  as  the  punishment,  had  been 
rejected  by  Nelson ;  even  Thurn's  and  Hamilton's  desires  that 
twenty-four  hours  should  be  allowed  to  intervene  between  the 
sentence   and   its   execution   had    been    denied    by  Nelson.'"     The 

'  Eose,  '  Diaries,'  i.  238. 

2  'Bortonidi  Nap.,' iv.  92. 

'  Caracciolo  was  bound,  until  Hardy  ordered  him  to  be  released. 

*  '  Mem.  del  Card.  Ruffe,'  267. 

°  One  of  the  charges  was  that  Caracciolo  had  fired  on  these  officers.  They  were 
therefore  prejudiced.     '  Vind.,'  101 ;  '  Saggio  Storico  '  (1865),  427. 

'  '  Nel.  Disps.,'  iii.  .341  ;  '  Pettigrew,'  i.  251 ;  Thurn's  report  in  '  Mem.  del  Card. 
Ruflb,'  265. 

'  '  Borb.  di  Nap.,'  iv.  101. 

*  Clarke  and  M'Arthur,  quoting  Lieut.  William  Standway  Parkinson,  who  had 
charge  of  the  prisoner. 

«"'  Borb.  di  Nap.,'  iv.  75,  76,  87-89. 

'"  Hamilton  to  Acton,  in  'Borb.  di  Nap.,'  iv.  111. 


398  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1799. 

responsibility  for  all,  therefore,  is  Nelson's  ;  and  one  cannot  escape 
the  disagreeable  conclusion  that  Nelson  was,  in  effect,  guilty  of 
hanging  a  foreign  officer  because  he  had  fought  against  the  British. 
For  Nelson  had  no  Sicilian  authority  or  mandate  ;  it  was  not  for 
him  to  look  upon  Caracciolo  as  a  rebel ;  and,  in  fact,  the  main 
point  upon  which  the  Prince  was  condemned  was  that  he  had 
fired  upon  a  vessel  which,  though  Sicihan,  was  at  the  time  under 
the  orders  of  the  British  Captain  Foote.  Whether,  and  if  so  to 
what  extent,  Nelson's  conduct  in  these  proceedings  was  influenced 
by  Lady  Hamilton,  are  questions  which  need  not  be  touched  upon 
here.  Lady  Hamilton  was  not  a  responsible  person  :  Nelson  was  : 
and  Nelson  must  bear  the  blame,  if  any  blame  be  deserved. 
Caracciolo's  guilt  towards  his  sovereign  is  not  in  dispute,  although, 
be  it  remembered,  there  were  mitigating  circumstances  connected 
with  it.  The  points  for  consideration  are :  what  right  had  the 
Kear-Admiral,  on  June  "iSth  and  29th,  to  override  Kuffo's  order 
and  to  effect  any  arrest  whatsoever  on  shore  ?  what  right  had 
he  to  deal  with  Caracciolo  as  a  rebel '?  what  right  had  he  to 
order  a  man  to  be  tried  by  his  personal  enemies  ?  what  right  had 
he  to  hang  a  foreign  othcer  for  firing,  in  the  course  of  war,'  upon 
a  vessel  under  the  orders  of  a  British  captain  ?  what  right  had 
he,  while  insisting  that  the  fate  of  the  would-be  emigrants  should 
be  decided  only  after  reference  to  King  Ferdinand,  to  reject 
Caracciolo's  appeal  for  a  reconsideration  of  his  case  ?  what 
right  had  he  to  insist,  in  defiance  of  custom,  upon  an  almost 
instant  execution  of  the  sentence  ? 

It  is  an  unpleasant  business ;  and  further  discussion  of  it  is 
unnecessary.  But  it  must  be  added  that,  in  consequence  of 
Nelson's  attitude  towards  the  would-be  emigrants,  those  poor 
wi'etches  were  kept,  half  starving  and  ravaged  by  disease,  on  board 
the  polaccas,  until  after  the  arrival  of  King  Ferdinand  off  Naples 
on  July  8th  ;  and  that  there  then  began  a  series  of  most  vindictive 
and  barbarous  executions,  not  even  women, — for  there  were  women 
among  those  who  had  capitulated, — being  spared.'^ 

The  surrender  of  Castel  Nuovo  and  Castel  dell'  Uovo  had 
deprived  the  French  party  of  all  their  positions  at  Naples  except 

'  It  is  true  that  the  KepublicauB  were  not  recognised  liy  Great  Britain  as 
belligerents ;  but,  by  imphcation,  at  least,  Huft'o  had  so  recognised  them  when  he 
granted  what  Nelson  called  "the  armistice";  and  Kelson,  on  the  20th,  had  committed 
himself  by  promising,  in  writing,  to  sujiport  Kuffo. 

2  Wiliiams  :  '  Sketches,'  399  ;  '  Borb.  di  Nap.,'  iv.  etc.,  etc. 


17i)9.]  THE  BRITISH  FLAG    HOISTED    OVER   HOME.  399 

Castel  St.  Elmo,  which  was  held  by  Major-General  Mejan  and 
about  eight  hundred  men.  Troubridge/  having  landed  a  body  of 
British  and  Portuguese  Marines,  began  a  formal  siege  of  this 
work  on  June  '29th.  Batteries  were  opened  against  it  on  July  3rd  ; 
and  on  the  11th  the  place  capitulated,  it  being  arranged  that  the 
garrison  should  be  conveyed  to  Toulon,  and  the  arrangement  being, 
in  this  case,  carried  out.  The  reduction  of  St.  Elmo  cost  the 
allies  thirty-seven  killed  and  eighty-four  wounded.  On  July  22nd, 
Troubridge,  with  one  thousand  British  seamen  and  Marines  and 
some  Portuguese  troops,  appeared  before  Capua,  about  fifteen  miles 
northward  and  inland  from  Naples  ;  and  on  the  29th  the  French 
garrison  capitulated  and  marched  out,  and  was  subsequently  sent 
to  Toulon.  Gaeta,  which  had  been  blockaded  by  the  fleet,  but 
not  besieged,  smTendered  on  the  ;31st ; "  and  on  September  29th 
and  30th,  after  negotiations,  Civita  Vecchia,  Corneto,  Tolfa,  and 
Rome  were  handed  over.  Captain  Louis,  of  the  Minotaur,  was 
rowed  up  the  Tiber  in  his  barge,  and  hoisted  British  colours  over 
the  Capitol.  Thus,  thanks  largely  to  the  Navy,  was  a  large  part 
of  Italy  freed  from  French  dominion. 

But  although  the  Navy  thus  l^rilliantly  distinguished  itself  in 
the  MediteiTanean,  Nelson,  who,  during  great  part  of  1799,  was 
the  senior  officer  there,  not  only  suffered  himself,  in  those  regret- 
table months  spent  in  Sicily  and  off  Naples,  to  be  led  from  the 
path  of  private  honour,  but  also  allowed  himself  to  be  induced  to 
pay, — as  he  himself  afterwards  expressed  it, — "  more  attention  to 
another  sovereign  than  my  own."  His  conscience, — to  again  use 
his  own  word, — was  "  Sicilified."  While  his  followers  were  winning 
glory,  he,  enslaved  by  a  beautiful  woman,  and  giving  way  to  the 
enervating  influences  of  a  court  which,  in  saner  moments,  he 
recognised  as  a  centre  of  vice,  folly,  and  corruption,  injured  his 
health,  grieved  his  truest  friends,  and  narrowly  escaped  sacrificing 
for  ever  his  professional  prospects.  So  obvious  was  his  infatuation, 
and  so  serious  were  likely  to  be  its  results,  that  even  his  Captains 
dared  to  remonstrate  pointedly  yet  guardedly  with  the  Eear- 
.Vdmiral    on    his    conduct.^      His    thrice-repeated    disobedience   to 

'   For  these  seivices  TroubriJge  was  cieated  a  Baronet  on  Xov.  30tli,  1799. 

-  Both  at  Capua  and  at  Gaeta,  Sicilian  subjects  were  delivered  up  to  the  allies ; 
and  many  of  them  were  afterwards  executed  after  trial  by  their  compatriots. 

'  These  conclusions  are  denied  by  the  commentator  of  the  '  New  Nelson  Manu- 
scripts,' published  in  Literature,  Feb.-May,  1898;  but  the  denial  appears  quite  in- 
-conclusive  to  one  wlio  has  carefully  gone  through  all  the  published  evidence,  though 


400  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1799. 

Keith's  reiterated  orders  to  despatch  ships  to  Minorca  would  have 
ruined  him  infaUibly,  if  either  Minorca  had  been  attacked  by  the 
enemy,  or  Keith  had  chosen  to  deal  sternly  with  his  insubordinate 
lieutenant.  Happily  for  Great  Britain,  Nelson,  when  at  length 
he  turned  his  back  upon  Sicily,  soon  re-acquired  all  his  old  strength, 
energ}',  and  single-minded  devotion  to  duty :  happily  the  enemy 
did  not  attack  Malta :  and  happily  Keith,  with  a  tenderness  which 
does  him  the  more  honour,  seeing  that  Nelson  had  no  love  for 
him,  did  not  press  matters  against  a  man  to  whose  greatest  and 
noblest  qualities  he  gave  the  most  generous  recognition.  Nelson 
escaped  with  only  a  mild  rebuke  from  the  Admiralty.'  It  was 
dxiring  this  period  that  King  Ferdinand  conferred  upon  him  the 
Duchy  of  Bronte,  in  Sicily,  with  estates  estimated  to  be  worth 
about  £3000  a  year. 

Bonaparte,  at  the  beginning  of  1799,  was  still  in  Egv'pt,  watched 
only  by  a  small  squadron  of  British,  Russian  and  Tm-kish  ships. 
To  improve  his  position  there,  he  had  added  to  the  fortifications  of 
Alexandria,  Eosetta,  and  Damietta,  attempted  to  come  to  a  friendly 
arrangement  with  the  Porte,  and  endeavoured  to  induce  the  Pasha 
of  Acre,  on  the  coast  of  Syria,  to  assist  his  projects.  The  Pasha, 
although  on  bad  terms  with  his  master,  the  Sultan,  had  declined  to 
aid  the  French,  and  had  at  once  replied  to  the  French  overtures  by 
seizing  the  frontier  fortress  of  El  Arich.  This  led  Bonaparte  to  set 
out  from  Cairo  early  in  January',  1799,  to  invade  Syria,  vdth  an 
army  of  about  thirteen  thousand  men.  At  the  same  time  he  sent 
orders  to  Eear- Admiral  Perree,  who  was  at  Alexandria,  to  put  to  sea 
with  the  frigates  Junon,  Alceste,  and  Courageuse,  and  the  corvettes 
Alerte  and  SaJamine,  and  to  convey  heaA'j'  guns  and  stores  along  the 
coast  for  the  use  of  the  expedition  ;  but,  as  the  port  was  then  closely 
blockaded,  Perree  did  not  sail  until  some  weeks  later ;  and  the  only 
vessels  which,  early  in  the  advance,  co-operated  with  the  French 
were  some  small  craft  from  Damietta.  The  whole  invading  force 
was  assembled  before  El  Arich  by  February  18th. 

In  the  meantime,  on  February  2nd,  Captain  Thomas  Troubridge, 
in  the  Culloclen,  74,  with  the  Theseus,  74,  Captain  Ralph  Willett 
Miller,    Bulldog,   bomb.    Commander  Adam    Drummond,    Persetis, 


it   is  true  that  certain  expressions  of  Troubridge  have  been   misread   owing   to   the 
carelessness  of  Clarke  and  M'Arthur. 

'  For  a  discussion  of  Nelson's  conduct  on  these  and  similar  occasions,  see  a  very 
lilam-spoken  article  in  Edinhuryh  Review,  1814,  p.  40."). 


1799.] 


BOMBARDMENT   OF  ALEXANDRIA. 


401 


boiub,  Commander  James  Oswald,  and  Alliance,  storeship,  22^ 
Captain  David  Wilmot,  arrived  off  Alexandria  to  relieve  the 
Zealous,  74,  Captain  Samuel  Hood  (2),  and  the  Swiftsurc,  74, 
Captain  Benjamin  Hallowell,  on  the  station.  On  the  3rd,  and  again 
on  the  4th,  5th,  7th,  8th,  13th,  and  22ud  of  February,  the  Bulldo<j 
and  Perseus  stood  in  and  shelled  the  tovi^n,  but  did  little  damage. 


though    the   bm'sting   of    the   Perseus  s    13-in.   mortar    killed    and 

wounded  four  men.     On  March  3rd,  Troubridge  was  superseded  in 

command  of  the  blockading  squadron  by  Commodore  Sir  WilUam 

Sidney  Smith,'  who  arrived  in  the  Tigre,  80,  with  the  Marianne,  4, 

a  French  gun-vessel  captured  on  March  1st,  and  who,  with  Trou- 

bridge's    concurrence,    at    once    despatched   Lieut.    John   Westley 

Wright  and  an  interpreter  to  settle  a  scheme  of  co-operation  with 

'  W'lw  had   also  the  rank  of  .Toiut  Minister  Plenijiutentiary  to  the  Porte,  and  who 
had  been  at  Constantinople  and  Rhodes  to  arrange  a  plan  of  campaign, 

VOL.    IV.  2   D 


402  MAJUll    OPERATIONS,    1793-1S02.  [1799. 

the  Pasha  of  Acre.  On  the  7th,  the  CiiUoden,  Peraots,  and  Bulldog  ' 
sailed  to  join  Lord  Nelson ;  and  Smith  was  left  with  the  Tigrc,  80, 
Theseus,  74,  Alliance,  22,  Torride,  2,  and  Marianne,  4,  Midshipman 
James  Boxer,  to  conduct  the  further  operations.  On  the  same  daj' 
the  Commodore  learnt  that  Bonaparte  had  advanced  and  had  carried 
Jaffa  by  storm.  On  the  8th,  the  Theseus  was  despatched  to  Acre, 
the  Tigre  remaining  for  a  time  to  watch  Alexandria,  but  presently 
following,  and  anchoring  in  the  bay  on  March  l-Jth.  Measures 
were  at  once  taken,  in  conjunction  with  Achmet  Djezzar,  the  Pasha, 
to  strengthen  the  very  inadequate  defences  of  the  town.  On  the 
17th  the  Theseus  was  sent  to  reconnoitre  to  the  southward.  That 
morning  the  French  advanced  guard  was  seen  marching  along  the 
sea-side ;  and  its  passage  over  the  little  river  Kerdanneh  was  effectively 
checked  by  the  Tigre's  launch  under  the  orders  of  Lieut.  John 
Bushby,  the  result  being  that  the  French  had  to  make  a  detour. 
Owing  to  the  fire  from  the  ships,  they  were  also  prevented  from 
investing  those  defences  of  the  town  which  lay  nearest  to  the  coast, 
and  which  happened  to  be  the  weakest,  and  were  obliged  to  con- 
centrate their  forces  to  the  north-east.  On  the  18th  Sir  Sidney  had 
the  good  fortune,  after  a  three  hours'  chase,  to  capture  the  little 
flotilla  ^  which  had  left  Damietta  with  the  guns,  ammunition  and 
siege  equipage  of  the  French  aiiny,  and  to  recapture  the  Torride, 
which,  on  her  passage  from  Alexandria,  had  been  taken  that 
morning  by  the  enemy.  Both  the  prizes  and  the  guns  proved  most 
useful  for  the  defence  of  Acre. 

The  siege  lasted  until  May  20th.  In  the  course  of  it,  a  British 
attempt  upon  some  French  lighters  in  the  port  of  Haifa  was  repulsed 
on  March  21st ;  a  French  mine  was  most  gallantly  seized  and 
destroyed  on  April  7th  by  Lieut.  John  Westley  Wright,  B.N.,  and 
Major  John  Douglas,  of  the  Marines ;  Perree's  squadron,  leaving 
Alexandria,  landed  guns  at  Jaffa,  and  these,  forwarded  by  land, 
reached  the  besiegers  on  April  27th ;  many  attempts  to  storm  the 
town  were  repulsed;  the  defenders,  on  May  7th,  received  rein- 
forcements of  troops  from  Khodes ;  in  a  new  assault  many  of  the 
enemy  were  deliberately  allowed  to  enter  the  place  in  order  that  they 
might  more  surely  be  destroyed ;  the  Syrian  chiefs  were  persuaded 
to   harass   Bonaparte's   communications ;    a   si;ccessful    sortie   was 

'  The  S'ri/tsure  had  ah'eady  dejiartcd. 

-  Foudre,  8,  Dungcnusc,  G,  Sefjrc.ise,  6,  Marie  Hose,  4,  Deux  I'Veres,  4,  and  Dame 
de  Orace,  4. 


1709.] 


SMITH'S   DEFENCE   OF  ACRE. 


403 


made  on  May  19tb  ;  twice  assassins  attempted  Sir  Sidney's  life ; 
and  at  last  a  treacherous  assault,  delivered  while  a  flag  of  truce 
was  flying,  was  victoriously  repulsed.  In  consequence,  the  siege 
was  raised  on  the  night  of  May  '20th,  the  enemy  leaving  behind  him 
23  siege  guns,  minus  their  carriages,  and  regaining  El  Arich  on 
June  2nd,  having  suffered  enormous  loss.  The  British,  apart  from 
the  Turkish,  loss  in  the  fighting  was  not  very  serious,  as  it  amounted 


ADMIRAI,    SIK    \ML1.IAM    MUNEY    SMITH,    G.C.n. 
(From  RiiUnj\  cDijraviinj,  circttted  /rt  1800,  wkrti  Sir  Willimn  ira^  a  Oiptaiii.) 

to  but  22  killed,  66  wounded,  4  drowned,  and  82  taken  prisoners ; 

but  a  lamentable  catastrophe,  caused   on  May  14th  by  a  mishap  to 

some  shells  in  the  Theseus,  added  40  killed  and  drowned   and  47 

wounded  to  the  total.     By  this  accident  the  gallant  Captain  Ealph 

Willett  Miller,'  and  Midshipmen  Charles  James  AVebb  and  James 

Morrison   Bigges    Forbes,    perished.      The    ship    herself   narrowly 

escaped  destruction.     Among  the  ofiicers  killed  by  the  enemy  were 

'  Born  .Jan.  24th,  1762:  Conunamler,  1794;  Captain,  179G.    He  commanded  a  ship 
both  at  St.  Vincent,  where  he  was  Nelson's  Captain,  and  at  the  Nile. 

2  n  2 


404  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [I7!i(l. 

Captain  David  Wilinot,'  of  the  Alliance,  and  Major  of  Marines 
Thomas  Oldfield.  At  the  time  of  the  accident  to  the  Tlieseits,  she 
had  just  hegun  to  chase  Eear-Admiral  Pevi'ee's  squadron  ofi  Ca>sarea. 
In  consequence  of  it,  the  enemy  escaped.^ 

'J'he  Commodore  left  Acre  on  June  r2th,  and,  calHng  at  Beirut 
and  Larnaca,  proceeded  to  Constantinople  to  concert  further 
measures  with  the  Porte.  As  for  Bonaparte,  injured  in  reputation 
by  the  course  of  events  at  Acre,  and  advised  by  the  Directory  ^  that 
his  presence  was  needed  at  home,  he  was  most  anxious  to  return  to 
France.  He  therefore  ordered  Eear-Admiral  Ganteaume,  who  had 
quitted  the  headquarters  for  Alexandria,  to  prepare  for  sea  the 
Carrbre  and  Mitiron,  the  fastest  of  the  ex -Venetian  frigates  in  that 
port.  But  ere  Bonaparte  could  sail,  a  very  large  fleet  of  Turkish 
men-of-war  and  transports  under  Hassan  Bey,  conveying  about 
eighteen  thousand  troops  under  Seyd  Mustapha  Pasha,  entered 
Aboukir  Bay  on  July  11th.  General  Marmont  hurried  from  Alex- 
andria to  oppose  a  landing ;  hut,  upon  hearing  that  some  of  the 
Turks  had  already  disembarked,  he  re-entered  the  town  to  await 
reinforcements.  By  the  17th,  Aboukir  and  its  defences  had  fallen, 
and  the  whole  expeditionary  force  was  on  shore.  Moreover,  Sir 
"\V.  S.  Smith,  with  the  Tigre  and  TJicacus,*  was  once  more  off  the 
coast.  On  July  23rd,  Bonaparte  in  person  took  command  at 
Alexandria ;  on  the  25th  he  won  a  most  sanguinary  battle  close  to 
Ahoukir ;  and  on  August  2nd  Aboukir  Castle  sm-rendered  to  him. 
He  then  went  for  a  few  days  to  Cairo,  returned  to  Alexandria  on 
August  21st,  committed  the  command  in  Egypt  to  General  Kleher, 
and,  learning  that  the  British  and  Tm-kish  men-of-war  had  tem- 
porarily withdrawn  from  off  the  port,^  embarked  on  the  22nd,  in 
the  Muiron,  bearing  the  flag  of  Eear-Admiral  Ganteamne,  and,  with 
the  Carrere,  Revanche,  Independant,  and  Foiidrc,^  sailed  on  the  23rd. 

'  A  Captain  of  1711.'^.  lie  was  killed  by  a  ririe-slmt,  mu  May  1st,  wliile  defeiKliiit; 
the  breach. 

''  Sir  William  Sidney  Smith  was  voted  a  pension  of  £1000  a  year  for  his  conduct 
at  Acre,  and  thanked  by  both  Houses.  By  the  Sultan  he  was  given  a  diamond  aigrette, 
a  sable  coat,  and  the  order  of  the  Crescent. — Life  by  Barrow. 

5  Disp.  of  May  26th. 

*  Commander  Edward  Jekyll  Canes  had  acted  as  her  Captain  after  the  death  of 
Captain  Miller,  until  the  appointment  of  Cajjtain  John  Stiles. 

'  They  had  sailed  on  the  9th,  and  had  anchored  on  the  Kith  oft'  Cypr\is. 

°  The  Foiuhe,  not  sailing  as  well  as  the  other  vessels,  was  presently  ordered  back 
to  Alexandria.  She  seems  to  have  been  the  same  vessel  which,  on  March  18th,  had 
been  taken  by  Sir  W.  S.  Smith,  and  to  have  been  retaken,  together  with  the  Marianne, 
by  the  French.     But  no  record  of  the  reca])ture  can  be  found. 


1799.] 


BETURN   OF  BONAPARTE  FROM  EGYPT. 


405 


By  keeping  close  in  with  the  African  coast  until  it  had  passed  Cape 
Bon,  the  little  squadron  evaded  the  British  cruisers  and  reached 
Ajaccio  on  October  1st.  On  the  9th  Bonaparte,  whose  fortunes 
seemed,  for  the  moment,  to  be  almost  hopeless,— for  Mantua  had 
been  lost,  Italy  had  been  reconquered,  and  Holland  had  been  in- 
vaded,— disembarked  at  Frejus. 

The  Mediterranean  fleet  was  not  the  only  one  which  had  a  part 
in  harassing  the  operations  of  the  French  in  Egypt ;  and,  before 
going  on  to  review  what  happened  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kile  after 
Bonaparte's  flight,  it  is  right  to  say  a  word  concerning  the  move- 
ments, though   they  were  of   little   importance,  of  certain  British 


COMMEMOKATIVE    MEDAL    OK   (JAPT.    Sll{    \V.    S.    SMI'IU.S    DEEKXCK   UK    ACHE,    li9!l. 
(From  an  original  Icni  bii  B.S.H.  Capt.  Prince  Louis  of  Battcnhinj,  It.y.) 


vessels  in  the  Eed  Sea,  on  the  coasts  of  which,  and  especially  at 
Suez  and  Kosseir,  the  French  had  established  small  garrisons. 

The  invasion  of  Egypt  by  the  French  had  caused  Vice-Admiral 
Peter  Rainier  (1),  Commander-in-Chief  in  the  East  Indies,  to  detach 
to  the  western  limits  of  his  station  a  number  of  vessels,  which  were 
reinforced  from  the  squadron  at  the  Cape.  Two  of  these,  the 
Centurion,  50,  Captain  John  Sprat  Eainier,  and  the  Albatross,  18, 
Commander  Charles  Adam,  appeared  before  Suez  on  April  '27th, 
chased  two  French  gunboats  into  the  harbour,  and  created  great 
alarm  during  the  two  months  for  which  they  remained  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. But,  having  no  troops  on  board,  they  did  not  endeavour 
to  take  the  town.  In  the  meantime,  Rear-Admiral  John  Blankett, 
in  the  Leopard,  50,  Captain  Thomas  Surridge,  with  the  Dcedalits, 
32,   Captain   Henry   Lidgbird    Ball,    Fux,    32,    Commander  Henry 


406  MAJOli    OPEIiATlONS,    1793-1802.  [1799. 

Stuart  (acting  Captain),  and  some  smaller  vessels,  with  troops  under 
Major-General  Craig,  had  arrived  from  Bombay  at  Mocha.  There 
Captain  Rainier  joined  him,  reporting  what  he  had  been  able  to 
learn  or  to  observe  on  his  passage.  On  August  14th,  the  Dcedalus 
and  Fox,  detached  by  Blankett,  stood  into  Kosseir  Bay,  and,  finding 
the  Eepublicans  in  possession  of  the  town,  opened  a  cannonade, 
which  was  continued  at  intervals,  and  resumed  very  hotly  on  the 
early  morning  of  the  15th.  During  the  firing,  several  dhows  were 
cut  out  from  under  the  walls  of  the  place,  and  an  attempt,  which 
had  to  be  abandoned,  was  made  to  land  and  destroy  the  wells.  On 
the  16th,  a  landing,  imder  Commander  Stuart,  was  again  essayed, 
but  was  repulsed,  the  British  losing  one  man  killed,  and  having  to 
leave  a  6-pdr.  on  the  beach.  Apart,  therefore,  from  the  capture  of 
the  dhows,  the  onlj'  services  effected  were  the  partial  disablement  of 
the  fort,  and  the  ruining  of  the  town.  Troops  were  subsequently 
landed  on  the  shores  of  Upper  Egj'pt ;  but,  with  the  withdrawal  on 
August  16th  of  the  DadaJus  and  Fox  from  before  Kosseir,  the 
participation  of  the  Navy  in  the  operations  on  the  Red  Sea  littoral 
ended  for  the  year. 

Commodore  Sir  William  Sidney  Smith  returned  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Xile  towards  the  end  of  October  with  a  fleet  of  Turkish  men-of- 
war  and  a  large  body  of  troops  from  Constantinople,  and,  on  the 
•29th,  30th,  and  31st,  and  November  1st,  with  his  boats,  assisted  in 
preparing  the  way  for,  and  in  covering  a  landing  near  Damietta. 
The  French  were  at  first  driven  back,  but  the  Turks,  getting  out 
of  hand,  were  finally  compelled  to  retreat  to  their  boats  in  great 
confusion  and  with  terrible  slaughter.  In  spite,  however,  of  their 
successes  at  Aboukir  and  Damietta,  the  situation  of  the  French  in 
Egj'pt,  where  guns,  money,  and  medical  comforts  were  lacking  and 
where  the  invaders  were  threatened  from  all  directions,  became 
towards  the  end  of  the  year  so  desperate  that  Kleber  opened 
negotiations  with  the  British  Commodore,  and  sent  General  Desaix 
and  M.  Poussielgue  on  board  the  Tigre  to  treat.  That  some  such 
step  was  advisable  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  on  December  '29th 
the  French  ganison  of  El  Arich  revolted,  and  delivered  up  the  place 
to  the  British  and  Turks,  the  latter  of  whom,  it  is  to  be  regretted, 
could  not  be  prevented  from  massacring  about  three  hundred  of  the 
traitors.  But,  no  sooner  were  the  commissioners  on  board  the 
Tigre  than  a  heavy  gale  of  \Niiul  drove  the  ship  out  to  sea  ;  so  that 
at  the  close  of  the  year  no  settlement  had  been  arrived  at.     As  will 


1799.] 


OPERATIONS   IN    THE  N  OK  Til  SEA. 


407 


be  seen  later,  the  French  were  not  destined  to  quit  Egypt  so  quickly 
or  so  easily  as  Kleber  no  doubt  expected. 

The  operations  in  the  North  Sea  dm-ing  1799  were  of  great 
importance.  Believing  that  public  opinion  in  the  Netherlands  had 
become  somewhat  less  republican,  and  more  favourable  to  the  cause 


.\DMIRAL    sn:    .\XD1!E\V    MITCHELL    (1),    K.Ii. 
(From  nil  engraving  h'j  H.  R.  Cook,  aft<r  the  jininiing  bif  Boiri/fr.) 


of  the  dispossessed  Stadtholder,  the  British  Government,  early  in 
the  summer,  quietly  and  secretly  prepared  an  expedition  on  a 
very  large  scale  with  the  object  of  contributing  towards  the 
restoration  of  the  Prince  of  Orange.  In  the  meantime.  Admiral 
Lord  Duncan's  fleet,  and  a  Riissian  division,  continued  to  blockade 
the  Dutch  squadron,  which,  under  A^ice-Admiral  Samuel  Storij,' 
still  lay  within  the  Texel.     Other  Dutch  ships  lay  in  Nieuwe  Diep, 

'  He  was  a  Schout-bij-Kaclit,  with  teiiJiiorary  rank  as  vice-admiral. 


108 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1799. 


at   Amsterdam,  and   in   the    Maas,  but   made   no  attempt   to   put 
to  sea. 

Troops  for  the  expedition  were  assembled  at  Southampton, 
Barham  Downs,  Eamsgate,  Margate,  and  Yarmouth,  to  the 
number  of  about  27,000  men.'  Eussia  engaged,  in  retm-n  for  pay 
and  subsidy,  to  provide  17,593  more,  together  with  transports  and 
convoy  for  them ;  and  the  military  command  was  entrusted  to 
H.E.H.  Frederick  Augustus,  Duke  of  York,  under  whom,  with 
other  officers  of  distinction,  went  Lieut.-General  Sir  Ealph 
Abercromby,  commanding  the  first  division.  This  division,  con- 
sisting of  about  17,000  men,  sailed  from  Margate  Eoad  and  the 
Downs  on  August  13th,  1799.  The  entire  fleet  transporting  it  was 
made  up  of  upwards  of  2-50  craft  of  all  sizes,  under  the  orders  of 
Vice-Admiral  Andrew  Mitchell  (1)  (B.) ;  but  the  effective  fighting 
portion  of  it  was  confined  to  the  vessels  named  in  the  note.- 
On  the  15th,  Lord  Duncan,  in  the  Kent,  74,  Captain  William 
Johnstone  Hope,  met  the  fleet  and  assumed  command  ;  but,  bad 
weather  coming  on,  the  expedition  did  not  get  near  the  Texel  until 
the  evening  of  the  21st,  when  it  anchored  off  Kuikduin.  On  the 
following  morning  the  transports  weighed  and  re-auchored  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  shore;  and  the  Cohiirg,  cutter,  conveying  Captain 

'     Less  tlian   20,000  British,  and   about   17,000  Russians   seem  to  have   actually 
landed  in  Holland. 


:  Sliips. 


I'tunmaDilere. 


Ratzivan 

74 

Mistisloff. 
Monmouth 

66 
G4 

Ardent     . 

64 

BeUiqueux 
America  . 

64 
64 

Overyssel 
Veteran    . 

64 

04 

Glatton    . 

.54 

Isis     . 

oO 

Romney  . 

Melpomene 

Latona 

50 
44 
38 

Shannon  . 

32 

Juno  . 

32 

Lutine 

32 

'  Circe  .      . 

28 

'  Victor      . 

18 

Cohurg,  cutte 

r,h 

ired 

16 

Capt.  Greis        It, 

,:     A.  MollerP"^^"^"- 

„      (jeipige  Hart. 

„      Tlioiiias  Bertie  (2). 

„     Riiwley  Bulteel. 

„     John  Smith  (3). 

„     .John  l!a/.ely  (2). 

„      .Archihald  Collinj;wocid  Dickson. 

,,      Cliarles  Cobb. 
jVice-Adui.  Andrew  Mitchell  (1). 
(.Capt.  .Tames  ()u<;liton. 

„      .John  Ijawt'urd. 

„      Sir  Charles  Hamilton,  Bart. 

„      Kraiik  Sotheron. 

„      Charles  Dudley  Pater. 

„      George  Dundas. 

„      Lancelot  Skynner. 

„      Kobert  Wintljrop. 
Com.  .John  liennie. 
Lieut.  Terence  d'Xeill. 


I  J>ici  Dot  sail  with  Vice-Adni.  .Mitchell,  but  joineJ,  aud  were  pi-eseiit  ou  Augu>t  'iSili  an.i  3Dtlj. 


1799.] 


SVBRENDER    OF  SIJIPS   IN  NIEUWE   DIE['. 


409 


Eobert  Winthrop,  of  the  Circe,  28,  and  Colonel  Frederick  Maitlaud, 
went  in  under  a  flag  of  truce  with  a  message  to  Vice-Admiral  Storij. 
Almost  immediately  afterwards  the  wind  shifted  from  east  to  south- 
west, and  the  weather  began  to  look  so  threatening  that  all  the 
ships  had  to  stand  off  from  the  land  ;  nor  did  they  again  anchor  in 
their  assigned  stations  until  the  "iGth. 

Storij,  in  reply  to  Admiral  Lord  Duncan's  summons,  declined  to 
deliver  up  his  ships  for  the  use  of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  and  declared 
that  he  would  defend  them  if  attacked,  but  promised  to  forward  the 
summons  to  his  government,  which,  on  receiving  it,  answered  on  the 
23rd,  approving  of  Storij's  attitude.  Covered  by  a  hot  fire  from 
the  squadron,  a  landing  was  therefore  effected  on  the  mainland,  near 
the  Haider,  in  the  early  morning  of  the  27th.  As  soon  as  the  troops 
began  to  move  from  the  beach  they  were  attacked  by  a  Franco-Dutch 
force  mider  Lieut. -General  Daendels  ;  but  after  a  long  action  the 
latter  retired,  and  the  British,  who  had  suffered  much  less  seriously 
than  the  enemy,  prepared  to  attack  the  Helder,  which  contained  a 
garrison  of  two  thousand  men.  These,  however,  evacuated  the  town 
in  the  night,  and  retreated  towards  Medemblik.  The  Helder,  in 
consequence,  was  occupied  at  dawn  on  the  28th  by  a  detachment 
under  Major-General  Moore ;  and  the  following  Dutch  vessels, 
chiefly  old,  which  were  anchored  in  ordinary  in  Nieuwe  Diep,  were 
simultaneously  taken  possession  of,  without  resistance,  by  Captain 
Kobert  Winthrop,  of  the  Circe  : — 


Ships. 


Verwachtiny    . 
Broederschap   . 
Belle  Antoiitetle 
Constitutie 
Duif    .      .      . 
Expeditie  . 
Hector  ' 
J'tiie     . 


64 
54 
44 
44 
44 
44 
44 
44 


Ships. 

HeUin''     .      .      . 

Minerva^  . 

Alarm .      .      .      . 

Valk ''.... 

Venus* 

3  Indiaiiieii 
1  slieerliulk 


(j  iins. 


32 
24 
24 
24 

24 


1  A<lded  to  the  Navy  as  I'atahntr 
-  Aiided  to  the  Xavy. 


3  Added  to  the  Navy  as  Braak. 

*  Added  to  the  Kavj-  as  Amaranthe. 


Captain  Winthrop  also  seized   the  naval   depot  at  Nieuwe  Werk, 
with  ninety-seven  guns  and  a  quantity  of  ordnance  stores. 

Early  on  August  30th,  Vice-Admiral  Mitchell's  squadron  weighed, 
and  stood  in  towards  the  entrance  to  the  Vlieter,  where  lay  the  ships 
of  Storij's  command.  In  going  in,  the  Ratzivan,  America,  and 
Latona  grounded,  the  channel  being  narrow,  and  the  buoys  having 


410 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1799. 


been  removed  by  tbe  Dutcb,  and  replaced,  possibly  with  no  great 
accuracy,  by  the  British.  The  other  vessels,  joined  by  the  Latona 
as  soon  as  she  got  off,  stood  on,  and  at  length  anchored  in  line 
ahead,  a  httle  outside  the  Dutch,  in  the  following  order:  Glattun, 
Bomneij,  Isis,  Veteran,  Ardent,  Belliqueux,  Monmouth,  Ovenjssel, 
Mistisloff,  and  frigates.  While  still  on  his  way  in,  Mitchell  sent 
the  Victor,  18,  Commander  John  Eennie,  to  summon  Storij.  She 
met  two  Dutch  captains,  under  a  flag  of  truce,  coming  from  that 
officer,  and  at  once  took  them,  ere  the  allies  had  anchored,  on  board 
the  Isis,  where  it  was  arranged  that  Storij  should  be  allowed  one 
hour  wherein  to  make  up  his  mind  as  to  surrendering.  In  less  than 
an  hour  the  captains  retm-ned  to  say  that  it  was  decided  to  give  up 
the  ships  of  his  squadi'on.  These,  particulars  of  which  are  given 
below,  were,  accordingly,  taken  possession  of  forthwith,  a  British 
officer  being  appointed  to  take  charge  of  each  : — 


Slrps. 


Commanili  r- 


Washington ' 

Cerherus  - 
De  Ruijter    . 
Oelderland    . 
Leijden    . 
Utrecht     . 
Bataoitr  . 
Beschermer    . 
Amphitrite    . 
Mars,  rase '  . 
Emhtiscade 
Oalathee  . 


70 

550 

G8 

450 

G4: 

450 

64 

450 

68 

450 

68 

450 

56 

350 

56 

350 

44 

280 

44 

280 

34 

230 

16 

90 

'Vice-Adni.  Samuel  Storij. 
.Capt.  T.  F.  van  Capelleii. 

„     C.  De  Jong. 

„     J.  Huis. 
Com.  J.  H.  Waldeck. 
Capt.  JFa.  van  Braani. 

„      I).  H.  Kolff. 

„      AV.  11.  van  Senden. 

„      H.  .7.  F.  Eilbracht. 
Com.  J.  D.  Schutter. 

„     D.  Bock. 

„     J.  Riveiij. 
Lieut.  J.  J.  Droop. 


1  ReDamed  rritu-ess  "/  Ora  tu/e.  -  Keuamed  Texet 

3  KcDameil  Vlieler,    All  tbe  twelve  prizes  except  the  rtrechl  were  adUcil  to  the  lioyal  Navy,  by  purchase. 

For  this  capitulation  Storij  was  afterwards  declared  infamous, 
banished,  and  forbidden,  on  pain  of  death,  to  re-enter  the  territories 
of  the  Batavian  Republic.  Captains  van  Capelleu,  van  Braam,  Kolff", 
De  Jong,  and  Bock  were  also  punished.^  James,  endeavouring  to 
explain  why  those  who  had  fought  so  valiantly  at  Camperdown 
surrendered  without  a  blow  in  the  Texel,  says  : — 

"The  fact  is, tiie  sailors  had  become  politicians;  and, differing  in  opinion  from  their 
officers,  had  adopted  a  course  which,  if  not  the  most  honourable,  was,  under  present 


'  Several  of  these  were  ultimately  restored  to  their  rank ;  and  van  Capellcn  lived  to 
command  the  Dutch  contingent  at  the  bombardment  of  Algier  in  1816. 


1799.]  SURBENDER    OF  HHIPS   IN   THE    VLIETER.  4U 

circumstances,  urKUmbteiHy  the  most  safe.  They  mutinied,  and  refused  to  fight;  and, 
as  if  fearful  that  the  guns  would  go  off  by  themselves,  they  in  many  instances  drew 
the  charges,  and  threw  the  shot  overboard.  Under  such,  we  must  add,  discreditable 
circumstances.  Admiral  Storij  and  his  officers  had  no  alternative  but  to  surrender ;  and 
surely  no  one  will  think  that  in  so  doing  they  compromised  in  the  slightest  degree 
their  professional  character."' ' 

There  is  some  truth  in  all  this;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  Storij, 
previous  to  the  surrender,  was  guilty  of  so  much  carelessness  and 
indecision  that  he  cannot  escape  from  blame.  Upon  the  first  appear- 
ance of  the  British,  he  quitted  a  fairly  defensible  anchorage  in  the 
Texel,  and  carried  his  squadron  into  the  Vlieter  and  the  fairway 
leading  to  it.  There  he  stationed  his  ships  in  such  a  confused  and 
straggling  manner  that  they  could  not  support  one  another ;  and , 
when  at  length  he  realised  the  danger  of  the  position,  and  attempted 
to  return  to  the  Texel,  first  accidental  circumstances  and  finally  the 
direction  of  the  wind,  prevented  him  from  doing  so,  the  consequence 
being  that  Mitchell  caught  him  in  a  narrow  cid  de  sac,  where  he 
could  neither  defend  himself  nor  manoeuvre.  It  is  not  surprising 
therefore  that,  leaving  their  Orange  tendencies  out  of  the  question, 
the  seamen  declined  to  fight  at  such  a  disadvantage.  But  Storij, 
though  blameworthy,  was  not  more  so  than  the  Dutch  admiralty, 
which  sent  him  contradictory  orders,  and  which  must  be  held  respon- 
sible for  his  having  ever  withdrawn  from  the  Texel." 

The  army  under  Abercromby,  having  entrenched  itself,  repulsed 
with  heavy  loss  an  attack  which  was  made  upon  it  on  Sep- 
tember 10th  by  the  Franco-Dutch  under  General  Brune ;  and  three 
days  later  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  York  disembarked  at  the  Helder 
from  the  Amethyst,  38,  Captain  John  Cooke  (1),  and  the  stipulated 
Russian  contingent  arrived.  The  next  action  was  disastrous,  the 
Anglo-Eussians,  who  attacked,  being  compelled  to  fall  back  upon 
their  entrenchments,  with  a  loss,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners, 
of  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty  officers  and  men.* 
During  the  day,  three  little  gunboats,  on  the  Alkmaar  canal,  under 
Captain  Sir  Home  Eiggs  Popham  and  Lieutenant  William 
Godfrey,    R.N.,    rendered   good   service,    but   lost   four   killed    and 

'  James,  ii.  309. 

^  Van  der  Aa,  'Geschied.  v.d.  Oorlog':  Vonk,  'Geschied.  der  Landing';  Storij's 
'  Verantwoording,'  and  'Sententie';  Jong's  '  Verantwoording' ;  Walsh,  '  Narr.  of  the 
Exped.  to  Holland  ' ;  Maccarthy,  '  Hist,  de  la  Campagne  en  1799':  papers  in  Archief 
V.  het  Hoog.  Mil.  Geregtshof,  and  Eijks  Archief,  etc. 

'  This  loss,  according  to  the  British  dispatches,  was,  nevertheless,  not  so  great  as 
that  suffered  by  the  enemy. 


412  MAJOR   OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1709. 

eight  wounded.  On  October  Gth,  the  Duke  of  York  drove  back 
.  the  enemy  ;  but,  on  the  day  following,  he  was  himself  crushingly 
defeated  and  induced  to  negotiate  with  General  Brune,  the  result 
being  the  evacuation  of  Holland  by  the  British  and  Eussian  military 
forces.'  The  retirement  of  the  army  obliged  Vice-Admiral  Mitchell 
to  withdraw  from  the  Zuider  Zee,  which,  after  having  shifted  his 
flag  to  the  Babet,  20,  he  had  entered  with  a  small  flotilla.  Before 
he  withdrew,  a  detachment  of  seamen  and  Marines  which,  under 
Commander  James  Boorder,  of  the  Espiegle,  16,  held  the  town  of 
Lemmer,  signalised  itself  on  October  11th  by  repelling  without 
loss  a  prolonged  attack  by  a  vastly  superior  force  of  the  enemy. 

The  expedition  was,  upon  the  whole,  a  most  unfortunate  and 
costly  one.  None  of  the  Dutch  vessels  captured  were  of  great 
value.  On  the  other  hand,  four  British  ships  of  war,  the  Nassau,  64 
(e)i  fli'de),  Blanche,  32,  Lutine,  32,  and  Contest,  12,  were  wrecked  on 
the  difliciilt  and  dangerous  coast  dming  the  operations,  forty-two 
men  perishing  in  the  Nassau,  and  the  entire  crew,  except  two,  in 
the  Lutine,  which  also  carried  down  with  her  a  sum  of  £140,000 
intended  for  the  payment  of  the  troops.-  In  addition,  about  four 
thousand  eight  hundi'ed  British  soldiers,  besides  Eussians,  were 
killed,  wounded,  or  taken  prisoners.  But  the  failure  was  in  nowise 
due  to  the  Navy,  which  deservedly  received  the  thanks  of  Parlia- 
ment.^ Vice-Admiral  Mitchell  was  aftei^wards  rewarded  with 
a  K.B." 

The  only  other  event  of  the  year  to  be  noticed  here  is  the 
surrender  of  the  Dutch  colony  of  Surinam  to  a  naval  force  under 
Vice-Admiral  Lord  Hugh  Seymour,  consisting  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  98  (flag).  Captain  Adrian  Eenou ;  Invincible,  74,  Captain 
George  William  Cayley ;  Tamer,  38,  Captain  Thomas  Western ; 
Unite,  38,  Captain  John  Poo  Beresford ;  Syren,  32,  Captain  Thomas 
Le  Marchant  Gosselin ;  Lapwinfj,  28,  Captain  Thomas  Harvey  ; 
Amphitrite,  28,  Captain  Charles  Ekins ;  Dapluie,  20,  Captain 
Eichard    Matson ;    and    JReqitin,    12,    Lieutenant    William   AVood 

'  The  convention  to  this  eft'ect  was  signed  on  Oct.  20th,  and  tlie  wliole  army  was 
embarked  by  Nov.  19tli. 

'^  Many  years  later  many  of  the  ship's  guns  and  much  of  the  treasure  were 
recovered.  One  of  tlie  guns,  little  the  worse  for  its  hms  immersion,  was  shown  at  the 
I!oy.  Xav.  E.xhib.,  1891. 

'  The  services  of  Sir  Ralph  Abercrumby  and  of  the  army  were  similarly  recognised. 
The  prime  cause  of  iusuccess  seems  to  have  been  the  military  incapacity  of  the  Duke 
of  York. 

*  Jan.  9th,  1800. 


1799-1800.]  THE   NAVAL    COMMANDS.  413 

Senhouse,  conveying  troops  under  Lieut. -General  T.  Trigge.  The 
expedition  sailed  from  Port  Eoyal,  Martinique,  on  July  31st,  and 
made  the  coast  of  Sui-inam  on  August  11th.  After  negotiations 
extending  over  several  days,  a  capitulation  was  ratified  by  the  Dutch 
governor  on  August  '20th,  and  on  the  following  day  the  garrison  of 
Fort  Amsterdam  marched  out  with  the  honours  of  war,  and  the 
place  was  taken  possession  of.  On  the  22nd  other  important  ports, 
including  Paramaribo,  were  occupied,  and  the  whole  colony,  now 
known  as  Dutch  Guiana,  became,  for  the  time,  British.  In  the  river 
Surinam  were  found  the  Dutch  brig-sloop  Caviphaan,  16,  and  the 
French  Hussard,  20  (later  Surinam,  18),  both  of  which  were  added 
to  the  Koyal  Navy,  the  former  being  provisionally  commissioned 
by  Lieutenant  Kichard  Thwaits,  and  the  latter  by  Lieutenant 
Christopher  Cole. 

In  spite  of  the  checks  which  had  been  inflicted  on  French 
ambition,  and  of  the  ignominious  flight  of  Bonaparte  from  Egypt, 
the  popularity  and  influence  of  the  great  Corsican  sufl'ered  little  in 
France  ;  and  on  November  10th  Napoleon  was  able  to  dissolve  the 
Executive  Directory  and  to  substitute  for  it  a  Consulate  composed  of 
Roger  Duces,  himself,  and  Emanuel  Joseph  Sieyes.  In  December, 
he  went  further,  and,  getting  rid  of  his  colleagues,  secm-ed  his  own 
appointment  as  First  Consul,  with  Jean  Jacques  Regis  de  Camba- 
ceres  and  Charles  Fran9ois  Lebrun  as  his  associates.  The  re- 
organisation of  the  government  was  immediately  followed  by  a 
reorganisation  of  the  French  navy,'  and  by  the  putting  forward  by 
Bonaparte  of  vague  proposals,  addressed  to  King  George,  for  a 
general  peace."  France,  however,  offered  no  concessions ;  and  it 
was  felt  in  Great  Britain  that  she  was  at  the  moment  more  anxious 
for  a  temporary  suspension  of  hostilities  than  for  a  permanent  settle- 
ment.    Nothing,  therefore,  came  of  the  negotiations. 

The  chief  British  naval  commands  at  home  and  abroad  were  held 
as  follows  in  the  year  1800  : — 

Portsmouth Admiral  Mark  Jlilbanke  (W). 

Plymouth Yice-Adm.  Sir  Thumas  Pasley,  Bt.  (li). 

The  Downs Yice-AJni.  Skeffiugtou  Lutwidge  (R). 

The  Nore Vice-Adm.  Alexander  Granne  (W). 

Cork Admiral  Kobert  Kingsmill  (B). 

„  Aug Admiral  Alan,  Lord  Gardner  (B). 


•  See  especially  the  report  of  Com.,  6th  Frimaire  (2!)tli  Nov.,  1799). 
-  Disp.  of  oth  KivGse  (25th  Dec,  1799). 


414  MAJOR    OPEUATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1800. 

The  Channel AJiiiiral  Lord  Bridix)rt  (W). 

Ai> .\dniiial  Earl  St.  N'incent  (\V). 

The  North  Sea Admiral  Viscount  Duncan  (W). 

Jlediterranean Vice-Adm.  Lord  Keith  (I!). 

North  America Adndral  George  Vandeput  (B). 

Mar Vice-Adm.  Sir  William  Parker  (1),  Bt.  (W). 

Newfoundland Vice-Adm.  Hon.  William  Waldegrave  (R). 

later  ....  Rear-Adm.  Charles  Morice  Pole  (R). 

Leeward  Islands Vice-Adm.  Lord  Hugh  Seymour  (B). 

later  ....  Rear-Adm.  John  Thomas  Duckworth  (W). 

Jamaica Admiral  Sir  Hyde  Parker  (2),  (B). 

later  ....  Vice-Adm.  Lord  Hugh  Seymour  (B). 

Cape  of  Good  Hope     ....  A'ice-Adm.  Sir  Roger  Curtis,  Bt.  (W). 

East  Indies Vice-Adm.  Peter  Rainier  (1),  (B). 

As  in  the  previous  year,  the  French  at  Brest  were  watched  by  a 
detachment  of  the  Channel  Fleet.  Of  this  detachment,  then  under 
the  orders  of  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Alan  Gardner,  Bart.,  the  Repulse,  64, 
Captain  James  Alms  (2),  formed  part,  when,  on  March  10th,  she 
struck  on  a  rock  about  seventy-five  miles  S.W.  of  Ushant,  and  was 
so  damaged  that  she  had  to  be  run  ashore  near  Quimper,  where  she 
ultimately  became  a  total  loss.  Her  people,  except  twelve  who 
reached  Guernsey  in  a  boat,  landed  on  one  of  the  Glenan  Islands 
and  were  made  prisoners.  When  Captain  Alms  returned  home  and 
was  tried,'  he  and  all  his  officers  and  men  were  honourably  acquitted, 
save  the  first  Lieutenant,  John  Carpenter  Eothery,  and  the  Master, 
George  Finn,  who  had  left  in  the  boat,  and  who,  for  disobedience  to 
orders,  were  dismissed  the  service.  As  Captain  Alms,  previous  to 
the  wreck,  had  been  incapacitated  for  duty  by  an  accident,  the 
desertion  of  the  ship  by  the  officer  next  in  command  was  the  more 
disgraceful. 

Later  in  the  same  month,  Lord  Bridport,  in  person,  assumed  the 
command  off  Brest,  with  his  flag  in  the  Royal  George,  100,  and  with 
a  fleet  which  numbered  thirty-eight  sail  of  the  line  ;  but  he  presently 
returned  to  England,  and  on  April  '24th  hauled  down  his  flag.  Two 
days  later  Earl  St.  Vincent  succeeded  him,  hoisting  his  flag  in  the 
Namur,  100,^  and  proceeding  off  Brest ;  and  on  June  1st  he  detached 
Captain  Sir  Edward  Pellew,  in  the  Inipetueux,  78,  with  the  Ramillies, 
74,  Captain  Richard  Grindall ;  Ajax,  80,  Captain  the  Hon.  Alexander 
Inghs  Cochrane ;  Canada,  74,  Captain  the  Hon.  Michael  de  Courcy  (1) ; 
Terrible,  74,  Captain  William  AVolseley  ;  Captain,  74,  Captain  Sir 
Eichard  John  Strachan ;  Fishguard,  74,  Captain  Thomas  Byam 
Martin  ;  Amelia,  44,  Captain  the  Hon.  Charles  Herbert  (1) ;  Amethyst, 

'  CM.,  26th  June,  1800.  -'  And  later  in  the  ViUe  de  Paris,  100. 


1800.]  OPERATIONS  NEAR    QUIBERON.  415 

38,  Captain  John  Cooke  (,1) ;  Diamond,  38,  Captain  Edward  Griffith  ; 
Doris,  36,  Captain  Viscount  Kanelagh ;  Thames,  32,  Captain  William 
Lukin ;  and  Cynthia,  16,  Commander  Micajah  Malbon ;  together 
with  the  Diadem,  64,  Captain  Sir  Thomas  Livingstone,  Bart. ; 
Europa,  50,  Captain  James  Stevenson  (1) ;  Inconfitant,  36,  Com- 
mander John  Ayscough ;  Thisbe,  28,  Commander  John  Morrison ; 
and  Cyclops,  28,  Commander  John  Fyffe,  armed  en  flute,  and  having 
on  board  the  2nd,  20th,  36th,  82nd,  and  92nd  regiments,  and  two 
hmidred  artillerymen  under  Major-General  Maitland.  This  squadron 
was  directed  to  co-operate  with  the  insurgent  French  Eoyalists  in  the 
Morbihan  ;  and  with  that  object  it  anchored  in  Quiberon  Bay  en 
June  2nd.  On  the  4th,  the  Thames  and  Cynthia  attacked  and 
silenced  some  forts,  which  were  afterwards  destroyed  by  a  landing 
party,  the  Cynthia  losing  two  killed  and  one  wounded  ;  and  early  on 
the  6th,  a  body  of  troops,  acting  with  a  division  of  boats  under 
Lieutenant  John  Pilfold,  of  the  Dnpetueux,  burnt  the  Insolente,  18, 
carried  off  several  small  craft  and  about  one  hundred  prisoners, 
destroyed  some  guns,  and  blew  up  a  magazine,  only  one  seaman 
being  killed.  It  was  intended  to  attack  Belle  Isle  ;  but  the  garrison 
of  that  island  was  found  to  be  very  strong,  and  the  idea  was  therefore 
abandoned.  The  troops  from  the  squadron  were  eventually  landed 
on  the  island  of  Houat,  whence  they  were  re-embarked  later  and 
conveyed  to  the  Mediterranean.  A  few  months  later,  while  the 
Captain,  one  of  the  ships  of  the  above  expedition,  was  cruising  with 
the  Marlborough,  74,  Captain  Thomas  Sotheby,  to  the  westward  of 
the  peninsula  of  Quiberon,  the  latter  struck  on  a  ledge  of  rocks  near 
Groix,  and  although,  by  great  exertion,  she  was  got  off,  she  had 
received  so  much  damage  that  she  ultimately  sank.  All  her  people 
were  saved  ;  and  her  Captain,  officers,  and  ship's  company  were 
subsequently  acquitted  of  all  blame,  it  being  held  that  the  accident 
had  been  due  to  the  "  uncertain  situation  "  of  the  rocks. ^ 

In  the  Mediterranean,  there  was  no  considerable  French  force 
at  Toulon,  and  no  considerable  Spanish  one  at  Cartagena  or  Cadiz. 
Lord  Keith  was,  therefore,  chiefly  occupied  in  the  blockade  of  Malta, 
in  preventing  the  passage  of  supplies  along  the  coast  of  the  Eiviera, 
and  in  assisting  the  Austrians  in  their  endeavours  to  drive  the  French 
out  of  Tuscany  and  Piedmont.  On  March  16th  the  Commander-in- 
Chief,  who  contemplated  an  attack  upon  Capraia,  landed  at  Leghorn, 
with  part  of  his  staff,  and  ordered  Captain  Andrew  Todd,  of  the  flag- 

"  CM.,  Jan.  2n(l,  1801. 


416  MAJOR    Ol'ERATIOyS,    1793-1802.  [1800. 

ship  Queen  Charlotte,  100,  to  proceed  off  that  island  and  reconnoitre 
it.  On  the  following  morning,  at  a  httle  before  6  a.m.,  while  making 
for  Capraia,  the  Queen  Charlotte  was  found  to  be  on  fire  ;  and,  although 
assistance  was  at  once  despatched  from  the  shore,  and  all  was  done  that 
could  be  done,'  the  vessel  was  completely  Inunt  by  about  11  o'clock, 
the  misfortune  being,  unhappily,  accompanied  by  the  most  dreadful 
loss  of  life.  Eleven  persons  belonging  to  the  ship  were  on  shore  at 
the  time.  Of  the  829  on  board,  only  156  were  saved ;  and  among  the 
673  who  perished  were  Captain  Andrew  Todd,-  Lieutenants  William 
Bainbridge  and  James  Erskine,  Captain  of  Marines  Joseph  Breedon, 
the  Master,  Purser,  Surgeon,  and  Boatswain,  four  Master's  Mates, 
and  no  fewer  than  eighteen  Midshipmen.^  The  accident  seems  to 
have  been  due  to  the  fact  that  some  hay  had  been  left  lying  under  the 
half-deck,  and  that  a  live  match,  kept  in  a  tub  close  by  for  firing 
signal  guns,  had,  by  some  means,  comrnunicated  with  it.  Two  or 
three  American  vessels  lying  near  the  scene  of  the  catastrophe 
rendered  valuable  aid,  and  sacrificed  several  men  in  their  efforts  to 
save  Hfe.  Lord  Keith  subsequently  hoisted  his  flag,  first  in  the 
Audacious,  74,  Captain  Davidge  Gould,  and  later  in  the  Minotaur, 
74,  Captain  Thomas  Louis. 

Pressed  on  the  land  side  by  the  Austrians,  and  prevented  by  the 
British  from  obtaining  supplies  by  sea,  the  main  body  of  French, 
towards  the  end  of  April,  concentrated  in  Genoa,  under  General 
Massena,  and  were  at  once  besieged  there  by  General  Baron  von 
Melas,  and  afterwards  by  Baron  von  Ott ;  while  a  smaller  detachment, 
mider  General  Buget,  was  shut  up  in  Savona.  Savona,  actively 
blockaded  by  the  Santa  Dorothea,  H6,  Captain  Hugh  Downman, 
Chameleon,  18,  Lieutenant  Samuel  Jackson  (actg.),  and  a  Neapohtar 
brig,*  surrendered  on  May  15th.  Genoa  was  blockaded  by  Lord 
Keith  in  person ;  and,  under  his  direction,  great  assistance  was 
rendered  to  the  Austrians  by  the  Phaeton,  38,  Captain  James  Nicoll 
]\Iorris,  and  by  the  gun  and  mortar  vessels  and  armed  boats  of  the 
fleet  under  Captain  Philip  Beaver,  E.N.'^      To  repel  the  attacks  of 

'  Owing  to  the  guns  going  off  as  they  became  heated,  man)-  boats  were  deterred 
from  approaching  the  ship  to  take  off  tlie  people. 

-  A  Captain  of  1796.     His  first  commission  dated  from  1783. 

'  Among  these  Midshipmen,  it  is  curious  to  note,  were  a  son  (Charles  Dickson) 
of  the  ship's  Gunner,  and'a  son  (Thomas  Bridgman)  of  the  ship's  Boatswain.  '  Nav. 
Ohron.,'  iii.  299-302,  323.  " 

*  Gazelk,  1800,  620.     Keith  to  Nciiean,  May  IGth. 

°  'I'hen  of  the  Aurora.     Keith  to  Nepean,  May  21st. 


1800.]  CUTTING    OUT   OF   THE  "PRIMA."  417 

the  latter  force,  the  French  organised  a  small  flotilla,  consisting  of  a 
galley  named  the  Prima,  an  armed  cutter,  three  settees,  and  several 
gunboats;  and  on  May  21st  at  about  1  a.m.,  when  Captain  Beaver 
was  bombarding  the  town  for  the  fourth  time,  the  French  succeeded 
in  causing  him  considerable  annoyance,  particularly  by  means  of 
two  long  brass  36-prs.,  which  were  mounted  in  the  galley.  Beaver 
therefore  determined  to  endeavour  to  cut  out  the  Prima,  although 
she  lay  chain-moored  under  heavy  batteries.  Ten  boats,  contain- 
ing about  one  hundred  ofiicers  and  men,  were  told  off  for  the 
purpose,  and  were  led  in  as  silently  as  possible ;  but,  a  gunboat 
opening  fire  upon  them,  they  had  at  last  to  make  a  quick  dash  for 
their  prey.  When  they  got  near  her  they  found  that  her  oars,  fifty- 
two  in  number,  had  been  lashed  to  their  benches  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  form  a  kind  of  projecting  defence  all  round  her ;  that  her 
bulwarks  had  been  built  up  and  mounted  with  swivel  guns,  and  that 
she  was  full  of  men,'  who,  having  been  alarmed  by  the  gunboat, 
were  on  the  alert.  Nevertheless,  some  people  from  a  boat  belonging 
to  the  Haarlem,  managed,  under  the  leadership  of  Midshipman  John 
Caldwell,  to  enter  her  amidships  on  the  starboard  side ;  and  other 
parties,  under  Captain  Beaver,  and  Lieutenant  William  Gibson,  of 
the  Vestal,  almost  instantly  afterwards  boarded  her  by  the  stern, 
the  result  being  that  the  galley  was  soon  carried.  By  dint  of 
great  exertions,  her  moorings  were  cleared  away,  and,  in  spite 
of  a  tremendous  fire,  she  was  safelj-  towed  out,  the  galley-slaves 
helping  at  the  sweeps.  The  capture  was  effected  with  a  loss  of 
only  five  men  wounded  on  the  British  side.  As  soon  as  the  craft 
was  out  of  danger,  the  slaves  were  allowed  to  free  themselves  from 
their  chains  ;  but,  to  the  disgrace  of  the  British  arms,  they  were  not 
given  their  liberty.  The  garrison  of  Genoa  was  known  to  be  in  a 
state  bordering  upon  famine ;  and,  with  a  view  to  increasing  the 
difiiculties  of  the  French,  Keith  restored  not  only  such  of  the 
fighting  crew  of  the  Prima  as  he  had  taken,  but  also  all  the  slaves, 
except  about  fifty,  who,  having  been  provisionally  berthed  in  the 
Expedition,  44,  had  been  blown  to  sea  in  her  :  and  Massena,  learn- 
ing how  the  miserable  wretches  had  contributed  to  the  carrying 
out  of  the  galley,  and  not  anxious,  we  may  fairly  suppose,  to  feed 
mouths  upon  which  he  could  not  depend,  ordered  the  whole  of 
them  to  be  shot. 

Eeduced  by  starvation,  Massena,  on  June  4th,  agreed  to  evacuate 
'  The  number  of  men  on  board  was  257,  besides  upwards  of  300  galley  slaves. 
VOL.    IV,  2  E 


418  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1800. 

Genoa,  and  to  retire  with  such  troops  as  were  able  to  follow  him, 
to  Nice.  On  June  5th,  the  Minotaur,  74  (flag).  Captain  Thomas 
Louis,  Audacious,  74,  Captain  Davidge  Gould,  Gcnereux,  74, 
Captain  Manley  Dixon,  Charon,  storeship,  44,  Commander  Kichard 
Bridges,  Pigmy,  cutter,  and  several  Neapohtan  vessels,  anchored 
within  the  mole.  But  the  success  of  the  Allies  was  of  Utile  use. 
Bonaparte  had  in  the  meantime  crossed  the  Alps.  On  June  4th 
he  entered  Milan,  and  re-erected  the  Cisalpine  Kepublic.  Von 
Melas  abandoned  Piedmont,  and  concentrated  his  forces  at  Ales- 
sandria. The  French,  on  the  9th  and  10th,  defeated  von  Ott  at 
Casteggio  and  Montebello ;  on  the  14th,  crushed  von  Melas  at 
Marengo ;  and,  on  the  1.5th,  by  the  convention  of  Alessandria, 
were  put  in  possession  of  Alessandria,  Tortona,  Milan,  Turin, 
Arona,  Piacenza,  Savona,  Genoa,  Pozzighettone,  Corio,  and  other 
strongholds.  The  reverse  of  fortune  was  so  sudden  and  unexpected 
that  on  June  '2'2nd,  when  Suchet  reoccupied  Genoa,  the  Minotaur 
had  difficulty  in  warping  out  in  time  to  avoid  finding  herself  under 
batteries  fully  manned  by  the  enemy. 

General  Vaiibois  still  held  Malta,  although,  at  the  beginning  of 
1800,  he  had  received  no  supplies  from  without  since  the  early  part 
of  February,  1799,  and  although  his  army,  shut  up  in  Valetta,  and 
closely  pressed  by  Maltese,  Neapolitans,  and  British,  was  already 
suffering  to  some  extent  from  disease  as  well  as  from  incipient 
famine.  In  February,  1800,  Lord  Keith's  blockading  force  off  the 
island  consisted  of  the  Queen  Charlotte,  100  (flag).  Captain  Andrew 
Todd ;  Foudroyant,  80,  Eear-Admiral  Lord  Nelson,  Captain  Sir 
Edward  Berry;  Audacious,  74,  Captain  Davidge  Gould;  North- 
umberland, 74,  Captain  George  Martin  (2) ;  Alexander,  74,  Lieut. 
William  Harrington  (actg.^)  ;  Lion,  64,  Captain  Manley  Dixon; 
the  Neapolitan  frigate  Sirena,  and  two  or  three  small  craft.  On 
February  15th  the  Commander-in-Chief  learnt  from  the  Success,  32, 
Captain  Shuldham  Peard,  which  had  been  cruising  off  the  south- 
west of  Sicily,  that  a  small  French  squadron  was  about  to  attempt 
to  throw  troops  and  stores  into  Malta.  This  squadron,  which  had 
quitted  Toulon  on  February  7th,-  consisted,  as  it  afterwards 
appeared,  of  the  Genireux,  74,  flagship  of  Eear-Admiral  Perree, 
Badine,  28,  Fauvette,  20,  Sans  Pareille,  20,  and  two  or  three 
transports,  among  which  was  the  Ville  de  Marseilles.     To  prevent 

'  For  Captain  Alexander  Joliu  Ball,  wlio  was  serving  ashore  at  Malta. 
"  Some  French  authorities  say  the  10th. 


1800.]  CAPTURE    OF   THE  "GENEREUX."  419 

this  little  force  from  carrying  out  its  mission,  Keith,  in  the  Queen 
Charlotte,  kept  close  oS  the  entrance  to  Valetta  harbour,  and  ordered 
the  Fottdroyant,  Audacious,  and  Northumberland  to  chase  to  wind- 
war  J,  the  wind  being  south-east,  and  the  Lion  to  watch  the  channel 
between  Malta  and  Gozo.  The  Alexander  was  at  the  time  on  the 
south-east  side  of  the  island. 

At  dawn  on  February  18th,  the  Alexander  sighted  and  chased 
M.  Perree,  and  was  observed  by  Nelson's  division.  At  8  a.m., 
Harrington  forced  the  Ville  de  Marseilles  to  bring  to.  At  1.30  p.m., 
the  Badine  and  the  two  corvettes  tacked,  but  the  Genereux,  not 
having  it  in  her  power  to  do  so  without  getting  to  close  quarters 
with  the  Alexander,  bore  up.  At  that  time,  the  Success,  32,  which 
was  to  leeward,  greatly  annoyed  the  Frenchman  by  lying  athwart 
his  hawse  and  raking  him  repeatedly ;  but  she  could  not  avoid 
presently  receiving  a  broadside,  which  killed  one,  and  wounded  nine 
of  her  people.  By  4.30  p.m.,  the  Foudroijant  and  Norfhanihcrlaud 
coming  up,  the  Genereux,  after  a  couple  of  guns  had  been  discharged 
at  her,  fired  a  broadside  and  struck  her  colours.  That  the  enemy 
did  not  make  a  more  determined  defence  is  probably  due  to  the 
fact  that,  early  in  the  action,  Perree  was  badly  injured  in  the  left 
eye,  and  that  a  little  later  he  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  shot 
which  carried  away  his  right  thigh.  He  was  a  gallant  and  capable 
man,  whose  loss  was  much  regretted  by  the  many  British  officers 
who  had  met  him  either  as  friend  or  as  foe. 

The  non-arrival  of  the  Genereux  and  convoy  was  a  bitter  blow 
to  Vaubois,  although,  as  Perree's  squadron  had  on  board  three 
thousand  troops,  the  supplies,  had  they  been  thrown  into  the  place, 
would  have  been  quickly  consumed.  In  Valetta  an  egg  was  already 
worth  tenpence ;  a  rat,  one  and  eightpence ;  and  a  rabbit,  ten 
shilHngs  ;  and  typhus  was  raging.  The  French  general,  therefore, 
determined  to  send  Eear-Admiral  Denis  Decres,  in  the  Guillaume 
Tell,  80,  to  Toulon  to  apprise  the  government  of  his  condition,  and 
to  explain  that,  unless  relieved,  he  could  not  hold  out  beyond  June. 

In  the  meantime,  Lord  Keith,  by  proclamation,  announced  a 
blockade  of  Toulon,  Marseilles,  Nice,  and  the  Eiviera,  and  proceeded 
in  the  Queen  Charlotte  to  Leghorn,  off  which  port,  as  has  been  seen, 
the  three-decker  so  miserably  perished.  Lord  Nelson,  also,  quitted 
the  neighbourhood  of  Malta,  going  first  to  Palermo,  and  thence, 
wdth  the  Hamiltons,  to  Leghorn,  and  so  overland  to  England.^  It 
'  Landing  at  Yarmouth  on  ICov.  Gth,  liaving  spent  nearly  five  months  on  the  journey. 

2  E  2 


420 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802. 


[1800. 


is  clear,  both  from  his  correspondence  and  from  the  testimony  of 
all  who  met  him  on  the  way,  that  he  was  still  very  much  "  Sicili- 
fied,"  and  that,  indeed,  he  did  not  possess  the  mental  balance  which 
was  oi'dinarily  his  most  striking  characteristic ;  and  it  is  well, 
perhaps,  for  his  country,  if  not  for  his  private  reputation,  that, 
instead  of  remaining  anj'  longer  in  tlie  Mediterranean,  where  the 
exigencies  of  the  service  and  the  remonstrances  of  his  best  friends 
prevented  him  from  freely  enjoying  the  society  of  the  woman  whom 
he  loved,  and  so  kept  him  in  a  state  of  fever  and  unrest,'  he  flung 
aside,  for  a  season,  his  public  ties,  and  devoted  himself  entirely  to 
the  passion  which,  for  the  time,  monopolised  his  thoughts.  The 
absence  of  the  flag-oflicers  left  Troubridge,  in  the  Cidloden,  in 
charge   of    the   blockade    of    Malta ;    and,    when    Troubridge   was 


COMMEMOKATIVE    MED.\L    OF    NELSON's    RETDRN    TO    ENGL.\ND    IX    1800. 
I  From  an  original  lent  htj  H.S.H.  Cttpt,  Priiwc  Louis  of  Btitk'nbcru,  li.X.) 


temporarily  called  elsewhere,  towards  the  end  of  March,  the  British 
force  off  the  island  consisted  of  the  Lion,  64,  Captain  Manley  Dixon  ; 
Foudroyant,  80,  Captain  Sir  Edward  Berry;  Alexander,  74,  Lieut. 
William  Harrington  (actg.) ;  Penelope,  36,  Captain  the  Hon.  Henry 
Blackwood,  and  a  few  small  craft. 

It  was  on  March  30th  that  at  11  p.m.  on  a  dark  night  and 
with  a  strong  southerly  gale,  the  GuiUaume  Tell,  Captain  Saulnier, 
with  Rear-Admiral  Decres  on  board,  weighed  in  pursuance  of  the 
determination  of  Vaubois,  and  put  to  sea.  Within  the  hour,  the 
Penelojje   sighted   her,    and   at   once   despatched    the   Minorca,  16, 

'  "I  have  been  left  liere "  (off  Malta)  "very  unwell,  and  am  this  day  going  to 
Palermo  for  the  benefit  of  my  health."  Nelson  to  Lady  Nelson,  March  10th,  1800 
{Literature,  1898,  ji.  359).  The  Hamiltons  were  then  at  Palermo.  Spencer,  on 
May  9th,  wrote  to  Nelson  that  he  had  better  come  liome  tlian  remain  at  Palcrmu 
inactive  in  a  foreign  court.     Nicolas,  iv.  2-)2. 


1800.]  CAPTURE   OF   THE  "GUILLAUME   TELL."  421 

Commander  George  Miller,  to  warn  Captain  Dixon,  who  lay  at 
anchor  at  some  little  distance  off  the  harbom-"s  mouth.  Blackwood 
then  .stood  after  the  Frenchman,  who  was  on  the  starboard  tack 
under  a  press  of  sail,  and,  at  1'2.30  a.m.  on  ]\rarch  31st,  luffed 
up  under  the  80's  stern,  and  dehvered  into  it  her  port  broadside 
of  18-prs. ;  next  bearing  up  under  the  enemy's  port  quarter  and 
delivering  into  that  her  starboard  broadside.  Decres  replied  only 
with  his  stern  guns,  realising  as  he  did  that,  if  he  brought  to  to 
engage,  his  little  opponent  would  soon  receive  assistance ;  for  ships 
were  visible  on  the  horizon.  He  therefore  continued  on  a  north- 
east com-se  ;  and  Blackwood,  manoeuvring  the  Penelope  with  con- 
summate skill,  and  again  and  again  raking  his  enemy,  at  length 
brought  down  the  Frenchman's  main  and  mizen  topmasts  and 
main  yard.  By  that  time  day  was  about  to  break.  Soon  after 
5  A.M.  the  Lion,  which  had  slipped  her  cable,  interposed  herself 
between  the  Penelope  and  the  Guillaume  Tell,  gave  the  latter  at 
the  closest  possible  range  a  passing  broadside  of  treble-shotted 
guns,  and,  luffing  up  across  her  bows  and  carrying  away  the 
enemy's  jibboom,  raked  her  steadily  until  about  .5.30  a.m.  By 
that  time  the  Lion  was  so  damaged  that  she  was  unmanageable, 
and  dropped  astern  ;  but  neither  she  nor  the  Penelope  ceased  firing 
occasionally.  At  6  a.m.,  the  Foudroi/ant,  which,  upon  the  alarm 
being  given,  had  been  at  anchor  three  miles  north-east  of  Valetta 
lighthouse,  and  which  had  slipped  and  crowded  sail,  arrived  upon 
the  scene,  and,  running  along  the  Guillaume  Tell's  starboard  side, 
summoned  her  to  strike,  at  the  same  moment  pouring  in  a  treble- 
shotted  broadside  The  French  80  gallantly  replied,  and  with  good 
effect ;  and  the  Foudroijnnt,  carrying  too  much  sail,  shot  ahead, 
and  could  not  at  once  regain  a  position  yardarm  to  yardarm.  When 
she  did  so,  she  quickly  suffered  badly,  losing  in  a  few  minutes  her 
foretopmast,  maintopsail  yard,  jibboom,  and  spritsail  yard,  and 
being  reduced  to  quit  her  brave  foe,  which,  however,  was  still 
engaged  on  the  port  side  by  the  Lion,  and  on  the  port  quarter  by 
the  Penelope.  At  G.30  a.m.  the  Guillaume  Tell  lost  her  main  and 
mizen  masts,  and  the  Foudroyant,  having  freed  herself  from  the 
wreck  of  her  spars,  was  again  in  action.  At  8  a.m.  the  Frenchman's 
foremast  went ;  and  at  8.20,  with  the  Foudroijant,  80,  on  her 
starboard  quarter,  the  Lion,  64,  on  her  port  quarter,  and  the 
Penelope,  36,  close  ahead  of  her,  the  Guillaume  Tell,  after  a  most 
splendid  defence  of   nearh'  eight  hours,  hauled  down  her  colours. 


422  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1800. 

The  two  British  line-of-battle  ships  were  too  damaged  to  take 
possession  of  her :  the  honour,  therefore,  became  the  Penelope's} 

In  this  memorable  action  the  Foudroyant  lost  8  killed  and 
69  wounded  (out  of  a  complement  of  71D) ;  the  Lion,  8  killed, 
and  38  wounded  (out  of  a  complement  on  board  of  only  about  300) ; 
and  the  Penelope,  1  killed  and  3  wounded  ;  the  total  British  loss 
being,  therefore,  17  killed  and  110  wounded.-  The  GiitUaiintf  'J'cH's 
loss  does  not  appear  to  be  accurately  known.  One  French  account 
puts  it  at  "  upwards  of  200  killed  and  wounded  "  ;  another,  at 
"half  her  people."  She  certainly  lost  heavily.  Both  Decres  and 
Saulnier  were  badly  wounded.  The  former  was  rewarded  with  a 
grant  of  the  "  Arms  of  Honom-,"  which  Napoleon  instituted  as  a 
decoration  ere  he  founded  the  Legion  of  Honour ;  and,  on  his 
exchange,  he  was  at  once  made  maritime  prefect  at  Lorient. 

The  Penelope  towed  the  prize  to  Syracuse.  She  was  a  vessel  of 
226.5  tons  measurement,  or  203  tons  larger  than  her  chief  opponent, 
the  Foudroyant ;  and,  renamed  Malta,  she  became,  next  to  the 
Tonnanf,  the  greatest  two-decker  in  the  British  Navy. 

In  spite  of  the  non-arrival  of  succour,  General  Vaubois  held 
Valetta  thi-ough  April,  May,  July,  and  August.  Food,  water,  fuel 
were  gradually  exhausted ;  and  towards  the  end  of  the  blockade 
his  men  died  at  the  rate  of  upwards  of  a  hundred  a  day.  When 
he  realised  that  capitulation  was  inevitable,  he  made  an  effort  to 
save  the  frigates  Diane,  40,  and  Justice,  40,  by  sending  them  to 
sea  on  the  night  of  August  24th ;  but  they  were  quickly  seen  and 
chased  by  the  Northumberland,  74,  Captain  George  Martin  (2), 
Genereux,  74,  Captain  Mauley  Dixon,  and  Success,  32,  Captain 
Shuldham  Peard ;  and,  although  the  Justice,  Captain  Jean  Ville- 
neuve,  escaped  and  reached  Toulon,  the  Diane,  Captain  Solen, 
which  had  but  one  hundred  and  fourteen  men  on  board,  was 
engaged  and  taken,  thanks  mainly  to  the  Success.  As  there  was 
already  a  Diana  in  the  service,  the  prize  was  ultimately  added  to 
the  Navy  as  the  Niobe.'^ 

On  September  4th,  the  wretched  remains  of  the  A'aletta  garrison 
sent  out  a  flag  of  truce  to  the  commander  of  the  allied  forces  on 
shore  ;    and    on    the  following   day  the  terms  of   capitulation  were 

'  Dixon  to  Keitii,  Mar.  31st. 

^  Tlie  British  oflicers  killed  were  Mr.  Ucnry  Damerell,  Master  (I'cnrlopf),  ami 
Mr.  Hugh  Koberts,  Midshipman  {Lion). 

'  She  measured  1142  tuns,  and  was  one  t>f  the  best  vessels  of  her  class. 


1800.]  SUSSENDEIi    OF  MALTA.  423 

settled,  on  the  one  hand  by  Major-General  Pigot,  and  Captain 
George  Martin  (2),  and,  on  the  other,  by  General  Yaubois  and 
Rear-Admiral  Villeneuve.  There  were  surrendered  with  the  port 
the  two  Maltese  64's  A  thenien  (which  was  added  to  the  Navy)  and 
Dego  (which  was  not  seaworthy),  the  Maltese  frigate  Caitar/enaise 
(which  also  was  not  seaworthy),  and  two  merchantmen,  one  brig, 
a  xebec,  and  several  gunboats  and  small  craft.  Soon  afterwards. 
Captain  Alexander  John  Ball,  to  whom  the  fall  of  A^aletta  was 
very  largely  owing,  was,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  inhabitants, 
appointed  governor  of  Malta. 

It  has  alreadj'  been  mentioned  that  at  the  end  of  1799, 
General  Kleber  sent  commissioners  on  board  the  Tii/re  to  treat 
with  Commodore  Sir  William  Sidney  Smith  for  the  evacuation  of 
Egj'pt,  and  that,  immediately  afterwards,  the  Tigre  was  blown  off 
the  coast  by  a  gale  of  wind.  During  her  absence  at  sea  conferences 
were  carried  on,  and,  in  consequence  of  them,  after  her  return  to 
Alexandria  on  January  17th,  the  representatives  of  the  countries 
concerned  landed  and  went  to  El  Arich,  where,  on  January  '24th, 
a  convention  was  agreed  to  and  signed  by  the  French  and  Turkish 
commissioners.  On  January  28th,  it  was  ratified  at  Salahieh  by 
General  Kleber  himself  ;  but  it  was  not  signed  by  the  Commodore,' 
who  contented  himself  with  sending  home  a  copy  of  it.  On 
March  2.5th,  the  Gazette  announced  that,  in  virtue  of  it,  it  had 
been  agreed  "  that  the  French  troops  now  in  Egypt  shall  evacuate 
the  country  and  shall  be  allowed  to  return  to  France."  In  the 
meantime,  however.  Lord  Keith,  who  had  been  apprised  of  the 
terms  of  the  convention,  declined,  in  pursuance,  it  would  appear, 
rather  of  general  than  of  particular  instructions  from  home,  to 
consent  to  any  capitulation  which  did  not  involve  the  surrender  of 
the  French  as  prisoners  of  war.  Information  to  this  effect  was 
conveyed  to  Kleber  in  March ;  and  the  general,  who  was  naturally 
much  surprised,  at  once  determined  to  retaliate  by  wreaking  what 
vengeance  he  could  upon  the  Turks,  the  only  body  of  his  enemies 
that  lay  within  his  reach. - 

Kleber,  therefore,  attacked  the  Turks  on  March  20th  at  Helio- 
polis,  and,  after  five  days'  fighting,  defeated  them  with  enormous 

'  Smith  had,  however,  signed  on  December  29th  a  preliminary  agreement,  which, 
he  considered,  fully  bound  his  country.     Nelson  strongly  urged  him  not  to  treat. 

"  Keith's  refusal  to  agree  to  the  convention  was  the  more  mortifying  to  Kleber, 
seeing  that,  confident  that  it  would  be  ratified,  the  French  had  already,  in  pursuance 
of  it,  evacuated  certain  positions  with  a  view  to  embarking. 


424  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1800. 

slaufihter,  and  presently  repossessed  himself  of  most  of  his  old 
positions.'  In  June,  the  British  Government,  having  in  the 
interval  thought  better  of  the  convention  of  El  Aricb,  authorised 
Lord  Keith  to  renew  negotiations  and  to  accede  to  the  arrangements 
as  originally  detennined  by  Sir  William  Sidney  Smith  ;  but  Kleber, 
perhaps  distrustful  of  those  who,  he  imagined,  had  already  deceived 
him,  and  certainly  more  firmly  established  than  he  had  been  in 
December,  1799,  was  no  longer  in  a  compliant  mood ;  nor,  after 
his  assassination  on  June  14th,  was  his  successor,  General  Menou, 
any  more  inclined  to  treat.'' 

After  the  visit  of  Sir  Edward  Pellew's  squadron  to  the  coasts 
of  the  Morbihan,  in  June,  part  of  that  squadron,  together  with 
other  ships,  was  put  under  the  orders  of  Rear-Admiral  Sir  John 
Borlase  Warren,  and  detached  from  the  Channel  upon  an  expedition 
against  six  Spanish  ships  of  the  line  ^  which  lay  ready  for  sea  in  the 
port  of  Ferrol.  On  August  '2.5th,  Sir  John  reached  the  bay  of  Playa 
de  Dominos  with  the  following  vessels  : — ■* 

Ships.  Guns.  Cummauders.  i 


„  .  ,  f Rear-Adm.  Sir  J.  B.  AVaireii,  Bait.,  K.B.  (B).' 

Renown   ....  i-i  i<„     ,  „.,           -r.  i 

It  apt.  1  nomas  hyles. 

London     ....  !!S  „  .Jolin  Child  I'urvis. 

Impetueu'j:     ...  78  j      „  Sir  Edward  Pellew,  Bart. 

Courageux     ...  74           „  Samuel  Eoud  (2). 

Captain   ....  74          „  Sir  Richard  John  Strachan,  Bart. 

Jndefatigahir       .      .  44           „  Hon.  Henry  Curzou.                                   ; 

Amelia     ....  44           „  Hon.  Charles  Herbert  (1). 

Amethyst.      ...  38           „  John  Cooke  (1). 

Stag 32           „  liobert  Wintlirop. 

Brilliant ....  21^           „  Hon.  Charles  Paget. 

Cynthia  ....  l^          „  Mieajah  JIalbon.' 


I  I'osteil  Auk.  mil 

and  some  small  craft  and  transports,  conveying  troops  under 
Lieut. -General  Sir  James  Pulteney.  That  evening,  after  a  fort 
had  been  silenced  by  the  fire  of  the  Impetueux,  Brilliant,  Cynthia, 
and  St.  Vincent,  gunboat,  the  troops,  with  sixteen  field-guns,  were 

'  In  jiartioilar,  he  drove  out  a  small  British  detachment  which  had  been  landed 
from  the  Centurion,  50,  at  Suez. 

*  This  eccentric  man  had  been  a  colonial  deputy  in  tlie  Constituent  Assembly,  and 
had  since  embraced  Mahoraetanisra,  and  assumed  the  name  of  Abdallah. 

'  Part  of  Massaredo's  fleet.  They  were  the  San  Hermenegildo,  112 ;  Real  Carlos, 
112;  San  Fernando,  96;  Argonauta,  80;  San  Antonio,  74;  and  San  Augustin,  74. 

*  The  Gibraltar,  80,  Captain  William  Hancock  Kelly,  and  Ajax,  80,  Captain  Hon. 
Alexander  Inglis  Cochrane,  which  were  detached  with  Warren,  proceeded  directly  to 
Gibraltar. 


1800.]  FAILVBE   OF   THE  FEREOL   EXPEDITION.  425 

disembarked  without  loss,  and,  aided  by  a  detachment  of  seamen, 
drove  back  a  body  of  the  enemy.  This  skirmish  was  followed 
by  a  somewhat  more  serious  one  at  daybreak  on  the  26th,  the 
upshot  being  that  the  British  made  themselves  masters  of  the 
heights  overlooking  the  town  and  harbour.  But  the  General, 
deterred,  as  his  dispatch  suggests,  by  the  strength  of  the  enemy 
and  of  the  defences,  made  no  further  effort,  and  later  in  the  day 
re-embarked  his  men.  It  seems  likely  that  he  allowed  himself  to  be 
misled  by  the  reports  of  prisoners,  and  that,  in  fact,  he  could  have 
easily  taken  Ferrol  had  he  seriously  attempted  the  task.  The  failure 
did  not,  however,  reflect  in  the  slightest  degree  upon  the  Navy. 

Proceeding,  Warren  joined  the  Commander-in-Chief  at  Gibraltar  ; 
whence,  on  October  2nd,  Lord  Keith  sailed  with  twenty-two  ships 
of  the  line,  thirty-seven  frigates  and  sloops,  and  eighty  transports, 
carrying  about  eighteen  thousand  men  under  General  Sir  Ealph 
Abercromby.  His  object  was  an  attack  upon  Cadiz  and  the 
capture  of  the  Spanish  squadron  which  lay  at  anchor  there  ;  but, 
upon  the  town  being  summoned,  it  appeared  that  the  plague  was 
raging  in  the  place.  From  motives,  therefore,  of  prudence  as  well 
as  of  humanity,  the  project  was  abandoned,  and  the  expedition 
returned  to  the  Eock.  When  it  sailed  again,  its  destination  was  the 
coast  of  Egj'pt ;  but  its  operations  against  the  enemy  in  that  quarter 
did  not  begin  until  the  following  year. 

In  extra-European  waters  the  Navy  did  little  that  calls  for 
mention  in  this  chapter,  although  it  did  some  brilliant  deeds  which 
will  claim  attention  in  the  next.  On  September  11th,  the  Nereide, 
86,  Captain  Frederick  Watkins,  being  off  Amsterdam,  in  the  island 
of  Cura9oa,  received  on  board  a  deputation  from  the  inhabitants, 
who,  tired  of  republican  domination,  claimed  British  protection. 
On  the  13th,  a  capitulation  was  signed  in  form ;  and  Captain 
Watkins,  by  landing  his  men  and  occupying  the  forts,  induced  such 
French  troops  as  were  in  the  island  to  evacuate  it  on  the  22nd. 
There  were  in  the  harbour  forty-four  craft  of  various  sorts,  but 
no  ships  of  war,  and,  apparently,  only  one  privateer.  Some  other 
privateers  had  made  their  escape,  after  having  been  much  annoyed 
by  Acting  Lieut.  Michael  Fitton,  who,  commanding  the  Active, 
a  little  eighty-four  ton  schooner,  which  was  tender  to  the  flagship 
on  the  station,  and  which  mounted  eight  12-pr.  carronades,  more 
than  once  won  the  warm  approval  of  Captain  Watkins.' 
'   Goze«e,  1800..  1330,  1331. 


426  MAJOR    OPEHATIONS,    1793-1^02.  [1800-1801. 

The  year  1801  witnessed  great  cliauges  both  in  the  internal  and 
in  the  external  relations  of  the  British  islands.  On  the  first  day 
of  the  year  the  parliamentary  nnion  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland 
took  effect,  and  the  present  Union  Flag  was  adopted  as  expressive 
of  that  union ; '  and,  a  few  months  later,  a  confederation  of  the 
northern  Powers,  entered  into  with  the  object  of  obliging  Great 
Britain  to  forego  the  long-established  right  of  searching  neutrals  for 
contraband  of  war,  threatened  to  add  materially  to  the  difficulties 
of  King  George's  government,  and  forced  it  to  employ  swift  and 
strong  measures  in  order  to  protect  its  interests. 

Questions  connected  with  the  enforcement  of  the  right  of  search 
had  already  led  to  difficulties  with  the  northern  Powers,  and  had 
been  responsible  for  the  formation  in  1780  of  the  coalition  known 
as  the  First  Armed  Neutrality  ;  but  Sweden  had  abandoned  that 
coahtion  in  1787 ;  and  Russia  in  1793  had  by  treaty  expressly 
recognised  Great  Britain's  right  to  search  neutral  vessels.'-^  The 
formation  of  the  Second  Armed  Neutrality  arose  generally  out  of 
the  conviction  on  the  part  of  the  northern  Powers  that,  with  the 
right  of  search  abolished,  they  could  carry  on  a  profitable  trade 
with  France ;  and  this  conviction  was,  it  need  hardly  be  said,  care- 
fully encouraged  by  Bonaparte.  But  the  immediate  causes  of  the 
Northern  Coalition  of  1801  were  as  follows. 

On  July  25th,  1800,  a  small  British  squadron^  under  Captain 
Thomas  Baker,  being  off  Ostend,  fell  in  with  the  Danish  frigate 
Freja,  40,  having  under  her  convoy  two  ships,  two  brigs  and  two 
galliots.  Captain  Baker  hailed  her  to  say  that  he  would  send 
his  boat  on  board  the  convoy.  The  Danish  captain,  Krabbe,  replied 
that,  if  such  an  attempt  were  made,  he  would  fire  into  the  boat. 
Baker  lowered  a  boat  and  put  a  Midshipman  and  four  men  into  her ; 
whereupon  the  Freja  fired  several  shot,*  striking  the  Nemesis  and 
killing  a  man.  Baker  at  once  returned  a  broadside,  and,  after  a 
spirited  action  of  twenty  minutes,  the  Freja  struck,  and  was  carried, 
with  her  convoy,  into  the  Downs.     She  had  lost  two  killed  and  five 

'  See  description  aud  Bketches  in  the  previous  chapter,  ]>.  188. 

^  Koch  and  Scholl,  iv.  3-1;  vi.  92;  and  judgments  of  Sir  AV.  Scott  in  Kobiusun's 
'  Heixjrts.' 

'  Xemesis,  28,  Captain  Thomas  Baker;  Frevoi/iintc,  40,  Captain  John  Seatet  ; 
Terpsichore,  32,  Captain  William  Hall  Gage;  Arrow,  18,  Com.  William  Bolton  (1);  and 
Nile,  lugijer,  10,  Lieut.  Richard  Whiteliead. 

*  Krabbe's  rejiort  distinctlj'  charges  the  British  with  having  fired  first,  and  declares 
that  the  Fri'ju'n  first  shot  did  not  take  efVect. 


1801.]  EXPEDITION   TO    THE  BALTIC.  427 

wounded.  The  Nemesis  and  Arrow  each  had  two  killed  and  several 
wounded.  Vice-Admiral  SkefHngton  Lutwidge,  commanding  in  the 
Downs,  ordered  the  Freja's  colours  and  pennant  to  be  kept  flying, 
and  maintained  only  an  unarmed  party  of  British  officers  and 
seamen  in  her.  Seeing  that  a  somewhat  similar  affair  *  had  occurred 
in  the  Mediterranean  during  the  previous  December,  the  British 
government  despatched  Lord  ^Yhitworth  to  Copenhagen  with 
instructions  to  come  to  an  understanding  on  the  subject ;  and,  to 
support  the  negotiator,  it  also  sent  to  the  Sound  a  squadron  -  of 
men-of-war  under  Vice-Admiral  Archibald  Dickson.  On  August  ^Qth, 
it  was  agreed  between  Lord  Whitworth  and  Comit  Bernstorff  that 
the  Freja  and  her  convoy  should  be  repaired  at  British  expense  and 
then  released  ;  that  the  asserted  right  of  search  should  be  further 
discussed  at  a  further  conference  to  be  held  in  London  ;  and  that, 
in  the  meantime,  Danish  vessels  in  the  Mediterranean  should  have 
convoy  only  to  protect  them  from  the  Algerines,  and  should  be  liable 
to  be  searched  as  before.  It  was  also  agreed  that  the  convention 
to  this  effect  should  be  ratified  within  three  weeks. 

The  difficulty  with  Denmark,  therefore,  was  in  a  fair  way  of 
adjustment.  Eussia,  however,  chose  to  enter  into  the  quarrel,  and, 
having  sequestered  ^  all  British  property  in  the  Empire,  mobilised 
her  army  and  navy.  When,  in  November,  1800,  she  learnt  of  the 
capture  of  Malta,  to  which  the  Tsar  had  pretentions,  she  took  the 
additional  step  of  laying  an  embargo  on  all  British  shipping  in 
Eussian  ports ;  and  in  December,  in  conjunction  with  Sweden,  she 
revived  the  Armed  Neutrality  of  1780.  To  this  Denmark  was 
induced  by  Eussia  and  Prussia  to  adhere. 

Great  Britain  could  not  abandon  the  right  of  search ;  and 
measures  were  at  once  taken  to  prove  to  the  coalition  that  she  had 
no  idea  of  giving  way. 

On  March  12th,  1801,  a  large  fleet  ^  under  Admiral  Sir  Hyde 
Parker  (2),  Vice-Admiral  Lord  Nelson,  and  Eear- Admiral  Thomas 
Graves  (3),^  and  having  ou  board  the  49th  Eegiment,  under  Colonel 

'  In  that  case  the  Emerald  and  Flora  were  tlie  British  vessels  concerned. 

■■^  In  this  squadron  the  first  trial  at  sea  was  made  of  the  improved  system  of  signals 
invented  by  Sir  H.  R.  Popham. 

^  This  sequestration  was  annulled  in  about  three  weeks. 

'  The  bulk  of  the  fleet  sailed  on  the  12th,  but  a  few  vessels  departed  later. 

*  Rear-Adm.  Totty  did  not  sail  with  the  fleet,  but,  following  it  in  the  Invincible,  74, 
Captain  John  Rennie,  was  wrecked  on  Hammond's  Knowl,  off  the  coast  of  Norfolk,  on 
March  16th.  Captain  Rennie  and  about  400  [people  jierished.  Rear-Adm.  Totty 
afterwards  proceeded  in  the  Zcdlou-t,  74,  and  joined  after  the  action. 


428  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1801. 

Isaac  Brock,  two  companies  of  rifles  (the  '.).5th  liegiment),  and  some 
artillery  commazided  by  Captain  Peter  Fyers,'  the  whole  under 
Colonel  Stewart,  sailed  from  Yarmouth  road  for  the  Baltic.  James 
comes  to  the  conclusion  tliat  in  that  sea  Denmark  then  had  ready 
for  service  ten,  Sweden  eleven,  and  Russia  about  twenty  effective 
ships  of  the  line ;  and,  as  the  British  fleet  consisted  only  of  eighteen, 
besides  frigates  and  small  craft,  the  force  despatched,  even  though 
it  had  Nelson  with  it,  and  although  the  possible  enemy  included 
three  diS'erent  nationalities,  was  not  excessive. 

Ahead  of  the  fleet  went  the  Blanche,  32,  Captain  Graham  Eden 
Hamond,  carrying  the  Hon.  Nicholas  Vansittart,  who  had  full 
power  to  treat,  and  whom,  it  was  hoped,  the  Danes  would  listen  to  ; 
but  on  March  ■l:^rd,  when  the  Blanche  rejoined,  bringing  away  the 
British  charge  d'affaires,  Mr.  Drummond,  she  reported  that  the 
Danes  were  openly  defiant,  and  that  they  were  doing  all  that  lay  in 
their  power  to  add  to  their  means  of  defence. 

In  the  interim  the  progress  of  the  fleet  had  been  delayed  by  bad 
weather.  It  did  not  make  the  Naze  ^  until  March  18th,  and  during 
the  two  following  days  it  experienced  such  heavy  gales  that,  on 
the  21st,  Parker  anchored  at  the  entrance  of  the  Sound  to  collect  his 
scattered  command.  In  the  course  of  the  gale,  the  Tickler,  gun- 
brig,  1'2,  and  liussell,  74,  narrowly  escaped  being  lost ;  and  the 
Blazer,  gun-brig,  12,  Lieut.  Jonah  Tiller,^  being  driven  under  the 
Swedish  batteries  at  Varberg,  was  there  captured.*  Even  when 
the  weather  had  improved,  Parker  delayed.  He  listened  to  pilots 
who  magnified  the  dangers  of  the  passage  which  he  was  about 
to  attempt,  and  he  sent  a  flag  of  truce  to  Helsingor,*  to  ask  if  the 
governor  of  that  fortress  purposed  to  oppose  the  passage  of  the  fleet 
through  the  Sound.  But  at  6  a.m.  on  March  HOth,  the  British 
weighed,  and,  with  a  fine  N.N.W.  breeze,  entered  the  Sound  in  line 
ahead,  the  van  being  commanded  by  Lord  Nelson  who,  on  the  29th, 
had  shifted  his  flag  from  the  St.  George,  98,  to  the  Elephant,  74, 
as  being  of  less  draught,  and  the  rear  being  commanded  by  Graves, 
in  the  Defiance.  An  hour  later  the  Helsingor  batteries  opened  on 
the   leading   ship,   the   Monarch,    74;    and    they    fired   successively 

'  Fyers  was  appointed  by  Parker  engineer  to  the  e.xpedition,  lie  having  had  previous 
opportunities  of  examining  the  defences.     Wliite,  '  Meins.  of  Nelson,'  198,  etc. 
-  Lindesnes. 
*  Lieutenant,  1783. 
■*  She  was  subsequently  restored. 
'  'J'he  Elsinore  of  Shakesjieare. 


JCullaFf 


J'Ca  1 1  e  a  a.  t 


The  Sound 


VToface  p.  428. 


1801.]  EXPEDITION   TO    THE  BALTIC.  429 

at  the  other  ships  as  they  passed ;  hut  the  range  was  too  great  for 
any  damage  to  he  done.  Only  the  van  ships  repHed,  and  these 
contented  themselves  with  discharging  two  or  three  broadsides. 
The  bomb-vessels,  however,  threw  numerous  shells  into  Kronborg 
and  Helsingor,  and  caused  some  casualties.  The  sole  loss  on  the 
British  side  was  occasioned  by  the  bm-sting  of  a  •24-pr.  in  the  Isis, 
where  seven  men  were  killed  or  wounded.  The  guns  of  Helsingborg, 
on  the  Swedish  side  of  the  strait,  remained  silent ;  and,  as  soon  as 
it  was  observed  that  they  were  not  firing,  the  British  line  crossed 
over  so  as  to  pass  near  them  and  avoid  all  danger  from  the  Danish 
batteiies. 

Soon  after  midday  the  fleet  dropped  anchor  above  the  Swedish 
island  of  Hveen,  which  is  about  fifteen  miles  from  Copenhagen ; 
and  the  Commander-in-Chief,  accompanied  by  Lord  Nelson,  Eear- 
Admiral  Graves,  and  Captain  William  Domett,  Captain  of  the  Fleet, 
proceeded,  in  the  Lark,  lugger,  14,  Lieut.  Thomas  Henry  Wilson, 
to  reconnoitre.  They  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  defences 
of  Copenhagen  were  of  an  exceedingly  formidable  natm:e ;  yet, 
at  a  council  of  war  held  in  the  evening.  Nelson,  after  warmly 
opposing  a  policy  of  delay,  which  was  urged  by  some  officers,  offered 
to  undertake  the  attack  with  ten  sail  of  the  line,  and  the  small  craft 
attached  to  the  fleet.  The  offer  was  willingly  accepted  by  Parker, 
who  gave  Nelson  not  only  the  ten  sail  of  the  line  asked  for,  but 
also  a  54  and  a  50-gmi  ship.  The  Yice-Admiral's  detachment,  as 
ultimately  constituted,  was  composed,  therefore,  of  the  ships 
mentioned  in  the  note  on  the  following  page. 

Apart  from  the  works  defending  the  city,  there  were  many 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  success  of  Nelson's  undertaking.  The 
channel  of  approach  was  intricate  and  little  known ;  the  buo3s  had 
been  removed  from  it,  or  had  been  intentionally  displaced ;  and 
a  considerable  number  of  hulks,  which,  though  old,  were  well  armed 
and  manned,  were  moored  in  such  a  position  as  to  support  and 
co-operate  with  the  forts  on  the  sea-front.  No  sooner,  then,  was 
the  council  of  war  over  than  Nelson,  accompanied  by  several  officers, 
went  away  in  a  boat  to  sound  and  re-buoy  what  is  known  as  the 
Outer  Channel,^  a  narrow  passage  lying  between  the  Island  of 
Saltholm  and  the  Middelgiamd  shoal.  It  was  at  one  time  pui-posed 
to  attack  the  Danish  defences  from  the  north  ;  but,  the  Vice-Admiral 
having  made  a  further  examination  of  the  position  on  March  31st, 
'  Otherwise  called  Holljenderdyb. 


430 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1801. 


and  the  wind  having  changed,  it  was  determined  to  approach  from 
the  south. 

The  nature  of  the  Danish  position  will  be  best  grasped  by 
reference  to  the  accompanying  plan.'  It  consisted,  as  will  be  seen, 
of  a  Une  of  eighteen  men-of-war,  aimed  hulks  and  floating  batteries, 
moored  nearly  north  and  south  over  a  distance  of  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  along  the  edge  of  the  shoal  bordering  Amager  Island  and 
facing  the  deep-water  channel  called  Kongedyb.  The  order  of  these 
vessels,  proceeding  from  south  to  north,  is  indicated  in  note  ^  on 
page  431.  On  shore,  behind  this  line  of  vessels,  were  several  covering 
batteries.  At  the  north  end  of  the  line  were  the  two  Trekroner 
Forts,^  built  on  piles,  and  mounting,  one,  thirty  24-prs.,  and  the 
other,  thirty-eight  36-prs. ;  and  moored  near  them  were  the  two- 
deckers  Elephanten  and  Mars,  without  their  masts.  Beyond  the 
Trekroner  Forts,  and  in  the  fairway  leading  south-westwards  to  the 


Squailrtm  umler  Lord  Nelson  in  the  action  with  the  defences  of  Copenhagen, 
April  2nd,  1801,  with  the  loss  suffered  by  each  ship,  as  officially  returned.  (The 
tilightly  wounded  are  not  included.) 


Commanders. 

I 

o.-->. 

FlIiST  LlKlTE.\ASIS. 

SHlfS. 

<i  L■N^ 

•  Killed. 

*  Killed. 

+  Wounded. 

Killed 

Woqndeil. 

i  Wounded, 

JEhphant      .     .     . 

74 

iVice-Adm.  Lord  Nclsou.  K.E. 
tCapt.  Thnmus  Foley  (3). 
|lU-ar-Adm.    Thomas   Graves 

(B).l 
(3),| 

10 

13 

William  ^ViIkillsou. 

Defiance.     .     .     . 

71 

ICapt.  Kicl.ard  Retalitk. 

[ 

\ 

24 

SI 

David  Mndie. 

Edgar    .... 

"1 

,,     George  ^Murray  (3). 

31 

111 

f^imnnd  Jolinsou  • 

Monarch.     .     .     . 

74 

,,     James  Robert  Jlo=se.* 

56 

IGI 

John  Yellaiid. 

BeUona  .... 

14 

(    „     Sir  Thomns  Boulden  Thomp--| 
)              son.f                                    i 

11 

"2 

John  Delafous, 

Ganges  .... 

7-1 

..     Thomas  Francis  Fremanlle. 

7 

1 

William  :Morce. 

Jtussdl   .... 

71 

,,     William  Cuming 

e 

Samuel  iiatemau. 

Agamemnon     .     . 

64 

„      Robert  Devereu.x  Fancourt. 

Ardent    .... 

64 

„     Thomas  Bertie  (2). 

30 

64 

Andrew  .Molt  (1). 

Polyphemus      .     . 

64 

„     .Toliu  Lawfiird 

r, 

25 

Edward  Ho<ider. 

Glatton  .... 

&1 

„     William  Hligh. 

18 

37 

Robert  lirowu  Tont. 

/Si's 

50 

,»     James  Walker  (2). 

33 

88 

Koliert  I'iukler. 

Amazon  .... 

3S 

„      Edward  Iliou.* 

14 

23 

Joseph  Ore  Ma.sefield. 

Desiree    .... 

40 

„     Henry  Jumau. 

4 

Andrew  King,  t 

Blanche  .... 

36 

„     Graham  Eden  Hamoud. 

7 

9 

Thomas  M'CuUoch. 

Alcmine .... 

32 

„     Samuel  Sutton. 

5 

19 

Robert  Wallace  Duulop. 

Jamaica.     .     .     . 

26 

„     Jonas  Ruse. 

Arrow     .... 

30 

„     William  liolton  (1) 

Itart 

30 

„     John  Ferris  Devonshire. 

3 

1 

Eichird  Edward  Sauiiys.* 

Cruiser  .... 

18 

Com.  James  lirisbiue 

JIarj/y     .... 

18 

„     William  Uirchall. 

/fiscovery,  bomb    . 

16 

„     John  Conn. 

Explofiiou,  bomb   . 

8 

„     John  Henry  Martin. 

Jfecla,  bomb      .     . 

10 

„     Kichanl  Hatherili. 

Sulphur,  bomb. 

10 

„     Hcnder  Whiiter. 

Terror,  bomb    .     . 

8 

„     Samuel  Campbell  Rowley 

Volcano,  bomb . 

8 

„      James  Watson  (1). 

Zebra,  Iwmb      .     . 

16 

„     Edward  Sneyd  Clay. 

Otter,  fireskip  .     . 

11 

,,     George  M'Kiuley. 

Zephyr,  firesbip 

14 

„     Clotworthy  Upton. 

and  six  gmi- 

jrips,  y 

vhicli,  however,  were  miable  to 

get 

nto  actiti 

u,  iiwini;  tr 

the  current.    Tliey  were 

iii  charge  of  C 

aptaiii 

Rijse  of  Ihe  Jamnica. 

'  .See  opposite. 

^  These  and  the  xebecs  had  furnaces  fur  heatinj",  shot. 


#' 


y 


J- 


..s 


-'■■JiSAoa/ 


/• 


|;»/b/ 


^ 

^Oai'9"  ;• 


Z^"?" 


y.i!>Q  i 


?1    •.  ^« 


■■■  :.  V 

■••:.    N  ' 
■:■'•■-•■  ^-i-lv 


S\ 


■9 
\ 


■■'? 


0 


^ 


^/^fonif  "'"'■'"' 


.t 


Attack    on    Cope:nhacen 

z^^/?//.    <?'^<=   /(SO/ 


[ru.'iitv  /,.  430. 


1801.] 


BATTLE   OF   COPENHAGEN. 


4:31 


harbour  of  Copenhagen,  lay  two  other  ships  of  the  hne,  a  40-gun 
frigate,  and  two  18-gun  brigs  ;  while  on  the  north-west  shore  of  this 
fairway  were  other  batteries,  and,  on  the  shoal  to  the  south-east 
of  it,  a  number  of  armed  xebecs,  other  xebecs  being  distributed  to 
cover  some  of  the  intervals  in  the  line  of  hulks. 

On  the  morning  of  April  1st  the  whole  British  fleet  weighed 
from  its  anchorage  off  Hveen,  and  presently  reanchored,  about  six 
miles  from  Copenhagen,  off  the  north-west  point  of  the  Middelgrund, 
the  shoal  which  lies  in  front  of  the  city,  and  which  divides  the 
HollcEnderdyb  from  the  Kongedyb.  Nelson  went  on  board  the 
Amazon,  and  again  reconnoitred  ;  and  at  1  p.m.,  after  his  return 
to  the  Elephant,  he  signalled  to  his  squadron  to  weigh,  the  signal 
being  received  with  cheers.  There  remained  with  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  :— 


Ships. 

Guns. 

London    . 

98 

St.  George     . 
Warrior  . 

98 
74 

Defence    . 
Saturn     . 

74 
74 

BarniUies 

74 

Baisonnabh  . 

64 

Veteran    . 

64 

Commanders. 


rAdmiral  Sir  Hyde  Parker  (2),  (B). 
|Capt,  William  Domett,  1st. 

„      Robert  Waller  Otwaj-,  2nd. 

„      Thomas  Masterman  Hardy.' 

„      Charles  Tyler  (1). 

„      Lord  Henry  Paulet. 

„      Kobert  Stuart  Lambert. 

„      .Tames  William  Taylor  Dixon. 

„     .ToliU  Dilkes. 

,,      Archibald  CoUingwood  Dickson. 


Captain  Hardy,  however,  accompanied  Xelson  in  tlie  Ulejjhaitl 


-  Floating  defences  of  Cojjenliagen,  April  2nd,  1801 : 


Guns, 


Description. 


1.  Frovestetn    .     .      . 

66 

2.   Vidkyrien    .     .     . 

48 

3.  liendshorg    . 

20 

4.  ^yUrrq     .... 

20 

5.  Jyltaml  .... 

48 

G.  SvcFrdJisJcen      .     . 

20 

7.  Kronhorg      .     .     . 

22 

8.  Saien      .... 

20 

9.  liannehrog    . 

62 

10.  Elven 

6 

11.  Gr.rner     .... 

24 

12.  Afftiershuus  . 

20 

13.  Sjalland.     .     .     . 

74 

14.  Charlotte  Amalie   . 

26 

15.  Sdhe£ten  .... 

18 

16.  Uolsteen  .... 

00 

17.  Infodstretteii     .     . 

64 

18.  HifElperen     .      .      . 

20 

BlepMnten  .     .     . 

70 

Jfnrs 

74 

_      (Danmark     .      .      . 

74 

3  .a  1  Trekroner    . 

"4 

-tUris 

40 

2  1 1  -^iir/ten    .... 

18 

"     l^idelven 

IS 

12  xebecs,  each.     . 

i 

Three-decker,  rase,  without  masts. 
Two-decker,  without  masts. 
Masted  cavalry  transport. 

Two-decker,  without  masts. 

Masted  floating  battery. 

Frigate,  without  masts. 

Masted  floating  battery. 

Dismantled  two-decker. 

Sloop,  rigged. 

Kattery,  witliout  masts. 

Cavalry  transpoit,  without  mast.*. 

Two-decker,  unrigged. 

Old  ludianiftu. 

Ma.'ited  floatiUK  battery. 

Kigged  line  of  b.ittleship. 

Two-decker,  without  masts. 

Rigged  frigate. 

Line  of  battleship,  without  masts. 

Kigged  line  of  battleship. 

Rigged  frigate. 
Rigged  brig. 


Abauduued,  taken,  burnt 

Driven  ashore,  taken,  burnt. 
Escaped,  but  sank. 
Taken  and  burnt. 


Took  fire,  and  blew  up  after  action. 
Escaped. 

Escaped,  but  sank. 

Driven  ashore,  taken,  burnt. 

Taken  and  burnt. 

Taken  and  added  to  the  Navy. 
Taken  and  burnt. 
Escaped. 


432  MAJOR    OPEHATfOXS,    1793-1802.  [1801. 

Lord  Nelson's  squadron,  piloted  by  the  Amazon,  entered  the 
Outer  Channel,  or  HollaMiderdyb,  and,  with  a  N.W.  wind,  proceeded 
along  the  exterior  edge  of  the  Middelgrund,  and  anchored  near  the 
southern  point  of  that  shoal  at  about  8  p.m.  In  order  to  draw  closer 
to  the  town,  the  ships  would  have  had  to  beat  up  against  the  wind 
along  a  narrow  and  difficult  channel ;  and  the  Yice-Admiral  had, 
of  coiu'se,  no  intention  of  allowing  them  to  attempt  such  a  perilous 
adventure  in  the  dark.  Indeed,  he  would  have  scarcely  permitted 
them  to  do  so  had  it  been  day  ;  for  not  until  11  p.m.  that  night  did 
he  know  for  certain  that  the  channel  was  practicable.  At  that  hour 
he  was  informed  of  the  fact  by  Captain  Hardy,  who,  having  put  off 
in  a  small  boat,  had  cautiously  and  silently  ascertained  the  bearing 
of  the  south  point  of  the  Middelgrund,  and  had  even  satisfied 
himself,  using  a  pole  to  avoid  the  splash  accompanying  the  use 
of  the  lead,  of  the  depth  of  water  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
Provesteen}  Nelson  was  too  preoccupied  to  sleep,  but  sat  up, 
arranging  the  order  of  battle,  and  preparing  instructions,  assisted 
by  Foley  and  Eiou. 

At  7  A.M.  on  April  ^nd,  the  wind  then  blowing  from  the  S.E.  and 
being  therefore  favourable  for  the  attack.  Nelson  signalled  for  his 
Captains,  each  of  whom,  an  hour  later,  was  in  possession  of  all 
necessary  directions."  Eiou,  to  whom,  besides  his  own  ship,  the 
Amazon,  wei'e  entrusted  the  Blanche,  Alcmene,  Arrow,  Dart,  Otter, 
and  Zephyr,  was  ordered,^  in  the  first  place,  to  co-operate  against 
the  northern  end  of  the  Danish  line  and  against  the  vessels  lying  off 
the  harbom-'s  mouth,  and,  in  the  second,  to  act  as  circumstances 
might  indicate.  Rose,  of  the  Jamaica,  with  the  six  gun-brigs,  was 
to  endeavour  to  take  up  a  position  from  which  to  rake  the  Danish 

'  Hardy  discovered  that  the  water  was  deeper  near  the  Danish  line  than  un  the 
Middelgrund  side ;  and,  had  his  discovery  been  acted  upon,  the  Biissell  and  Bellona 
would  not  have  grounded  when  going  into  action. 

-  Nelson's  plans,  as  disclosed  in  the  orders  given  out  on  the  morning  of  Ajjril  2nd, 
indicate  that  he  had  an  incorrect  idea  of  the  number  and  force  of  the  ships  forming  the 
Danish  line  off  Amager  Island  and  south  of  the  Trekroner  Forts.  He  put  the  number 
at  twenty,  instead  of  at  eighteen ;  and  he  included  in  it  nine,  instead  of  only  six  ships  of 
the  line.  To  show  how  completely  these  plans  were  upset  by  the  accidents  which 
occurred,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  Polyphemus,  which,  in  the  action,  was  the  most 
southward  slap  of  the  British  line,  was  to  have  been  the  most  northward  ;  and  that  the 
three  northern  ships  of  the  Danish  line,  which  were  to  have  been  engaged  by  the 
liusscll  and  Polyphemus,  would  have  been  left  entirely  without  opponents,  had  not 
the  Defiance  and  Monarch  proceeded  beyond  the  stations  originally  assigned  to  them. 

^  The  written  order  was  "  to  perform  such  service  as  he  is  directed  by  Lord 
Nelson." 


laOl.]  IIATTLE    OF   COPENHAQEN.  433 

line  from  the  south.  The  Desin'a  was  to  rake  the  Valkyrieii  and 
the  two  ships  north  of  her.  The  seven  bomhs  were  to  take  station 
outside  the  British  hne,  and  to  throw  their  shells  over  it.  And 
it  was  intended  that,  upon  the  fire  of  the  larger  of  the  Trekroner 
Forts  being  silenced,  the  battery  should  be  seized  and  occupied  by 
the  49th  Eegiment,  and  ]jy  a  party  of  five  hundred  seamen  under 
Captain  Fremantle.  As  for  the  larger  vessels,  which  had  already 
X^repared  themselves,  as  before  the  battle  of  the  Nile,  by  leading 
cables  out  of  their  stern  ports,  they  were  to  anchor  by  the  stern 
abreast  of  the  ships  in  the  enemy's  line  ;  and,  in  proceeding  to 
their  stations,  ships  were  to  pass  their  leaders  on  the  starboard 
hand,'  it  being  still  supposed,  in  spite  of  Hardy's  discovery  to 
the  contrary,  that  there  was  less  risk  of  grounding  on  that  side 
than  on  the  other.  These  arrangements,  as  will  be  seen,  could 
not  all  be  carried  out. 

At  9  A.M.  Nelson  caused  tho  pilots  and  some  of  the  Masters  to 
visit  him  ;  and  half  an  hour  later  he  signalled  for  his  squadron 
to  weigh  in  succession.  The  Edgar  led  ;  and,  entering  the  channel, 
was  fired  at  as  soon  as  she  was  within  range  of  the  Provesteen.  The 
Agamemnon  was  to  have  followed,  but,  having  anchored  to  eastward 
of  the  shoal,  was  unable  to  weather  its  southern  point,  and  had, 
in  conseqiience,  to  bring  up.  In  the  meantime  the  I'olijpJtciiius  had 
been  signalled  to  take  the  Agamenuions  place;  and,  with  as  much 
despatch  as  possible,  she  followed,  although,  owing  to  the  Agamem- 
non s  misfortune,  the  Edgar  remained  unsupported  for  a  considerable 
period.  The  lais  followed  the  Polyphemus.  The  Belluna,  next  in 
order,  passing  the  Isis  on  the  starboard  hand,  grounded  on  the 
Middelgrund,  "  owing  to  the  iinskilfulness  or  unsteadiness  of  her 
Master,  Mr.  Alexander  Briarly,  who  had  undertaken  the  office  of 
pilot."'"  The  Biissell,  her  next  astern,  took  a  similar  coui-se,  and 
grounded  close  behind  her  leader.  The  Elephant,  when  Nelson 
perceived  what  had  happened,  put  her  helm  a-starboard,  and, 
passing  the  grounded  ships  on  their  port  hand,  pi'oceeded  safely 
to  her  station.^  The  remaining  heavy  vessels.  Defiance,  Ganges, 
Miinarcli,    Ardent,   and    Glutton,   pursuing   the    same   course,    also 

'  This  direction  was  given  in  deference  to  tlie  wishes  of  the  jiilots,  wlio  were  chiefly 
mates  of  vessels  trading  from  British  northern  ports  to  the  Bahic,  and  who  seem  to 
have  been  very  incompetent. — Marsliall,  ii.  loo. 

-  James,  iii.  71. 

^  Abreast  of  the  Dannehrog,  bearing  the  broad  pennant  of  Commodore  Fischer,  wlio 
afterwards  shifted  to  tlic  Hnhtnn,  and,  at  about  2  p.m.,  to  one  of  the  Trekroner  Forts. 

VOL.    IV.  2   F 


434 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802. 


[1801. 


reached  without  accident  points  more  or  less  close  to  the  positions 
assigned  to  them  ;  but,  in  consequence  of  the  absence  from  their 
posts  of  the  Agamemnon,  Bellona,  and  RicsseU,^  some  ships  found 
themselves  confronted  with  much  more  work  than  it  had  been 
intended  to  burden  them  with  ;  and,  especially  at  the  northern  end, 
where  Eiou  and  his  little  squadron  most  gallantly  opposed  the 
Trekroner   Forts,   the   line  was   unduly  weak.     The    action  began 


Vlrh:-AliMUtAL   SUt    TUUMAt-    liEKTXE   (koUMKHLY    IlUAll),    KT. 
t  FruiH  an  fitgniviitij  hti  Pfi(je,  offer  the  portrait  hii  Leu.) 

at  10.5  A.M. ;  by  10.80  about  half  the  British  squadron  was  engaged  ; 
and  before  11.80  the  battle  became  general.  The  Desiree  took  up 
a  most  excellent  position  athwart  the  hawse  of  the  Proresteen  ;  but 
the  Jamaica  and  gun-brigs,  except  one  of  the  latter,  were  prevented 
by  a  strong  current  from  reaching  their  stations  ;  and  the  bombs 
were  not  able  to  be  of  mitch  use. 

When   Nelson   weighed,    Parker   did   likewise,   X\\i\\    a  view    to 

'  Tlic  two  latter,  though  aground,  were  within  gunshot,  and  fired  at  the  defences 
abreast  of  them  as  opiiortuuity  offered. 


1801.]  BATTLE   OF   COPENHAGEN.  435 

threatening  the  ships  and  defences  off  the  harbour's  mouth ;  but, 
with  wind  and  current  against  him,  his  progress  was  very  slow. 
Not  until  towards  the  close  of  the  fight  were  any  of  his  ships  ^  able 
to  approach  sufficiently  near  to  become  more  than  a  general  menace 
to  the  enemy. 

For  three  hours  the  cannonade  was  furious.  At  1  p.m.  very  few 
of  the  Danish  guns  had  been  silenced;  and,  on  the  other  hand,, 
the  BeUona  and  Eiissell  were  flying  signals  of  distress,  and  the 
Agamemnon  was  flying  a  signal  of  inability.  Parker,  who  was 
at  some  distance  from  the  scene  of  the  fighting,  could  not  know  all 
the  circumstances  of  the  situation.  He  had  at  his  elbow  a  Captain 
of  the  Fleet  who  was  exceedingly  apprehensive  that  disaster  was 
very  possible,  if  not  imminent  and  inevitable  ;  and,  at  that  officer's 
pressing  suggestion,  he  hoisted  the  signal  to  discontinue  the  action — 
intending  it  not,  however,  as  a  positive  order  so  much  as  an 
authority  to  Nelson  to  withdraw  in  case  such  a  measure  should 
appear  to  him  to  be  advisable.  This  signal  was  made  at  about 
1  P.M.,  and  was  read  by  Nelson  ^  as  Parker  intended  it  to  be  read, 
though  Nelson  did  not  at  the  time  know  that  he  had  acted  in 
accordance  with  his  chief's  desires.  The  Vice-Admiral  acknowledged 
but  did  not  repeat  it,  and,  in  the  meantime,  continued  flying  his 
own  signal  for  close  action.  Graves,  in  the  Defiance,  repeated  it, 
but  hoisted  it  only  at  his  lee  maintopsail  yardarm,  and  kept  the 
signal  for  close  action  flying  at  the  maintruck.  Riou's  division, 
which  had  been  sorely  mauled  by  the  Trekroner  batteries,  and 
which   was   too   feeble   to    make   head    against   them,    alone   took 

'  Tlie  Defence,  llamillies,  autl  Veteran  were  detached  with  directions  to  iiiaiie 
special  eftbrts  to  succour  the  Vice-Admiral. 

''  "About  this  time  the  signal-lieutenant"  (of  the  Elepliant)  "called  out  tlmt  No.  39 
(the  signal  for  discontinuing  the  action)  was  thrown  out  by  the  Counnauder-in-Chief. 
He  "  (Nelson)  "  continued  to  walk  the  deck,  and  appeared  to  take  no  notice  of  it.  The 
signal-officer  met  him  at  the  next  turn,  and  asked  if  he  should  repeat  it.  '  No,'  be 
replied  ;  '  acknowledge  it.'  Presently  he  called  after  him  to  know  if  the  signal  for  close 
action  was  still  hoisted ;  and,  being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  said,  '  Mind  you  keep  it 
so.'  He  now  paced  the  deck,  moving  the  stump  of  his  lost  arm  in  a  manner  which 
always  indicated  great  emotion.  '  Do  you  know,'  said  be  to  Mr.  Ferguson,  '  what  is 
shown  on  board  the  Commander-in-Chief?  Number  39!'  Mr.  Ferguson  asked  him 
what  that  meant.  '  Why,  to  leave  off  action.'  Then,  slu-ugging  up  his  shoulders,  he 
repeated  the  words,  '  Leave  off  action  ?  Now  damn  me  if  I  do !  You  know,  Foley," 
turning  to  the  Captain,  '  I  have  only  one  eye  :  I  have  a  right  to  be  blind  sometimes ; ' 
and  then,  putting  the  glass  to  his  blind  eye,  in  that  mood  of  mind  which  sports  with 
bitterness,  he  exclaimed,  'I  really  do  not  see  the  signal.'  Presently  he  exclaimed, 
'  Damn  the  signal !  Keep  mine  for  closer  battle  flying !  That's  the  way  I  answer  such 
signals.     Nail  mine  to  the  mast.' "— Southey,  ii.  124. 

2  r  2 


436  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1801. 

advantage  of  the  permission  thus  accorded  hy  the  Commander-in- 
Chief.  Had  these  gallant  little  ships  not  done  so,  they  would 
probahly  have  been  destroyed.  Unhappily,  as  the  Amazon  was 
hauling  off,  her  brave  and  admirable  Captain  was  cut  in  two  by 
a  round  shot.'  Parker's  motive  in  making  the  signal  was  excellent ; 
and  the  result,  in  so  far  as  the  frigates  were  concerned,  was  good ; 
yet  it  is  difficult  to  avoid  the  reflection  that  the  signal  was  even 
more  dangerous  than  the  situation  which  it  was  designed  to  relieve. 
If,  for  example.  Graves,  with  his  division,  had  taken  advantage 
of  it,  and  had  withdrawn,  unconscious,  as  he  well  might  have  been, 
owing  to  the  smoke,  that  Nelson,  with  his  division,  was  merely 
acknowledging  it,  the  consequences  might  well  have  been  terrible, 
atid  Nelson  might  have  been  annihilated.  There  are  few  things 
more  risky  in  naval  warfare  than  for  a  Commander-in-Chief  to  issue 
directions,  which  are  likely  to  be  read  as  inflexible  orders,  when  he 
is  not  on  the  spot,  or  when  he  is  not  fully  cognizant  of  the  situation 
on  the  spot. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  Danish  fire  sensibly  diminished,  and 
before  2  p.m.  it  ceased  along  the  greater  part  of  the  southern  end 
of  the  line,  although  it  was  still  very  warm  near  the  Trekroner 
Forts,  and,  especially  abreast  of  the  Monurcli  and  Defiance,  it  was 
perhaps  hotter  than  ever.  Nelson  was  undoubtedly  uneasy  as  to 
the  position  of  those  vessels.  He  was  also  annoyed  by  the  be- 
haviour of  the  Danes,  who  continued  to  fire  even  from  those  craft 
which  had  struck,^  and  who  would  not  allow  his  boats  to  take 
possession.^  He  felt  that  he  might  destroy  some,  at  least,  of  the 
prizes  by  sending  his  two  fireships  against  them ;  but  he  was 
anxious  to  avoid  useless  expenditure  of  life ;  and  the  destruction 
of  the  prizes  would  not,  he  knew,  relieve  the  ships  at  the  north  end 

'  Edward  Riou  was  a  Lieutenant  of  1780,  a  Commander  of  17'J0,  and  a  Captain 
of  1791.  He  seems  to  liave  been  about  forty-three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  liad  won  a  golden  reputation  for  courage  and  resource  on  account  of  his 
•conduct  when  in  command  of  the  lealjy  convict  transport  Guardian  in  1789-90. 
See  p.  lOG. 

-  The  Danncbrog,  wliich  both  had  strucli  and  was  on  fire,  behaved  in  tliis  way  to 
tlie  Elephant's  boat.  Tliereupoii,  the  Eh}ihant  and  Oan</es  re-opened  their  l)atteries 
upon  her  until  she  drifted  off  in  flames  liefore  the  wind.  At  about  3.30  r.M.  she 
blew  up. 

'  "  This  arose  from  the  nature  of  the  action.  The  crews  were  continually  reinforced 
from  the  shore ;  and  fresh  men,  coming  on  board,  did  not  inquire  -whether  the  flag  had 
been  struck,  or,  perhaps,  did  not  heed  it ;  many,  or  most  of  them,  never  having  been 
engaged  in  war  before,  knowing  nothing,  therefore,  of  its  laws,  and  thinking  only  of 
/lefending  their  country  to  the  last  extremity."- — Southey. 


1801.]  BATTLE   OF  COPENHAGEN.     -  437 

of  his  line,  or  enable  them  and  the  others  to  extricate  themselves 
from  the  narrow  channel  of  the  Kongedyb.  It  was  then  that, 
resting  on  the  casing  of  the  rudder-head,  he  wrote  to  the  Crown 
Prince  of  Denmark  the  following  letter  : — 

"To   THE    BUOTHERS   OF   ENGLISHMEN,    THE    BRAVE    DaNKS. 

"  Vice- Admiral  Lord  Nelsou  has  been  cummauded  to  spare  Denmark,  when  she  no 
longer  resists.  The  line  of  defence  which  covered  her  shores  has  struck  to  the  British 
flag.  Let  the  firing  cease,  then,  that  he  may  take  possession  of  his  prizes,  or  he  will 
blow  them  into  the  air  along  with  their  crews  who  have  so  nobiy  defended  them.  The 
brave  Danes  are  the  brothers,  and  should  never  be  the  enemies,  of  the  English."  ' 

Eefusing  to  fasten  up  the  letter  with  a  wafer,  Nelson  sent  to  the 
cockpit  for  a  candle  ;  and,  having  obtained  wax  and  one  of  his  own 
desk  seals  which  was  larger  than  that  which  he  ordinarily  used,  he 
sealed  the  letter,  remarking  :  "  This  is  no  time  to  appear  hurried  and 
informal." 

The  letter  was  carried  in,  under  a  flag  of  truce,  by  Commander 
Sir  Frederick  Thesiger,  who  was  acting  as  an  aide-de-camp  to  Lord 
Nelson,  and  who  found  the  Crown  Prince  near  the  sally-port.  In 
Thesiger's  absence,  the  fire  of  the  Hulsteen,  Infodstretten,  and 
Hjalperen  ceased,  partly  owing  to  the  effect  of  the  broadsides  of 
the  Monarch  and  Defiance,  and  partly,  perhaps,  owing  to  the 
approach  to  the  scene  of  action  of  the  Defence  and  BamiUies,  which 
had  for  some  time  been  working  up  against  the  wind  from  Parker's 
division.  But  the  Treki'oner  Forts,  and  particularly  the  larger 
of  them,  which  had  been  reinforced,  and  which  were  still  almost 
uninjured,  fought  nearly  as  freshly  as  ever,  and  were,  moreover, 
considered  to  be  too  strong  to  be  stormed.  Nelson  believed  that 
it  was  his  duty  to  take  advantage  of  the  continuation  of  a  favour- 
able wind  to  -concentrate  his  ships  upon  the  Trekroner  batteries, 
and  reduce  them  ;  but  Fremantle  and  Foley  dissuaded  him  from 
attempting  this,  and  suggested  that  it  would  be  wiser  to  endeavour 
to  extricate  the  squadron  from  its  critical  situation  while  the  breeze 
still  served.  Preparations  to  this  end  had  been  begun  when  Thesiger 
returned,  bringing  with  him  Lindholm,  the  Danish  adjutant-general. 
Upon  seeing  his  flag  of  truce,  the  Trekroner  Forts  ceased  firing ; 
and  the  action  was  not  again  renewed.     It  was  then  after  3  p.m. 

The  Crown  Prince,   through   Lindholm,    desired   to   know  the 

•  Several  versions  of  this  letter  e.xist.  The  one  here  given  is  taken  from  a  copy 
which  was,  in  1820,  in  the  possession  of  Sir  Thomas  Foley.  All  the  versions,  however, 
though  differing  verbally,  are  much  to  the  same  effect.  The  original  letter  api^ears  to 
have  been  translated  into  Danish  by  Thesiger. 


438  MAJOR    OPEJUTIONS,    1793-1802.  [1801. 

immediate  object  of  the  Yice-Admiral's  letter.  Nelson  sent  back 
Thesiger  with  a  reply  in  writing  to  the  effect  that  his  object 
was  humanity,  and  that  he  proposed  to  put  an  end  to  hostilities 
upon  conditions  that  the  wounded  Danes  should  be  removed  to  the 
shore,  and  that  he  should  remove  his  unwounded  prisoners  from  the 
prizes,  and  burn  or  carry  away  the  captured  vessels  as  he  might  deem 
best.  He  ended  his  second  letter  with  the  expression  of  a  hope  that 
his  victory  would  lead  to  a  reconciliation.  And  while  he  despatched 
Thesiger  with  the  letter  to  the  Crown  Prince,  he  referred  General 
Lindholm  to  Sir  Hyde  Parker,  who  was  four  miles  away,  and  who 
alone  could  make  any  definite  arrangement.    Nelson  thus  gained  time. 

He  at  once  signalled  for  his  ships  to  weigh  or  slip,  and  proceed. 
They  did  so  ;  but  the  Monarch  almost  immediately  grounded.  She 
was,  however,  shoved  off  again  by  the  Ganges.  The  Glatton  passed 
out  in  safetj' .  The  Defiance  and  Elephant,  ships  of  deeper  draught, 
piled  up  on  the  shoal  about  a  mile  from  the  Trekroner  Forts,  and, 
but  for  the  armistice,  would  have  been  in  a  most  dangerous  position. 
The  Elephant  could  not  be  moved  until  8 ;  the  Defiance  remained 
hard  and  fast  until  10  p.m.  At  the  other  end  of  the  line,  the  Desiree, 
having  gone  to  the  assistance  of  the  BeUona,  grounded  near  her. 
The  BeUona,  in  the  meantime,  got  free  by  sending  a  boat,  picking  up 
the  cable  of  the  Isis  when  that  ship  slipped,  and  hauling  off  by  it. 

Nelson  had  intended  to  rejoin  the  Commander-in-Chief  in  the 
Elephant ;  but  when  that  ship  grounded,  and  it  seemed  hkely  that 
she  would  not  immediately  float  again,  he  followed  Lindholm  in 
a  boat  to  the  London.  Soon  after  he  had  reached  the  flagship,  a 
twenty-four  hours'  truce  was  concluded,  in  order  to  allow  of  further 
negotiations ;  and  it  was  arranged  that  the  British  should  take 
possession  of  the  prizes.  Lindholm  then  returned  to  Copenhagen, 
and  Nelson  went  on  board  his  permanent  flagship,  the  St.  George. 

The  losses  in  the  British  ships  engaged  are  set  forth  in  the  note 
on  page  430.  The  figures  there  given  are  taken  from  the  official 
returns,  which,  however,  did  not  include  a  certain  number  of  slightly 
wounded.  James  considers  that,  had  these  been  taken  into  account, 
the  number  of  killed  and  wounded  in  the  fleet  would  have  had  to 
be  put  at  upwards  of  one  thousand  two  hundred  instead  of  at  less 
than  nine  hundred  and  fifty.  The  killed  and  mortally  wounded,  he 
believes,  numbered  three  hundred  and  fifty,  many  of  the  seriously 
wounded  having  eventually  succumbed.'     The  British  naval  officers 

'  James,  iii.  7G. 


1801.1  LOSSES   IS   THE  ACTION.  439 

killed  were  :  Captains  James  Eobert  Mosse  (Monarclt),  and  Edward 
Eiou  (Amazon)  ;  Lieuts.  Edmund  Johnson  (Edgar),  George  Gray 
(Defiance),  and  Eichard  Edward  Sandys  (Dart) ;  Masters  Daniel 
Lamond  (Isis),  and  Eobert  Stewart  (Ganges) ;  Master's  Mate  Henry 
Yaulden  (Elephant)  ;  Midshipmen  James  Bell  (Polijpheynus) ,  George 
M'Kinley  and  Thomas  Earn  (Isis),  the  Hon.  George  Tucket 
(Amazon),  and  George  Hoare  (Ardent)  ;  and  Captain's  Clerk  Joseph 
Eose  (Amazon).  In  addition,  there  fell  Lieutenants  of  Marines  Ben- 
jamin Spencer  {i?fZ(/ar) ,  and  Henry  Long  (Isis),  besides  a  captain  and 
a  lieutenant  of  foot,  and  two  pilots.  Among  the  officers  wounded 
were  Captain  Sir  Thomas  Boulden  Thompson  (Bellona) ;  and  Lieuts. 
Andrew  King  (Desiree),  Thomas  Southey  and  Thomas  Wilks 
(Bellona),  Eichard  Cormack  (Isis),  Joshua  Johnson  and  William 
Goldfinch  (Edgar),  William  Tiudall  (Glatton),  William  Minchin 
(Monarch),  and  Henry  Baker  (Alcmene). 

Most  of  the  British  ships  were  badly  hit  about  the  hull,  and 
lower  rigging,  the  Danes  having  fired  low.  The  Glatton  was  the 
only  vessel  that  lost  a  topmast.  Numerous  guns  were  disabled, 
some  by  the  enemy's  shot,  some  by  their  own  recoil,  and,  in  the 
Bellona  and  Isis,  some  by  bursting.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
cast-iron  guns  of  the  period,  after  long  use,  became  very  dangerous, 
owing  to  changes  which  occur  in  the  structure  of  masses  of  metal 
subjected  to  frequent  violent  shocks  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
gims  which  burst,  burst  solely  on  account  of  their  age,  both  the 
Bellona  and  Isis  being  old  ships. 

More  than  half  of  the  Danish  craft  which  had  formed  the  hne 
along  the  shore  of  Amager  Island  were  practically  destroyed  by  the 
British  fire.  They  were  reduced,  that  is,  to  a  condition  of  absolute 
uselessness.  According  to  British  accounts,  the  gallant  enemy  lost 
in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  about  6000  men.  Commodore 
Fischer  estimated  the  number  of  killed  and  wounded,  including 
^70  lost  in  the  Dannchrog  when  she  blew  up,  at  not  fewer  than 
between  1600  and  1800.  The  fate  of  the  Danish  vessels  is  shown 
in  the  table  on  page  431.  The  defence  had  been  most  spirited  and 
desperate  ;  and  the  extraordinary  bravery  of  two  officers  is  to  this 
day  commemorated  in  the  Danish  navy,  where  there  are  still  craft 
bearing  the  names  Hauch  '  and  Willcmoes.- 

'  Hauch  commanded  the  Kroahorg  and  fell  during  the  action. 

-  WiUemoes  was  a  boy  of  seventeen,  who  had  pushed  oil'  from  the  shore  on  a  kind 
of  raft  carrying  six  small  guns,  and  manned  by  twenty-four  meu,  and  had  placed 


440  MAJOIi    OPERATIOSS,    1793-1802.  [1801. 

In  comparing  the  strength  of  the  forces  engaged,  James,' 
curiously  enough,  omits  from  his  computation  the  Treki-oner  Forts, 
and  Eiou's  flotilla,  which  was  opposed  to  them.  It  does  not  seem 
to  be  fair  to  do  this,  seeing,  especially,  that  the  forts,  though  hotly 
engaged,  were  never  reduced,  and  that,  towards  the  end  of  the 
action,  they  greatly  annoyed  the  Defiance.  He  also  leaves  out  the 
Bellona  and  Eussell,  though  he  admits  that  their  fire  was  not  wholly 
ineffective.  Including,  on  the  one  hand,  Eiou's  flotilla  and  the 
Bellona  -  and  Eussell,  and,  on  the  other,  the  Trekroner  Forts,  we 
get  a  total  of  about  lOl-i  guns  and  carronades  on  the  British,  and 
096  guns, — there  do  not  seem  to  have  been  any  carronades, — on  the 
Danish  side.  James,  by  his  deductions,  makes  the  totals  much 
more  nearly  equal,  viz.,  British,  700  ;  Danish,  628. 

During  the  night  following  the  battle,  the  British  got  oft"  all 
their  gi'ounded  ships,  except  the  Desiree,  and  brought  out  such 
of  the  prizes  as  could  be  moved.  In  the  succeeding  six  days,  while 
negotiations  w^ere  going  on,  all  the  prizes,  except  the  Holsteen,  were 
destroyed.  On  the  9th,  an  armistice  for  fourteen  weeks  was  agreed 
upon,  it  being  arranged  that  in  the  meanwhile  Denmark  would  take 
no  action  under  the  treaty  of  anned  neutrahty,  and  that  the  British 
might  obtain  from  the  shore  water,  food,  and  supplies.  The 
prisoners  were  returned  upon  the  understanding  that  they  would 
still  be  held  good  for  exchange  in  case  hostilities  should  be  renewed. 
Sir  Hyde  sent  home  the  Monarch  and  Isis,  with  the  Holsteen  and 
most  of  his  wounded ;  and  on  April  l'2th  he  left  the  roadstead  with 
all  the  rest  of  his  command  except  the  .S7.  George  and  one  or  two 
small  craft,  his  next  object  being  to  intimidate  the  Swedes  and 
Kussians.' 

He  entered  the  Baltic  by  the  difficult  passage  of  the  Hollsen- 
derdyb  and  Drogden,  between  the  islands  of  Auiager  and  Saltholm, 
although,  ere  he  could  do  so,  his  heavier  ships  had  to  hoist  out 
many  of  their  guns,  put  them  into  merchantmen,  and,  after  getting 

liimself  close  under  the  titeni  of  the  Khiihiml.  Tlie  sliii)"s  guns  could  not  reach  liim; 
Imt  lier  Marines  killed  or  wounded  twenty  of  his  people.  Willemoes  died  fighting  in 
the  I'linds  Chrisiiun  Fredcrik,  on  the  occasion  of  lier  capture  liy  the  Shdtly  and 
Nassau,  Mar.  22nd,  1808. 

'  James,  iii.  79  (ed.  1837). 

^  She  was  near  enough  to  lose  eiglity-three  killed  and  wounded. 

'  Nelson  was  very  annoj-ed  that  so  much  time  had  been  si)ent  in  negotiation,  after 
the  power  of  Denmark  had  been  crippled.  Had  he  been  in  command,  he  would  have 
Imrricd  at  once  to  Reval,  as  he  wrote  to  Lord  St.  Vincent. 


1801.]  NELSON  HASTILY  REJOINS  PARKER.  441 

over  the  shallows,  hoist  them  in  again  ;  and  although,  in  spite  of 
these  precautions,  several  vessels  vi'ere  unable  to  avoid  grounding. 
The  Eussian  fleet  lay  at  Keval,  still  frost-bound ; '  the  Swedish 
squadron  was  at  or  near  Karlskrona  ;  and  Parker  was  anxious  to 
attack  the  former,  ere  it  could  join  the  latter.  On  his  way  to  Eeval, 
however,  he  learnt  that  the  Swedes  were  at  sea ;  and,  sending  on 
the  news  to  Nelson,  who  was  still  detained  off  Amager  in  the 
-S'^  George,  he  made  for  the  northern  point  of  Bornhohn. 

On  April  19th,  in  the  evening.  Nelson  received  the  news ;  but  the 
wind  and  current  were  contrary,  and  the  St.  George,  though  at  length 
she  had  crossed  the  shoals,  could  have  made  but  little  progress 
against  them.  The  Vice-Admiral,  therefore,  scenting  a  possibility 
of  battle,   instantly  embarked  in  a  six-oared   cutter,  and,  without 


MKDAL   COMMEMOn.\TIVE    OF    THE   BATTLE    OF   COI'KN"H.\GES,    1801. 
(Ffoni  ii»  original  ieni  !>!/  77.5.77.  Citpt.  Friiice  Louis  of  Botlctibcro,  7?..V.) 

waiting  even  for  a  boat-cloak,  set  off  to  join  the  Commander-in- 
Chief,  who  was  twenty-four  miles  away.  Mr.  Alexander  Briarly,^ 
Master  of  the  Bellona,  who  had  been  assisting  the  St.  George  in 
her  passage  over  the  grounds,  and  who,  by  order,  accompanied 
Nelson,  has  left  an  interesting  account  of  the  long  night  row,  and 
of  Nelson's  extraordinary  keenness  on  the  occasion  : — 

"  All  I  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of  him  could  not  half  so  clearly  prove  to  rae  the 
singular  and  unbounded  zeal  of  this  truly  great  man.  His  anxiety  in  the  boat  for 
nearly  six  hours  lest  the  fleet  shoidd  have  sailed  before  he  got  on  board  one  of  them, 
and  lest  we  should  not  catch  the  Swedish  squadron,  is  beyond  all  conception.  I  will 
quote  some  expressions  in  his  own  words.  It  was  extremely  cold,  and  I  wished  him 
to  put  on  a  great-coat  of  mine  which  was  in  the  boat.  '  No,  I  am  not  coM ;  my 
anxiety  for  my  country  will  keep  me  warm.  Do  you  think  the  fleet  has  sailed'?'  '  1 
should  suppose  not,  my  Lord.'  '  If  tliey  have,  we  will  follow  tliein  to  Karlskrona  iu 
the  boat,  by  God  ! ' " 

'  It  was  not,  in  fact,  free  from  field-ice  that  year  until  Ainil  29th. 
2  A  Master  of  1795. 


442  MAJOn    OPEnATIOXS,    1793-1802.  [1801. 

Karlskrona  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  away.  Happily  the 
fleet  had  not  left  Bomhohn ;  and  at  midnight  Nelson  was  safely 
on  board  the  Elephant.  But  already  the  Swedes'  had  retired  to 
Karlskrona.  Thither  Parker  followed  them ;  and,  after  negotia- 
tion, it  was  agreed,  on  April  '2'2nd,  that  the  differences  between 
Great  Britain  and  Sweden  should  be  settled  amicably. 

The  Tsar  Paul,  of  Russia,  had  been  murdered  on  March  23rd, 
and  had  been  succeeded  by  Alexander  I.  The  British  fleet  was  on 
its  way  from  Karlskrona  to  Eeval,  when,  on  April  23rd,  Parker 
received  from  the  Eussian  ambassador  at  Copenhagen  dispatches 
indicating  that  the  policy  of  the  new  monarch  was  more  pacific 
than  that  of  the  old  had  been.  The  Commander-in-Chief  returned, 
therefore,  to  Kjoge  Bay,  where  he  found  the  St.  George,  and  where, 
on  May  5th,  he  was  apprised  of  his  recall  to  England.^  \yhen  he 
sailed  for  home  in  the  Blanche,  the  command  of  the  fleet  devolved 
upon  Nelson. 

Nelson  does  not  appear  to  have  had  such  implicit  confidence 
as  Parker  in  the  amiable  intentions  of  Eussia.  He  thought,  at 
least,  that  the  presence  of  a  British  force  could  do  no  harm  in  the 
GuK  of  Finland;  and  on  the  7th  he  weighed.  On  the  8th,  he  left 
Captain  George  Murray  (3)  to  watch  Karlskrona  with  the  Edgar, 
Saturn,  Bussell,  Uaisonnahle,  Agamemnon,  Glatton,  and  a  frigate, 
and  sent  in  word  to  the  Swedish  vice-admiral  that,  though  Swedish 
trade  would  not  be  annoyed,  the  Swedish  squadron,  if  it  put  to  sea. 
would  be  treated  as  the  fleet  of  an  enemy.  With  the  remaining 
eleven  sail  of  the  line,  a  frigate  and  two  sloops,  Nelson  proceeded 
for  Eeval,  off  which  place  he  anchored  on  May  14th,  only  to  find 
that  the  Eussians  had  departed  on  the  3rd  for  Cronstadt.  The 
authorities  were  alarmed  at  his  arrival,  and  he  was  officially  informed 
that,  if  his  intentions  were  friendly,  he  would  best  demonstrate 
the  fact  by  withdrawing.  Lest,  therefore,  he  should  prejudice  the 
negotiations  which  were  going  on  elsewhere,  he  left  the  road  on 
the  17th ;  and,  two  days  later,  Eussia  and  Sweden  removed  the 
embargo  which  had  been  laid  on  British  vessels  in  their  ports. 
Friendly  relations  were  thus  restored. 

Nelson  was  back  at  Kjoge  Bay  on  Jime  Cth  ;  and  on  June  13th, 

'  Their  fle^t  includetl  only  si.K  ships  of  tlie  line;  and  it  was,  therefore,  obliged  to 
retire  before  Parker's. 

^  Nelson  had  already  petitioned  for  his  own  recall.  The  Fir-st  Lord,  St.  Vincent, 
probably  influenced  by  the  wish  to  keep  Nelson  away  from  Lady  Hamilton,  recalled 
Parker  chiefly  in  order  to  induce  Nelson  to  remain  for  a  time. 


1801.] 


NELSON  RETURNS    TO   ENGLAND. 


443 


in  reply  to  his  repeated  requests  to  be  relieved  on  the  score  of  his 
indifferent  health,  he  received  permission  to  return  to  England. 
Four  days  afterwards  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Charles  Morice  Pole,^  in 
the  Mollis,  32,  appeared  to  take  over  the  command ;  and  on  the 
19th  Nelson  left  for  home  in  the  Kite,  18. 

The   rewards   for   the   victory  of   Copenhagen  were   grudgingly 
bestowed.     The  Admirals,  Captains,  officers,  and  men  of   Parker's 


VICE-ADMIUAL    VISCOUNT    NEI.SOX,    DUKK    OF   BROXTE,    K.ll. 

I  Fro  IK  a  Utltogrjph  hij  P.  Eoberts,  afkr  the  portrait  painted  liy  J.  F.  Abhut,  irhni  Nrhon  wax  a 
Bear-Aitmirnl,  soon  after  the  Battle  <if  the  Xite.) 

fleet  received,  indeed,  the  thanks  of  both  Houses;  Nelson  was 
given  the  title  of  Viscount;  and  Graves  was  made  a  K.B.  Some 
promotions,  also,  were  made  among  the  officers  of  subordinate 
rank.  But  the  gold  Flag-officers'  and  Captains'  medals,  which  had, 
by  that  time,  come  to  be  looked  upon  as  the  most  honourable  pay- 

'  Pole  remained  on  the  station  till  tlie  end  of  July,  when,  there  being  no  longer 
need  of  a  large  fleet  in  the  Baltic,  he  was  ordered  home.  He  distingiiislie<l  himself 
during  his  command  by  taking  the  fleet  through  the  difficult  passage  of  the  Great  Belt 
against  a  nearly  head  wind. 


444  MAJOn    Ol'ERATlOSS,   1TO;!-1802.  [1801. 

ment  for  great  services,  were  not  granted  ;  and  the  City  of  London 
did  not  fonnally  recognise  the  vahie  of  the  work  which  had  heen 
done  for  British  commerce.  The  prize-money,  moreover,  was  of 
small  account,  so  many  of  the  prizes  having  been  destroj'ed,  and  no 
special  allowance  being  made  in  respect  of  them. 

Nelson's  health  had  suffered  in  consequence  of  his  exposure  in 
the  St.  George  s  boat ;  but  he  was  not  allowed  a  month  for  its 
re-estabhshment.  He  landed  at  Yarmouth  on  July  1st ;  he  was 
reappointed  to  a  command  on  July  24th  ;  and  he  rehoisted  his  flag 
on  July  30th,  on  a  service  which,  perhaps,  was  unworthy  of  his 
exceptional  powers,  and  might  have  been  as  well  performed  by  an 
officer  of  more  ordinary  abilities,  yet  which,  nevertheless,  demanded 
at  its  head  a  man  in  whom  the  country  placed  unquestioning  con- 
fidence. For  the  people  of  the  United  Kingdom,  half  starved, 
and  overburdened  with  the  taxes  and  the  trials  of  the  long  war, 
believed  that  at  length  a  seriou.s  and  mighty  attempt  was  about 
to  be  made  to  invade  them,  and  so  to  end  the  exhausting  struggle. 
Nelson's  acceptance,  in  such  circumstances,  of  the  command  in 
the  Downs  would,  it  was  felt,  put  an  immediate  check  upon  the 
rising  panic.  That,  no  doubt,  was  the  main  motive  for  his  appoint- 
ment. There  was,  however,  another  motive.  At  the  Admiralty 
were  two  of  his  truest  friends,  St.  Vincent  and  Troubridge.  They 
knew  that,  in  spite  of  the  changes  and  chances  of  life  at  sea,  Nelson's 
glorious  reputation  was  safer  there  than  at  home. 

The  conclusion  of  the  Treaty  of  Luneville,  by  putting  a  period 
to  the  active  hostility  of  Germany,  gave  Bonaparte  an  opportunity 
of  turning  more  of  his  attention  than  ever  towards  Great  Britain. 
It  has  been  seen  that  France  had  long  since  made  extensive  prepara- 
tions for  an  invasion.  During  the  j'ear  1800,  however,  the  prepara- 
tions had  been  suspended.  Great  Britain,  indeed,  had  for  some 
time  ceased  to  be  pressingly  anxious  on  the  subject,  when,  on 
July  l'2th,  1801,  the  First  Consul  ordered  a  concentration  at 
Boulogne  of  nine  divisions  of  gun-vessels,  of  a  large  mass  of  troops, 
and  of  several  detachments  of  artillerymen.  Eear- Admiral  La 
Touche   Treville,'    one   of   the   best   naval   ofdcers  of   France,  was 

'  Rene  Madeleine  Le  Vassor  de  La  Touclie  Treville:  boin  1745;  entered  the  navy  ; 
left  it  for  the  cavalry,  1708;  returned  to  the  navy;  commanded  a  fri<;;ate  during  the 
American  war  ;  imprisoned  and  degraded  as  a  Royalist,  17!)3 ;  restored  as  a  rear-adnaral 
hy  Bonajiarte,  and  given  command  first  at  Brest  and  then  at  Boulogne ;  vice-admiral, 
1801 ;  died  in  command  of  the  'i'oulon  tleet,  180-1.  But  for  his  death,  he  would  have 
commanded  at  Trafalgar. 


1801.]  NELSON  AND    THE  INVASION  FLOTILLA.  4J5 

given  the  command  of  the  flotilla  ;  and  he  at  once  began  to  train 
his  men  in  embarking  and  disembarking,  in  weighing  and  anchoring, 
in  working  the  vessels,  and  in  using  the  gmis. 

It  was  then  that,  among  other  measures  designed  to  calm  the 
pubhc  mind.  Nelson  was  ai^pointed  to  command  the  defences  of 
the  coast  from  Orford  Xess  to  Beachy  Head.  He  hoisted  his  flag 
in  the  Medusa,  3'2,  Captain  John  Gore  (2),  at  anchor  in  the  Downs  ; 
and  on  August  3rd,  in  consequence  of  directions  from  the  Admiralty, 
crossed  to  Boulogne  to  endeavour  to  destroy  the  flotilla  which  was 
assembled  under  the  guns  of  the  lately  strengthened  fortifications 
of  the  place.  He  had  with  him  thirty  craft,  chiefly  gun-vessels 
and  bombs.  The  latter  on  the  4th  shelled  part  of  the  French 
flotilla,  consisting  of  twenty-four  armed  vessels,  and,  according  to 
an  order  which  was  issued  by  Nelson  on  the  .5th,  entirely  disabled 
ten  of  them.  The  British  dispatches,  however,  leave  it  to  be  in- 
ferred that  only  three  flats  and  a  brig  were  permanently  disabled ; 
and  the  French  offlcial  account,  while  it  does  not  expressly  state 
that  no  other  material  harm  was  done,  says  that  two  gunboats 
which  had  been  damaged  were  at  once  refitted  for  service,  and  that 
no  Frenchman  was  either  killed  or  wounded.  On  the  British  side 
three  persons  were  wounded.  It  was  evident — for  the  bombs  had 
expended  more  than  nine  hundred  shells — that,  if  effective  damage 
was  to  be  done,  other  means  must  be  employed.  Nelson,  there- 
fore, determined  to  try  the  efl'ect  of  a  cutting-out  expedition  on  a 
large  scale. 

He  organised  the  armed  boats  of  the  squadron  into  four  divisions, 
commanded  respectively  by  Commander  Philip  Somerville  (1),  Com- 
mander Edward  Thornbrough  Parker,  Commander  Isaac  Cotgrave, 
and  Commander  Eichard  Jones  (1),  and,  on  the  night  of  August  1.5th, 
sent  them  in  accompanied  by  a  division  of  howitzer  boats  imder 
Commander  John  Conn.  The  boats,  having  assembled  round  the 
Medusa,  put  off  from  her  at  about  11.30  p.m.  ;  but,  owing  to  the 
darkness,  the  tide,  and  the  currents,  the  divisions  soon  became 
separated,  and  could  not,  in  consequence,  co-operate  according  to 
the  pre-arranged  plans.  The  boats  of  Somerville's  division,  driven 
far  to  the  eastward,  had  to  quit  one  another  and  proceed  in- 
dependently. Just  before  dawn  on  the  16th,  some  of  these  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  and  attacking  a  brig  which  lay  close  to  the 
pier-head ;  but,  though  they  carried  her,  they  were  forced  to 
abandon  her,  as  she  was  secured  by  a  chain  which  they  could  not 


446  MAJOR    OFEllATIOSS,    1793-1802.  [1801. 

sever,  and  was  swept  by  the  tire  of  four  craft  moored  quite  close 
to  her.  As  dayhght  broke,  Somerville's  division  retreated,  with  a 
loss  of  18  killed  and  55  wounded.' 

Parker's  division,  the  second,  was  less  impeded  by  the  current, 
and,  at  about  1-2.30,  part  of  it  ran  alongside  the  brig  Etna.  But 
boarding  nettings  and  a  heavy  fire  forced  the  men  back.  Another 
part  carried  a  lugger,  but  was  repulsed  by  the  brig  Volcati  ;  and  the 
two  sub-divisions  retired  with  a  loss  of  21  killed  and  4'2  wounded. - 

Cotgrave's  division,  the  third,  was  also  driven  back  after  it  had 
fought  most  gallantly  and  had=  lost  5  killed  and  29  wounded.^  The 
fourth  division,  imable  to  get  near  the  enemy  before  day  broke, 
put  back  without  loss.  Commander  Edward  Thornbrough  Parker, 
a  promising  officer  of  only  twenty-two,  who  had  gi-eatly  endeared 
himself  to  Nelson,  and  who  had  been  acting  as  his  aide-de-camp, 
died  of  his  wounds  at  Deal  on  September  27th. 

The  French,  who  had  been  reinforced  since  August  4th,  claimed 
to  have  run  dowii  eight  British  boats  and  to  have  taken  four,  and 
to  have  lost  only  10  killed  and  80  wounded.'  "Wliether  they  did 
so  much  damage  may  be  doubted  ;  but  it  is  certain  that  the  affair 
must  be  counted  as  a  British  defeat,  and,  having  regard  to  the 
total  loss,  44  killed  and  126  wounded,  as  a  sanguinary  one.  Both 
Nelson,  however,  and  St.  Vincent,  handsomely  recognised  that 
officers  and  men  had  behaved  most  gallantly. 

No  other  attack  on  a  large  scale  was  attempted  against  the 
invasion  flotilla ;  but  on  the  night  of  August  20th,  the  boats  of 
a  small  squadron  detached  under  Captain  Jonas  Rose,  of  the 
Jamaica,  24,  attacked  six  French  flats,  which  lay  covered  by  five 
field-pieces  and  a  party  of  infantry  between  St.  Valery  and  Etaples. 
Three  were  taken  and  brought  off,  and  the  other  three  were  scuttled 
by  their  crews.  Each  mounted  an  8-inch  brass  howitzer.  The 
British  loss  was  only  1  killed  and  4  wounded. 

Towards  the  end  of  1800  Bonaparte  had  satisfied  himseff  that 
the   large   British   force   which,    in   October,    had   appeared   under 

'  Officer  killed:  Master's  Mate  Ale.xandor  Eutherford  (Jamaica).  Among  tlie 
wounded  were  Lieuts.  Tliomas  Oliver  and  Francis  Dickinson  (Lej/den),  Jeremiah 
Skelton  (Jamaica),  and  William  Basset  (actg.)  (Eugenie),  and  Captain  of  Slarines, 
George  Yoimg  (Leyden). 

^  Officers  killed :  Midshipmen  AVilliam  Gore  and  William  Bristow  (Meduna). 
Among  the  wounded  were  Cora.  E.  T.  I'arker  (mortally) :  and  Lieuts.  Charles  Pelly 
and  Frederick  Langford  (Medusa). 

'  (Jflicer  killed  :  Midshipman Berry 

*  Tre'ville  to  Min.  of  Mar.,  Aug.  IGth. 


1801.] 


CRUISE   OF   GAyTEAUME. 


447 


Lord  Keith  before  Cadiz,  was  to  be  despatched  to  Egypt,  and  that 
strong  measui-es  were  at  length  to  be  adopted  to  expel  the  French 
from  that  country.  During  1800  he  had  been  unsuccessful  in 
several  attempts,  all  made  on  a  small  scale,  to  send  stores  and 
reinforcements  to  his  army  in  the  delta  of  the  Nile  ;  but,  as  the 
situation  of  the  expeditionary  force  became  more  and  more  perilous, 
he  decided  that  a  serious  effort  must  be  made  to  succour  it.  At 
Toulon  he  had  no  squadron  equal  to  the  task.  The  flower  of  the 
French  navy  was  concentrated  at  Brest.  He  therefore  ordered 
Eear- Admiral  Granteaume  to  leave  Brest  with  the  ships  set  forth 
in  the  note,'  and  with  5000  troops  under  General  Sahuguet,  and 
to  endeavour  to  reach  the  Levant ;  and  he  announced  at  the  same 
time  that  the  reinforcement  was  intended  for  San  Domingo. 

Ganteaume  quitted  Brest  and  anchored  in  Bertheaume  road 
on  January  7th,  1801.  At  about  the  same  time,  in  order  to 
distract  and  confuse  the  attention  of  the  officers  in  charge  of  the 
blockade  along  the  coast,  such  French  vessels  as  lay  in  the  other 
ports  of  the  Channel  and  the  Bay  of  Biscay  either  put  to  sea  or 
made  obtrusive  preparations  for  doing  so.  On  the  8th  Ganteaume 
weighed  and  stood  out  by  the  Passage  du  Eaz  ;  but  he  was  at  once 
observed  and  chased  by  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Henry  Harvey  (1),  K.B., 
and  a  division  of  the  Channel  Fleet ;  and  he  found  it  prudent,  soon 
afterwards,  to  anchor  off  the  mouth  of  the  Vilaine,  whence  he 
presently  retm-ned  to  Brest,  where  he  lay  to  await  a  gale  which 
would  drive  the  British  from  their  station. 

On  January'  23rd  it  blew  heavily  from  the  northward ;  and,  at 
night,  Ganteaume  again  put  to  sea,  going  out  by  the  Iroise  Channel. 
The  weather  was   so  bad    that    no  British    crnisers  were    there   to 


1  Sbips. 

(iuns. 

Commanders. 

Kear-Adm.  Honore  CTanteauiue. 
.C'apt.  A.  L.  Gourdoii. 

Indivisibh     . 

80 

Indomptabh  . 

80 

Commod.  Moncousu. 
(■Rear-Adm.  Couite  de  Liiiois. 
'.C'apt.  J.  Allary. 

Formidable    . 

80 

Desaix 

74 

Commod.  J.  A.  G.  Christi-Paillieie. 

Dix  Aoi'it '      .      . 

74 

Capt.  J.  Beigeret. 

Constitution  . 

74 

„     G.  A.  Fame. 

Jean  Bart 

7! 

,,     F.  J.  Meyune. 

Creole 

40 

„      P.  P.  Gourrege. 

Bravoure. 

40 

„      L.  A.  Dordeliu,  juiir. 

Vautour,  lugger  . 

VI 

Lieut.  Viiiiel. 

>  E 

X  Ttffiiiiui^i'U. 

-14S  MAJon    OPEUATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1801. 

sight  bim.  It  was  also  so  bad  that,  besides  depriving  two  or  three 
of  his  ships  of  their  topmasts,  it  separated  the  Iiidirisiblc  and  Creole 
from  their  consorts,  though  not  until  a  rendezvous  for  the  squadron 
had  been  ordered  first  off  Cape  Spartel,  and  next  off  Cape  de  Gata. 
The  remaining  ships  were  sighted  at  9  I'.M.  on  Januaiy  27th,  off 
Cape  Finistcrre,  by  the  Concorde,  3G,  Captain  Kobert  Barton.  The 
Bravourc  proceeded  in  chase  of  the  British  frigate,  which,  wlien 
about  six  miles  from  the  French  squadron,  hove  to,  and  awaited 
the  enemy.  The  action  which  resulted  was  indecisive,  but  would 
probably  have  been  otherwise  but  for  the  proximity  of  the  French 
ships  to  windward.  The  Concorde  lost  4  killed  and  19  (one  mortally) 
wounded,  and  the  Bravoure,  10  killed  and  24  wounded.  The  latter 
rejoined  her  friends,  and,  proceeding  with  them,  found  Ganteaume, 
off  Cape  Spartel,  on  January  30th.  Ganteaume,  on  the  previous 
day,  had  taken  and  scuttled  the  fireship  Incendiarij,  16,  Commander 
liichard  Dalling  Dunn.  The  French  passed  through  the  Strait  of 
Gibraltar  under  a  press  of  sail  on  February  9th.  Keith,  as  will  be 
shown  later,  had  already  departed  thence  for  the  eastward,  and  the 
only  vessel  in  port  ready  for  sea  was  the  Success,  32,  Captain 
Shuldham  Peard.  Peard  weighed  very  promptly,  and  made  after 
the  enemy,  confident  that  he  was  bound  for  Egypt,  and  hoping 
to  pass  him,  and  to  warn  Keith.  On  the  10th  Ganteaume  took 
and  scuttled  the  cutter  Bpriijlithj,  12,  Lieutenant  Kobert  Jump. 
During  the  following  night  the  Success  passed  the  French  ;  but  in 
the  morning  she  was  in  full  sight  of  them ;  nor  could  she,  owing 
to  the  light  and  variable  winds,  get  away  from  them  on  the  11th 
and  r2th.  On  the  night  of  the  12th,  a  fresh  southerly  breeze 
seemed  to  promise  attainment  to  Peard's  wishes ;  yet,  on  the 
morning  of  the  13th,  the  enemy  w^as  so  close  that  escape  from 
him  was  clearly  impossible.  The  Success,  therefore,  to  delay 
her  pursuers,  put  bacii  to  the  westward;  and  at  3  P.M.,  after  some 
of  the  two-deckers  had  opened  fire  upon  her,  she  struck  her  flag.^ 

His  prisoners  informed  Ganteaume  that  Keith  was  already  on 
the  coast  of  Egj-pt,'  and  that  a  squadron  under  Sir  John  Borlase 
Warren '  was  probably  close  at  his  heels.  This  news  induced  him 
to  make  for  Toulon,  where  he  anchored  on  February  19tli,  and 
where  the  first  part  of  his  adventurous  cruise  ended. 

'  Slie  was  retaken  by  the  PomoHc  and  cousort.s  on  Sept.  2nd  following. 

*  This,  as  will  be  seen,  was  incorrect.     Keith  was  still  on  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor. 

'  Which  had  been  statinncd  oil' Cadiz. 


1801.]  SQUADRONS   IX  SEARCH   OF  GANTEAUME.  44& 

In  the  meantime,  the  Concorde,  36,  Captain  Eobert  Barton,  had 
made  the  best  of  her  way  to  England  with  the  intelligence  of 
Ganteaume's  escape,  and  had  reached  Plymouth  on  February  3rd. 
The  view  there  and  at  the  Admiralty  was  that  the  French  were 
bound  to  the  West  Indies ;  and  to  the  West  Indies,  in  con- 
sequence, Eear-Admiral  Sir  Eobert  Calder  was  detached  from  the 
Channel  Fleet  in  pursuit,  with  the  Prince  of  Wales,  98  (flag), 
Juste,  80,  Pompee,  80,  Couracjeiu,  74,  Cumberland,  74,  Montagu,'^  74, 
Spencer,  74,  Magicienne,  32,  Thames,  32,  and  a  brig.  It  was  scarcely 
a  force  suited  for  the  occasion  ;  for  the  flagship  was  notoriously  slow. 

"  Nothing,"  says  James,  "  can  afliml  a  stronger  proof  of  the  national  confidence,  as 
well  as  fairness,  in  naval  warfare,  than  the  sending  in  pursuit  of  an  enemy's  squadron 
a  British  squadron  of  the  same  numerical  force  ;  but  we  cannot  help  asking,  what  was 
the  use  of  selecting  six  of  the  fastest  two-deckers  from  the  Channel  Fleet,  when  the 
flag-officer  in  command  of  tliem  was  to  take  his  passage  in  a  three-decker  V  " 

But,  since  Calder  was  sent  in  chase  of  a  phantom,  he  had  the  more 
comfortable  cruise  out  and  home  again. 

If,  instead  of  making  for  Toulon,  Gantearune  had  waited  for 
Warren,  the  French  might  have  won  a  victory ;  for  Warren  was 
of  inferior  force.  He  was  cruising  oil  Cadiz  on  February  8th, 
when  he  learnt  that  Ganteaume  was  in  the  neighbom-hood ;  and 
he  at  once  headed  for  Gibraltar  with  his  whole  division,  which 
consisted  of  the  Renmvn,  Ti  (flag).  Captain  John  Chambers  White; 
Gibraltar,  80,  Captain  William  Hancock  Kelly;  Dragon,  74,  Cap- 
tain John  Aylmer  (1) ;  Genereux,  74,  Captain  Manley  Dixon  ; 
Hector,  74,  Captain  John  Elphinstone  (2) ;  Haarlem,  64  (but  with 
only  part  of  her  lower  battery  on  board) ,  Captain  George  Burlton  ; 
Mercury,  28,  Captain  Thomas  Eogers ;  Champion,  20,  Captain  Lord 
WiUiam  Stuart;  and  Salamine,  18,  Commander  Thomas  Briggs. 
Beaching  the  Eock  early  on  the  10th,  he  heard  that  the  French 
were  ahead  of  him.  He  was  not  able  to  leave  Gibraltar  till  the 
13th,  when  he  steered  for  Minorca,  having  detached  frigates  to 
reconnoitre  Cartagena  and  Toulon.  From  the  20th  to  the  24th 
he  lay  refitting  at  Port  Mahon  ;  from  the  24th  to  the  27th  he 
cruised  in  the  vicinity;  and  on  the  27th,  having  suffered  in  a 
gale  of  wind,  he  put  back.  On  March  4th,  he  sailed  again,  leaving 
at  Mahon  the  Genereux  and  Salamine,  as  some  protection  against  a 
Franco-Spanish  attack.     On  the  7th,  he  learnt  that  King  Ferdinand 

'  Put  into  Lisbon  disabled. 
VOL.    IV.  2    G 


-150  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1801. 

of  Naples  had  concluded  an  armistice  with  General  Murat ;  and, 
in  order  to  look  to  British  interests  in  Sicily,  he  laid  his  course  for 
Palermo;  but,  having  been  joined,  on  the  18th,  by  the  Atheitien,  G4, 
Captain  Sir  Thomas  Livingstone,  and  on  the  22nd,  by  the 
Alexander,  74,  Captain  Alexander  John  Ball,  both  from  Malta, 
he  stood  back  in  the  direction  of  Toulon.  On  the  25th,  however, 
the  Salamine,  detached  by  Captain  Manley  Dixon,  brought  news 
to  the  Eear-Admiral  that  Ganteaume,'  with  seven  sail  of  the  Une, 
three  frigates,  and  three  merchantmen,  had  again  left  Toulon  on 
March  15th,  making  apparently  for  Eg}-pt.  The  French,  as  after- 
wards appeared,  experienced  a  heavy  gale  on  the  night  of  their 
departure  from  port,  and  liad  to  send  back  one  of  their  line-of- 
battle  ships.  They  also  lost  company  with  one  of  their  merchant- 
men, which  was  afterwards  taken  by  the  Miner ve,  42,  Captain 
George  Cockburn.  At  daybreak  on  the  25th,  they  were  sighted 
by  Warren's  squadron  off  the  eastena  coast  of  Sardinia,  and  were 
chased;  but  the  bad  sailing  of  the  Gibraltar  a,nd  Athenien  del&jed 
the  pursuit,  and  caused  the  British  to  lose  sight  of  the  enemy ;  and, 
while  Sir  John  hurried  off  to  the  south-east,  Ganteaume  once  more 
made  for  Toulon,  where  he  anchored  on  April  5th. 

Bonaparte  was  not  satisfied  that  the  rear-admiral  had  done  all 
that  was  possible  to  reach  Egypt,  and  ordered  him  to  make  yet 
another  attempt.  Ganteaume  accordingly  sailed  once  more  on 
April  27th,  having,  in  addition  to  his  original  squadron,  another 
frigate,  the  Muiron,  40,  a  corvette,  and  two  storeships.  He  had 
directions  to  take  measures,  while  on  his  way,  for  the  reduction 
of  Porto  Fen-ajo,  in  Elba.  In  pursuance  of  that  part  of  his  mission, 
he  put  into  Leghorn,  whence  he  ultimately  sent  back  to  Toulon 
the  Formidable,  Indomptable,  Desaix,  and  Muiron,  which  he  con- 
sidered to  be  too  short-handed  to  proceed  on  the  voyage.  Before 
following  Ganteaume,  it  will  be  well  to  relate  what  happened  in  Elba. 

Porto  Eerrajo  was  invested  from  the  first  week  in  May  by  about 

1500  French  troops  who  had  been  carried   across  from  Piombino 

on  the  2nd  of  the  month ;   and  it  was  subsequently  blockaded   by 

the   French   frigates   Carrere,  40,   Bravoure,   40,    and    Succes    (late 

British   Success),  32.     The   gan-ison,    chiefly   Tuscan,    but   assisted 

'  His  orders  were,  in  case  he  sliouki  find  the  coast  of  Egypt  blockaded  by  superior 
forces,  to  land  his  troops  anywhere  between  Triiwli  and  Cape  "Razat"  (Qy.  Ras  el 
Jlella),  that  they  might  reach  their  destination  by  way  of  the  desert.  The  carrying 
out  of  this  plan  "would  have  condemned  five  thousand  Frenchmen  to  deatli  by 
famine." — Mathieu  Dumas,  vii. 


IHOl.]  CAPTURE    OF   THE  "SUCCESS  451 

by  a  small  British  coutingeDt/  held  the  place  with  determination, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that,  late  in  July,  General  Watrin  brought 
.over  5000  additional  troops  from  the  mainland,  and  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  siege.  On  August  1st,  two  of  the  French  frigates 
were  chased  from  off  the  island,-  and  the  blockade  was  raised 
by  the  squadron  of  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren ;  and  on  the  3rd,  the 
Phanix,  36,  Captain  Lawrence  Wilham  Halsted,  Pomone,  40, 
Captain  Edward  Leveson  Gower,  and  Pearl,  32,  Captain  Samuel 
James  Ballard,  while  cruising  on  the  west  side  of  Elba,  fell  in 
with  the  remaining  frigate,  the  Carrere,  which  was  on  her  passage 
from  Porto  Ercole  to  Porto  Longone  with  three  hundi-ed  barrels 
of  powder ;  and  the  Pomone,  after  an  action  of  ten  minutes,  took 
her.  The  Pomone  s  loss  was  only  two  killed  and  four  wounded. 
The  Carrere  is  said  to  have  lost  much  more  heavily.  Unfortunately, 
.the  whole  of  a  small  convoy  which  she  had  with  her  escaped. 

At  the  end  of  the  month,  learning  that  the  Phvenix  was  at 
anchor  alone  off  Piombino,  General  Watrin  sent  orders  to  the 
Succhs  and  Bravoure  to  endeavoiu-  to  capture  her.  Those  frigates 
put  to  sea  on  August  31st,  but,  early  on  September  •2nd,  as  they 
were  nearing  the  Phcenix,  which,  in  the  meantime,  had  been  rejoined 
by  the  Pomone,  they  were  chased  by  the  Minerve,  42,  Captain  George 
Cockburn.  Cockburn  made  the  signal  for  an  enemy  to  Halsted 
and  Gower,  who  at  once  weighed,  and  bore  up  in  chase  under  all 
.sail.  At  10.30  a.m.,  perceiving  that  she  was  dropping  astern,  the 
Succes,  Captain  J.  F.  I.  Bretel,  ran  herself  ashore,  and,  being  fired 
.at  in  passing  by  the  Minerve,  struck  without  returning  a  shot.  The 
Pomone  took  possession  of  her,  while  the  Minerve  stood  on  after  the 
Bravoure,  which  finally,  baffled  by  a  shift  of  wind,  missed  stays  and 
grounded  under  a  battery  about  four  miles  south  of  Leghorn.  There 
her  masts  presently  went  by  the  board  and  she  became  a  total  loss. 
Lieutenant  William  Kelly  (2),^  of  the  Minerve,  boarded  her,  but  was 
able  to  bring  away  only  very  few  prisoners.  Lieutenant  Charles 
Thompson  (2),  of  the  Phwnix,  succeeded  in  floating  the  Succes,  and 
■.she  was  restored  to  the  Royal  Navy.  These  affairs  cost  no  loss  of 
British  life. 

In    September,  the   little   garrison   of   Porto   Ferrajo  was   tem- 

'  Commanded   at   one   time   by   Capt.  Gordon,  and   later   by   Lieut.-Col.  George 
.A  irey. 

^  The  Bravoure  and  Succes  took  refuge  in  Leghorn. 
«  Gazette,  1801,  1355. 

2   G   2 


452  MAJOIf    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [If^Ol. 

poraril}'  reinforced  by  a  detachment  of  seamen  and  Marines  from 
the  squadron '  of  Sir  John  Eorlase  Warren,  who  reappeared  off  the 
port  on  the  I'ith.  Before  dawn  on  the  14tli,  after  the  Dragon  and 
Ghihriix  had  on  the  previous  day  made  a  diversion,  these  seamen 
and  Marines,  G89  in  number,  disembarked  under  Commander  George 
Long,  of  the  Vincejo,  and,  w-ith  about  1000  Tuscans,  the  whole 
under  the  direction  of  Captain  John  Chambers  "UTiite,  of  the 
Benown,  carried  and  destroyed  several  French  batteries,  and  took  a 
number  of  prisoners,  but  were  at  last  compelled  to  retire  with  a  loss 
of  32  killed,  61  wounded,  and  105  missing.  The  naval  casualties 
alone  amounted  to  15  killed,  38  wounded,  and  77  missing ;  and 
among  the  killed  was  Commander  Long.  In  spite  of  this  partial 
success,  and  although  Warren  had  to  quit  the  island  \\'ith  his 
squadron  on  September  '2'2nd,  General  Watrin  failed  to  reduce  the 
place ;  and  Lieut. -Colonel  Airey  contrived  to  hold  it,  until  its  fate 
was  determined  by  Art.  XI.  of  the  Treaty  of  Amiens. 

Ganteaume  left  Leghorn  in  the  middle  of  May  with  the  In- 
divisihle,  80,  Dix  Aoi'if,  74,  Constitution,  74,  Jean  Barf,  74,  Creole,  40, 
Heliopolis  (corvette),  and  four  storeships,  and  passed  the  Strait  of 
Messina  on  the  25th.  Having  waited  for  a  time  off  Brindisi,  where 
he  expected  to  be  joined  by  some  Neapolitan  frigates,  he  proceeded 
for  Egypt,  and,  on  Jime  5th,  chased,  but  failed  to  get  up  with,  the 
Pique,  36,  Captain  James  Young  (2).  On  the  7th,  when  he  was 
about  two  hundred  miles  westward  of  Alexandria,  he  detached  the 
Heliopolis  to  ascertain  the  whereabouts  of  the  blockading  fleet ;  and 
on  the  9th,  the  corvette,  after  having  been  chased  by  the  Kent,  74, 
Hector,  74,  and  Criielle,  cutter,  had  to  take  refuge  in  Alexandria, 
instead  of  rejoining.  Keith  had  been  opportunely  w-arned,  on  the 
evening  of  the  7th,  by  the  Pique,  of  the  approach  of  the  French,  and 
had  made  sail  to  the  westward  in  search  of  them. 

As  the  Heliojjolis  did  not  return  to  him,  Ganteaume  concluded 
that  she  had  been  captured,  and  that,  a  hostile  fleet  being  off 
Alexandria,  he  would  not  be  able  to  land  his  troops  in  that  neigh- 
bourhood. He  therefore  made  up  his  mind  to  attempt  a  disembarka- 
tion at  Bengasi,  a  small  town  on  the  coast  of  Barca.  But  scarcely 
had  he  anchored  off  the  place  ere  some  British  ships  were  sighted 
to  the  eastward  ;  and,  as  the  inhabitants  were  hostile,  he  rehnquished 
his  design,  cut  his  cables,  and  made  all  sail  to  escape,  abandoning, 

'  Senotrn,  OiliralUir,  Drar/on,  Alexander,  Genereux,  Sfatdy,  I'omone,  Fcarl,  and 
Vincpjo. 


1801.]  CfANTEAUME    TAKES    THE   " SWIFTSUHE."  453 

however,  two  of  his  storeships,  which  were  taken  by  the  Vestal,  28 
{en  flute),  Commauder  Valentine  Collard,  and  consorts. 

Ganteaume  tied  to  the  westward,  and  at  3.30  a.m.  on  June  •24th, 
being  off  the  coast  of  Barbary,  and  the  wind  being  N.W.,he  was  sighted 
by  the  Swiftstire,  74,  Captain  Benjamin  Hallowell,  which  was  on  her 
way  to  join  Sir  John  Borhxse  Warren  off  MaUa.^  Hallowell,  having 
heard  that  Ganteaiune  was  on  the  coast,  felt  sure  that  the  strangers 
were  enemies,  and  did  his  best  to  get  away  from  them ;  but  the  French 
outsailed  him,^  and  by  2  p.m.  the  Indivisible,  Dix  Aoilt,  and  Creole 
were  almost  -ttithin  gunshot.  Noticing  that  the  other  ships,  though 
fast  coming  up,  were  separated  from  their  consorts,  Hallowell 
decided  to  bear  down  upon  the  three  nearest,  try  to  disable  them 
before  the  rest  could  interfere,  and  then  endeavour  to  escape  to 
leeward.  At  3  p.m.,  therefore,  he  bore  down  imder  all  sail,  and,  the 
French  tacking  and  standing  towards  him,  the  Indivisible  and  Dix 
Aout  opened  their  fire  at  about  3.30.  So  superior  were  the  sailing 
and  handmess  of  the  enemy's  ships,  that  the  Swiftsure  was  foiled  in 
all  her  efforts  to  get  to  leeward  of  them.  She  fought  them,  never- 
theless, until  4.37  p.m.,  when,  the  Jean  Bart  and  Constitution  having 
also  arrived  within  gunshot,  and  continued  resistance  signifying 
merely  useless  expenditure  of  life,  she  siu'rendered.^  The  chief  aim 
of  her  opponents  had  been  to  disable  her  aloft.  Although,  therefore, 
her  masts,  yards,  and  rigging  had  suffered  severely,  she  had  lost  only 
two  killed,  and  eight  (two  mortally)  wounded.  The  French,  on  the 
other  hand,  lost,  according  to  Ganteaume's  return,  in  killed  and 
wounded  thirty-nine.  On  July  22nd  the  captors,  \sithout  further 
adventiure,  carried  their  prize  into  Toulon.''  Hallowell  was  tried  on 
board  the  Genereux  at  Port  Mahon  for  having  quitted  his  convoy  and 
lost  his  ship ;  and  he  and  his  officers  and  men  were,  of  course, 
honourably  acquitted,  it  being  decided  that  in  leaving  the  convoy 
he  had  acted  with  judgment  and  zeal,  and  that  he  had  defended  the 
Swiftsure  with  equal  gallantry  and  ability.^ 

Ganteaume  certainly  displayed,  during  these  three  sorties  from 
port,  a  certain  kind  of  cleverness  in  evading  his  numerous  foes.     His 

'  She  had  been  despatched  iVuin  Aboukir  tci  ;Malta  with  a  convoy,  but,  learning  of 
Ganteaume's  proximity,  had  left  the  couvoy,  and  hurried  on  to  join  Warren,  who, 
Hallowell  feared,  might  be  siu-prised. 

-  The  Sii'iftsurc  at  the  time  was  both  foul  and  leaky. — Marshall,  i.  -ITM. 

^  She  was  retaken  at  Tratalgar. 

*  In  this  cruise  Ganteaume  had  with  him  Jerome  Bonaparte,  the  youngest  brother 
of  the  First  Consul. 

*  CM.,  Aug.  18th,  1801. 


454 


MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802. 


[1801. 


lack  of  boldness,  and  his  anxiety  to  hide  himself  rather  than  fight 
have,  however,  excited  the  unfavourable  comments  even  of  French 
historians.  It  shoi;ld  be  remembered  on  his  behalf  that  the  tactics 
which  he  employed  were  only  half  his.  For  example,  Bonaparte,  not 
Ganteaume,  was  responsible  for  the  mad  idea  of  disembarking  the 
expeditionary  troops  at  or  near  Bengasi,  and  for  risking  there  a 
repetition  of  the  disaster  of  Aboukir  Bay.  Ganteaume  was  respon- 
sible for  cutting  his  cables  when  Keith's  scouts  appeared,  and  for 
thus  saving  his  ships  from  capture  or  destruction.  His  caution  was, 
after  all,  less  dangerous  to  his  country  than  the  rash  and  infatuated 
naval  strategy  of  his  master. 

The  proceedings  of  Lord  Keith  and  General  Sir  Ealph  Abercromby 
have  now  to  be  followed.  It  has  been  seen  that,  after  the  appearance 
of  those  officers  off  Cadiz  in  October,  1800,  they  returned  to  Gibraltar.' 

Keith,  bound  at  length  for  Egypt,  had  quitted  Gibraltar  again 
several  weeks  before  Ganteaume  entered  the  Mediterranean.  After 
calling  first  at  Minorca  and  then  at  Malta,  he  reached  Memorije 
Bay,  on  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor,  on  January  31st,  1801.  His  fleet, 
to  which  was  attached  a  Turkish  contingent,  was  a  very  large  one, 
including,    as   it   did,    the    vessels    mentioned    hereunder,"   besides 

■  See  p  425. 


:  Ships. 

(Juns. 

Conimaniler~. 

Ships. 

Guns. 

Commanders. 

(Adm.  I,onl  Keitli,  K.B.  (B) 

Fouth-oiiont     . 

80 

C.pt  Pliilip  Bfavor,  ,>,%. 
Ctiin.  William  Young  (actg.), 

•ind. 
(Ucar-Adm.  Sir  Richard  Hus- 
>    sey  Bickerti.n,  Ht.  (W). 

Ships  armed  en 

fiHte. 

i 

Swiftmrc  .     . 

71 

IHadem 

64 

Capt.  .Tohn  Larmour. 

leapt.  Benjamin  HallowoU. 

liiitatvr     .     . 

Ii4 

,,     John  Okes  Ilarvly. 

Ajax      .      .     . 

83 

f    ..     Hon.  Alexander  Inglis 
1     Cochrane.                              | 

StiiteJil  .      .     . 

64 

,.     George  Scott  (1). 

Trusty  . 

tiQ 

,.     Alexander  AN'il^on. 

Tigrc     .      .     . 

80 

(Capt.  Sir     William     Sidney 
(     Smith. 

Europa.     .      . 

50 

,.     James  Stevenson  (I). 

Exfjeriment     . 

44 

Com.  .Tolm  Griffin  SaviUe. 

Kent      .     .     . 

74 

(4 

/Capt.  William     Johnstone 
\    Hope. 

fi'x/ieilition 

44 

„     Thomas  Wilson  (1). 

Charon .     .     . 

44 

,,     Richard  Bridges. 

Minotaur   . 

74 

Capt.  Thomas  Louis. 

Ittilphin      .      . 

44 

„     .Tames  Dalrymple. 

2forthumber-\ 
land  .     .     ./ 

74 

,,     George  Martin  ^2). 

lieffulus 
lienommie.     . 

44 
44 

,,     Thomas  l*ressland. 
„     I'eter  Jl'KcUar. 

flora    .     .     . 

3S 

f    ,,     EobertGambierlliddle- 
l    ton. 

Thetis    .     .     . 

38 

f    ,,      Henrv    Edward     Eegi- 
\     nald  Hakir. 

Bonne  Citoyenne 

20 

Com.  Robi-rt  .Tnckson. 

nebe      .     .     . 

3S 

Cora.  George  Reynolds. 

Cameleon   .     . 

18 

„     Ednard  O'Bryen  (2). 

Inron.itant 

3G 

„     .lolm  Ayscougli. 

Cynthia     .     . 

18 

.,     .Tohu  I)ick. 

llomnlus     .      . 

36 

„     John  Culverhou^e. 

Minorca 

16 

,.     <»i:-or(;e  Miller. 

Ih-itid    .      .      . 

32 

,,     Charles  Apthorp. 

Port  Mafwn     . 

\H 

„      William  Buchanan. 

lib.nde  .     .     . 

32 

„     John  Burn  (.1). 

Petrel   .     .     . 

lli 

„     Charles  Inglis  (2). 

Miier    .     .     . 

32 

,,     James  HJUyar. 

Vii-torieuge 

12 

Ipliigenia  . 

32 

..     ILussard  Stackpoole. 

Malta,  Bch. 

Astrtra  .      .      . 

32 

„     Vi  ter  Ribouleau. 

Cruelle,  cut.    . 

Meat.  D,ivid  M'Gie. 

Jiurus  .     .     . 

32 

„     Dauiel  Oliver  Guion. 

Mitndovi 

IC 

Com.  John  Stewart. 

Heroine     .     . 

32 

„     John  Hill  (2). 

Entreprenanle,\ 

cut.  .    .    .; 

14 

Lieut.  \V'illiam  Swiney  (2). 

Dido     .     .     . 
AlUnator   .     . 

28 
28 

„     David  Colby. 

,,     Gic.rge  lioweu  (3). 

Trtrtflj-Hs.lwmb 

8 

Com.  Thom^is  Hand. 

Cijclojis. 

28 

„     John  FylTe. 

Fiirij,  b<)ml>     . 

10 

„     Kicliard  Curry. 

Resource     .     . 

28 

„     John  Crispo. 

Danijereitse,  g.v. 

Thisbe  .     .     . 

J8 

„     John  Morrison. 

Janissary,  p.v. 

Vestal   .     .     . 

28 

„     Valentine  CoUard. 

Xegreite',  g.v. . 

Xi.n.  — In  June  Sir  U.  11.  Bkk.rt.n  shifted  his  flag  to  the  Kent.     Captain  John  Elphin.stone  (2)  succccdej 
Captain  Beaver  as  Captain  of  the  Elect,  and  CapUin  John  Clarke  Searlc  be.ame  Lord  Keith's  flag-captain. 


1801.]  KEITH'S  EXPEDITION    TO   EGYPT.  455 

numerous  small  craft.  On  board  were  16,1.50  troops,  under  General 
Sir  Ealph  Abercromby,  K.B.,  and  Major-Generals  Sir  John  Hely 
Hutchinson,  Eyre  Coote,  Cradock,  Hon.  G.  J.  Ludlow,  John  Moore, 
and  the  Earl  of  Cavan. 

While  this  force  was  moving  eastward,  Bonaparte,  in  addition  to 
the  squadron  under  Ganteaume,  sent  from  France  several  frigates 
and  other  craft  with  men,  stores,  and  dispatches  for  his  anny  in 
Egypt.  Many  of  these  were  successful  in  entering  Alexandria. 
The  Egyptienne,  48,  and  Justice,  46,  got  in  from  Toulon  on  February 
23rd ;  the  BegenSree,  32,  from  Rochefort,  found  her  way  past  Keith's 
fleet  on  March  1st ;  and,  on  the  same  day  or  in  the  course  of  the 
following  night,  the  brig  Lodi,^  from  Toulon,  also  ran  the  blockade. 
But  other  ships  were  less  fortunate,  and  the  supplies  brought  by  the 
vessels  above  named  were,  of  com-se,  too  small  in  quantity  to  afford 
much  relief  to  the  necessities  of  General  Menou  and  his  army,  which 
amomited  to  upwards  of  23,000  men. 

Delayed  by  the  non-arrival  of  part  of  the  Turkish  contingent  and 
by  bad  weather,  Keith  did  not  leave  Memorije  until  February  22nd, 
and  did  not  sight  Alexandria  until  March  1st.  Even  then,  his  whole 
force  was  not  with  him,  for  some  of  the  Turkish  vessels  had  been 
driven  by  a  moderate  gale  to  take  refuge  in  the  ports  of  Cyprus 
and  elsewhere.  On  the  2nd  the  fleet  anchored  in  Aboukir  Bay. 
Northerly  winds  and  a  heavj'  swell  prevented  a  disembarkation 
until  the  8th  ;  but  at  2  a.m.  on  that  day  the  boats  began  to  fill  wth 
troops,  and  at  9  a.m.  the  landing  was  begun  under  the  direction  of 
Captains  the  Hon.  A.  I.  Cochrane,  George  Scott  (1),  John  Larmour, 
and  James  Stevenson  (1),  and  Commanders  Charles  Apthorp  and 
John  Morrison,  and  under  the  protection  of  the  Tartarus,  Fury, 
Petrel,  Cameleon,  Minorca,  Cruclle,  Dangereuse,  Janissary,  Entrc- 
prenante,  Malta,  Negresse,  and  two  armed  launches.  Sir  Wilham 
Sidney  Smith,  with  Commanders  Peter  Eibouleau,  John  Griffin 
Saville,  Daniel  Oliver  Guion,  James  Hillyar  and  John  Burn  (1), 
had  charge  of  a  battahon  of  1000  seamen  who  were  put  ashore  to 
co-operate  with  the  army.  The  whole  force  disembarked  on  the 
morning  of  that  day  amounted  to  7000  men.  The  landing  was 
vigorously  opposed  by  about  2500  French  under  General  Louis 
Friant,  and  by  the  guns  in  the  castle  of  Aboukir ;  but  the  beach  was 
quickly  reached  and  seized ;  the  enemy  was  driven  back ;  and  before 
nightfall  on  the  9th,  the  entire  British  army  was  on  shore.     In  these 

1  The  Lodi  escaped  from  Alexandria  iu  May,  and  reached  Nice  on  June  28th. 


456  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1801. 

preliminary  operations  the  naval  brigade  lost  2'2  killed,  70  wounded, 
and  three  missing.  Among  the  wounded  were  Lieutenants  Josias 
Bray,  George  Thomas  (.1),  and  Francis  Collins  (1).' 

The  army  advanced  on  March  I'ith,  by  which  time  the  French  in 
front  numbered  about  70UO  men.  On  the  13th  the  latter  attacked, 
but  were  driven  back  with  an  admitted  loss  of  750  killed  and 
wounded.  The  gunboats  of  the  fleet,  manosuvring  in  Lake  Aboukir 
under  Commanders  Frederick  Lewis  Maitland  (2)  and  James  Hillyar, 
and  the  Maiines,  under  Lieut. -Colonel  Walter  Smith,  as  well  as  the 
seamen,  rendered  most  valuable  ser\'ice  in  the  action,  at  the  close 
of  which  the  British  occupied  a  position  about  three  miles  from 
Alexandria,  between  the  canal  of  Alexandria  and  Lake  Mareotis. 
This  engagement  cost  the  Navy  and  Marines  33  killed  and  54 
wounded ;  but  the  total  loss  on  the  side  of  the  victors  was  not  less 
than  186  killed,  113.5  wounded,  and  one  missing. 

On  the  18th  the  castle  of  Aboukir  surrendered ;  an  indecisive 
cavalry  skirmish  occmTed ;  and  a  Tm-kish  squadron  arrived.  On  the 
same  day,  also,  it  would  appear,  a  French  vessel  managed  to  slip  out 
of  Alexandria  harbour  with  dispatches  for  France ;  and,  in  the  evening, 
the  French  at  Alexandria  were  cheered  by  the  arrival  from  Cairo  of 
■General  Menou  with  troops  which,  according  to  the  Moniteur, 
brought  up  the  strength  of  the  garrison  to  upwards  of  14,000  men.- 

On  March  21st,  before  daybreak,  the  French  made  a  general 
attack,  and,  after  a  bloody  contest,  were  defeated  with  a  loss  of  at 
least  1500  men,  and  probably  many  more.^  The  British  army  also 
suffered  very  heavily,  having  234  killed,  1190  wounded,  and  34 
missing.  The  military  commander-in-chief,  the  gallant  Sir  Ralph 
Abercromby,  received  a  musket-baU  in  the  upper  part  of  the  thigh ; 
and,  being,  at  his  own  desire,  removed  to  the  Foudwyant,  he  hngered 
until  March  28th,  when  he  died,  as  much  regretted  by  the  Navy  as 
by  his  own  service.  The  Marines  were  not  present  at  the  action, 
which  is  kno\ra  by  the  French  as  that  of  Canopus ;  but  the  naval 
brigade  under  Sir  William  Sidney  Smith,  who  was  himself  shghtly 
hurt,  lost  4  killed  and  50  wounded. 

'  Tlie  army  on  the  Bame  occasion  lost  102  killed,  51.")  wounded,  and  35  missing; 
.nnil  the  French  admitted  a  loss  of  400  killed  and  womided. 

''  'I'lie  number  was  almost  certainly  cx.aggerated.  It  was  in  reality,  it  would  seem, 
about  11,500.  The  British  may  have  had  10,000  men  on  shore,  but  probably  not  more 
than  10,000  eflectives  at  the  front. 

'  The  French  loss  is,  in  fact,  set  down,  even  by  some  French  autliorities,  at 
about  3000. 


iSOl.]  THE  FRENCH  EXPELLED    FROM   EGYPT.  457 

In  the  subsequent  military  operations  along  the  banks  of  the  Nile, 
the  British  and  Turkish  gunboats,  under  Captain  James  Stevenson  (1), 
and  Commanders  John  Morrison,  James  Hillyar  and  Eichard  Curry, 
rendered  most  useful  co-operation,  until  the  capitulation  of  General 
Belhard's  division  of  the  French  army  at  Cairo  on  June  27th.  The 
Navy  also  contributed  to  the  expulsion  of  the  French  from  Egypt  by 
landing  on  the  coast  of  the  Eed  Sea  two  detachments  of  troops, 
which,  marching  into  the  interior,  ultimately  joined  hands  with  the 
force  on  the  Nile.  One '  of  these  detachments,  both  of  which  had 
been  sent  from  India,  was  disembarked  on  May  14th  from  a  small 
squadron  under  Eear-Admiral  John  Blankett,  whose  flag  was  in  the 
Leopard,  50,  Captain  Thomas  Sm-ridge,  and,  proceeding  across  the 
desert  from  Suez,  which  had  been  occupied  on  April  2'2nd,  reached 
the  neighbourhood  of  Cairo  on  June  11th  or  12th.  The  other 
detachment  ^  was  put  on  shore  at  Kosseir  from  a  division  of  the  same 
squadron  under  Captain  Sir  Home  Kiggs  Popham,  of  the  Eomney, 
50,  and  started  across  the  desert  in  the  middle  of  June,  but  did  not 
reach  Cairo  until  after  the  place  had  surrendered. 

After  the  prisoners  taken  at  Cairo  and  elsewhere  had,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  terms  of  the  capitulation,  been  despatched  in  cartels 
from  France,  the  attention  of  the  British  Navy  and  army  was 
concentrated  upon  the  reduction  of  Alexandria,  the  last  sti-onghold 
of  the  French  in  Egypt.  On  the  night  of  August  16th  about  5000 
troops  under  Major-General  Eyre  Coote  were  embarked  on  Lake 
Mareotis,  and  escorted  by  a  flotilla  of  gunboats  under  the  orders  of 
Captain  James  Stevenson  (1)  to  a  position  westward  of  the  town,  while 
another  flotilla,  under  Captain  Sir  W.  S.  Smith,  made  a  diversion 
against  the  sea-front  of  Alexandria.  Owing  to  these  movements  the 
French  set  fire  to  and  blew  up  nearly  all  their  own  gunboats,  which 
they  saw  no  prospect  of  saving.  On  the  night  of  the  18th  a 
combined  naval  and  military  attack^  was  made  on  Marabou  Island, 
which  capitulated  on  the  21st;  and  that  same  evening  Captain 
the  Hon.  A.  I.  Cochrane,  with  the  Cynthia,  Bonne  Citoyenne,  Port 
Mahon,  Victorieuse,  and  three  Tmkish  corvettes,  entered  the  great 
harbour,  the  eastern  end  of  which  the  French  thereupon  essayed  to 
block  by  sinking  merchant  vessels  across  it.  Thus  pressed  on  all 
sides,   General    Menou,   on  August   27th,  requested   a   three   days' 

'  Part  of  the  8Gth  liegiment  umler  Lieut.-Col.  Lloyil. 

^  Under  Major-General  Baird. 

'  Upon  this  occasioa  the  Xavy  lost  two  killed  and  two  woimded. 


458  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1801. 

annistice,  and,  on  September  2nd,  sm-rendered,  it  being  agreed  that 

tbe  garrison,  of  about  8000  troops  and  1300  seamen,  sboiild,  like  that 

of  Cairo,  be  conveyed  to  France  at  tbe  expense  of  Great  Britain. 

In   tbe   old   harbour   were   found,  and   taken,   the   Causse,   64, 

Justice,  48,  and  an  ex- Venetian  26-gun  frigate,  which  were  handed  over 

as  prizes  to  the  Turks,  and  the  Egijptienne,  48,  Berjeneree,  32,  and  a 

second  Venetian  26-gun  frigate,  which  were  retained  by  the  British. 

The  Egijptienne  and  the  Beghieree  were  added  to  the  Navy,  the  latter 

being  renamed  Alexandria} 

For  the   services   of   the   Navy  in  Eg}'pt  Lord  Keith  received 

promotion  from  the  peerage  of  Ireland  to  that  of  Great  Britain ;  and 

Sir  John  Hely  Hutchinson,  for  his  exertions,  was  given  a  K.B.    Both 

Commanders-in-Chief   were   also  voted   the  thanks  of   Parliament. 

Navy  and  army  had  alike  behaved  magnificently  during  tbe  campaign; 

but  it  is  sad  to  reflect  that  although  the  business  involved  a  loss,  in 

killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  of  upwards  of  2200   British  officers 

and  men,  and  was  otherwise  exceedingly  expensive,  it  secured,  in 

September,  1801,  no  better  results  than  might  have  been  secured, 

withoiit  the  bloodshed  or  the  cost,  in  February,  1800,  if  only  Keith 

had    considered    himself   justified   in    ratifying   the   convention   of 

El  Arich. 

Portugal  had  been  loyal  to  her  ancient  ally,  Great  Britain,  since 

the  beginning  of  the  war ;  and  she  would,  no  doubt,  have  remained 

as  loyal  as  ever,  had  not  Spain,  after  the  Treaty  of  Lmi^ville,  been 

induced  by  France  to  declare  war  against  her,  and  had  she  not  lost 

the  province  of  Alemtejo.     Her  disasters  obliged  her,  by  the  terms 

of  the  Treaty  of  Badajos,  signed  on  June  6th,  1801,  to  consent  to 

expel  the  British  from  her  ports.     France  had  assisted  Spain  in  this 

attack  on  Portugal,  and  had,  perhaps  as  some  compensation,  received 

from  her  six  Spanish  sail  of  the  line,  which,  at  the   time,  lay   in 

Cadiz.     These,  ofiicered  and  manned  by  Frenchmen,  were,  it  was  at 

first  arranged,  to  be  employed,  in  conjunction  with  some  French  and 

some    Spanish  vessels,  for   a  descent  upon  Lisbon  ;   but,  after  the 

submission  of  Portugal,  it  was  decided  to  utilise,  for  the  purpose  of 

caiTying  reinforcements  to  Egypt,  the  squadron  which  was  to  have 

been  sent  to  the  Tagus.     As  a  preliminary  measure,  the  ships  which, 

as  has  been  seen,  had  been  left  by  Ganteaume  at  Leghorn  in  April, 

'  The  Ei/ypticnne  had  been  laid  down  as  a  74,  but  was  altered,  and  launched  in 
1799  as  a  frigate  of  14.30  tons.  She  was  re-armed  by  the  British  as  a  24-pr.  48-gun 
frigate.  The  liegeneree  became  a  12-pr.  3G-gun  frigate  ;  she  w-as  a  very  fine  sailer 
of  902  tons.. 


1801.] 


CRUISE   OF  LJNOIS. 


45{> 


and  had  later  returned  to  Toulon,  were  instructed  to  proceed  to 
Cadiz  under  Eear- Admiral  Linois,  and  to  there  pick  up  the  six  newly 
acquired  French  ships,  under  Eear-Admiral  Dumanoir  Le  Pelley, 
as  well  as  six  Spanish  ships  under  Vice-Admiral  Don  Juan  J.  de 
Moreno. 

Linois  sailed  from  Toulon  on  June  13th,  with  the  : — 


Ships. 

1    Guns. 

Commauders. 

Formidable    . 

80 

(■Rear-Adm.  Linois. 
,\Capt.  Laindet  Laloude. 

Indomptable  . 

80 

1      „      Moncousu. 

Desaix 

T-i 

„     Chvisti-Pailliere. 

Muiron    . 

.   :     40 

„     Martinencq. 

having  on  board  1560  soldiers  under  Brigadier-General  Devaux. 
Proceeding  westward,  he  drove  from  off  Marseilles  one  or  two- 
British  frigates  which  had  been  left  cruising  there  by  Sir  John 
Borlase  Warren,'  and  allowed  a  convoy  from  that  port  to  enter 
Toulon.  Then  he  steered  south,  but,  owing  to  contrary  winds,  did 
not  sight  Gibraltar  until  July  1st.  The  only  British  vessel  at  the 
Eock  was  the  Calpe,  14,  Commander  the  Hon.  George  Heneage 
Lawrence  Dundas.  She  could  not  venture  out  in  face  of  such 
a  force ;  but  Captain  Dundas  sent  Lieut.  Eichard  Gaire  Janvrin, 
in  a  small  boat,  to  apprise  Eear-Admiral  Sir  James  Saumarez,  who 
was  observing  Cadiz,  of  the  appearance  of  the  French  squadron 
bound  west ;  and  Lieut.  Janvrin  safely  reached  Sir  James  in  the 
early  morning  of  July  5th. 

In  the  meantime,  Linois,  working  up  against  a  strong  W.N.W. 
wind,  had,  while  still  in  the  strait,  captured,  on  the  2nd,  a  British 
brig  which  was  employed  on  packet  duty  to  Minorca,  and,  on 
the  3rd,  the  Speedy,  14,  Commander  Lord  Cochrane.^  He  then 
learnt  that  Saumarez,  with  a  superior  force,  was  off  Cadiz,  and, 
temporarily  abandoning  the  idea  of  making  his  port,  he  bore  up 
for  Algeciras.  At  10  a.m.  on  the  4th,  he  rounded  Cabareta  Point ; 
and  at  5  p.m.,  in  full  view  of  Gibraltar,  he  anchored. 

'  Warren  was  tlien  at  Malta,  about  to  go  in  pursuit  of  Ganteaume. 

=>  Cochrane's  behaviour  was  so  admirable  that  when  be  presented  his  sword  to 
Capt.  Pailliere  of  the  Desaix,  that  ofticer  returned  it  with  a  request  that  he  would 
continue  to  wear  what  he  had  so  nobly  used.  Cochrane  remained  in  the  French 
squadron  imtil  after  the  battle  of  Algeciras. 


460 


MA  JOB    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1801. 


Saumarez  had  with  him  off  Cadiz  six  ships  of  the  line  only, 
a  seventh,  the  Superb,  74,  Captain  Eichard  Goodwin  Keats,  being 
at  the  time  to  the  northward,  watching  the  mouth  of  the  Guadal- 
quivir. As  soon  as  he  had  seen  Lieut.  Janvrin,  the  Kear-Adniiral 
tacked  off  shore ;  and  presently,  learning  by  means  of  another 
dispatch  from  Commander  Dundas  that  the  French  had  put  into 
Algeciras,  he  ordered  off"  the  Thames,  32,  Captain  Aiskew  Paffard 
Hoilis  to  recaU  the  Superb  and  direct  her  to  follow  the  squadron, 
which  then  (excluding  the  brig  Pasley,  Lieut.  William  Wooldi-idge, 
in  company  with  the  Superb)  consisted  of : — 


Ships. 


Casar 

Pompee  . 
Spencer  . 
VenerahJe. 
Hannibal. 
Atidacious 


Commandere. 


bO 

74 
74 
74 
74 
74 


|Kear-Adm.  Sir  James  (Saumarez  (B). 
(.Capt.  Jalileel  Brenton. 

Charles  Stirling  (1). 

Henry  d'Esterre  Darby. 

Samuel  Hood  (2). 

Solomon  Ferris. 

Shuldham  Peard. 


At  8  A.M.  the  Ccc-sar  signalled  to  prepare  for  battle,  and  to  be 
ready  to  anchor  by  the  stern,  and  bore  away  for  the  strait  with 
a  good  breeze  from  N.W.,  although  the  Superb  and  Pasley,  which 
were  just  visible  in  the  N.W.,  were  at  that  time  becahned.  The 
breeze  soon  also  failed  the  main  body,  which,  however,  was  carried 
to  the  eastward  by  the  current,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight  not  only 
of  the  Superb  and  Pasley  but  also  of  the  Tliames.  These  three 
vessels,  having  been  subsequently  informed  by  an  American  ship 
that  Linois  had  left  Algeciras  with  but  three  sail  of  the  line, 
concluded  that  they  would  not  regain  Saumarez  in  time  to  be  of  use, 
and  that  in  any  case  their  services  would  be  superfluous.  They 
therefore  returned  to  their  station  off  Cadiz.  Light  airs  from  the 
"W.X.W.  and  more  calms  succeeded  one  another  until  about  3  a.m. 
on  July  Gth,  when,  there  being  again  some  breeze,  the  rest  of  the 
squadron,  which  had  been  joined  by  the  Plymouth,  10,  lugger, 
from  Gibraltar,  crowded  sail.  Saimaarez  had  akeady  issued  a 
memorandum  prescribing  the  course  to  be  pursued  by  his  command. 

"  If  the  Rear- Admiral,"  he  directed,  "  finds  the  enemy's  ships  in  a  situation  to  be 
attacked,  the  following  is  to  be  the  order  in  which  it  is  to  be  executed  : — 

Venerable    To  lead  into  the  bay,  and  jiass  the  enemy's  sliips  without  coming  to 
anchor. 


1801.] 


ACTION   OFF  ALGECIRAS. 


461 


Pnmpee        To  ancliur  abreast  of  the  inner  ship. 
Audacious\ 

Spencer      V-°  anchor  abreast  of  the  enemy's  sliips  and  batteries. 
Hannibal  J 
"The  boats  of  the  different  ships  to  be  lowered  down  and  armed  in  readiness  to  act 
where  required." 

The   Venerable  had   been   chosen  to   lead   because  of  the  local 
knowledge  of  her  Captain.     At  7  a.m.  she  opened  Cabareta  Point, 


AcTIOrn       OFf       Al_OEClRA3 
6  "'  ^cfi.  V  .  /do/ 


n 

JBat.  a/ 
Torre  dcl^bnirez,-^ 


c?   Muiran^^         ^^^Ai^o' 


.O-;;., 


Tsla.     /<^ 

■•,^7iot/'<*o      \  '  -'■'".'■■,'"■  \ 

■>  /nciomptaileC::>'  -'^i^^     V 

-'Vol''^  Wfompe'e 


Audacious  ( 


}/anni/iai 


Vejtcr^Jble 


G 


Spencer  I 


-9 


c?     r 


and  reported  that  she  saw  the  French,  who  were  then  occupied 
in  warping  towards  the  batteries.  The  Gcesar  at  once  signalled 
to  engage  the  enemy  in  succession  upon  arriving  iip  with  him. 

Linois  moored  his  ships  in  from  nine  to  twelve  fathoms,  and  with 
intervals  of  about  five  hundred  yards,  in  the  positions  shown  in  the 
plan.  The  southern  end  of  his  hue  was  covered  by  a  battery  of 
seven  long  18  and  24-prs.  on  Isla  Verde  :  its  northern  end,  by 
five  long  18-prs.  in  the  battery  of  Santiago.  There  were  also  guns 
on  shore  in  Fort  Santa  Garcia,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of 
the  anchorage,  and  in  the  towers  of  La  Villa  Vieja  and  Almirante. 
Further   protection  was   afforded    by  the   presence  in  the   shallow 


4(J2  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1801. 

of  fourteen  heavy  Spanish  gunboats,  of  which  three  lay  S.W.  of 
Isla  Verde,  four  off  Santiago,  and  seven  to  the  northward  of 
Ahuirante.  But  the  French  had  not  wai-ped  as  far  in  as  they 
desired  when  the  British  attacked. 

The  partial  and  failing  nature  of  the  breeze  prevented  the  ships 
from  getting  into  action  in  the  order  which  had  been  assigned 
to  them.  The  Po'mpee,  having  been  distantly  fired  at  while 
rounding  Cabareta  Point  at  7.50  a.m.,  passed  close  to  Santa  Garcia 
and  Isla  Verde,  and,  receiving  in  succession  the  broadsides  of  the 
Muiron,  Indomjjtable,  Desaix,  and  Formidable,  to  the  two  latter 
of  which  she  replied,  dropped  her  anchor  at  8.45  a.m.  near  the 
Formidahle's  starboard  bow, — so  near,  indeed,  that  she  brought  up 
inside  the  French  ship's  anchor-buoy.  About  five  minutes  later, 
the  Audacious,  balBed  by  the  wind,  anchored  abreast  of,  but  not 
so  close  to,  the  Indomptahle ;  and  at  8.55  a.m.,  the  Venerable, 
.similarly  hindered,  anchored  still  further  from  the  Desaix  and  from 
the  starboard  quarter  of  the  Formidable.  As  soon  as  these  ships 
had  clewed  up  their  sails,  they  began  a  furious  action,  in  the  course 
of  which  the  Formidable,  if  not  the  other  French  ships  also, 
continued  to  warp  slowly  shorewards.  This  withdrawal  of  the 
Formidable  proved  to  be  a  fortunate  thing  for  the  Pompee;  for  at 
about  9.15  that  ship  was  so  swung  by  the  current  that  her  head 
lay  towards  the  French  flagship's  broadside ;  and,  had  the  two 
vessels  then  been  as  close  to  one  another  as  they  were  when  the 
Pompee  anchored,  the  latter  might  have  been  raked  with  frightful 
results.  It  was  at  that  time  that  the  Ccesar,  having  anchored  ahead 
of  the  Audacious,  .sprang  her  port  broadside  upon  the  Desaix. 
At  9.20,  the  Hannibal  also  got  up,  and  anchored  on  the  Ccesar's 
starljoard  bow  ;  but  the  Spencer,  having  fallen  too  far  to  leeward, 
and  being,  in  addition,  as  much  baffled  as  her  consorts,  failed  to 
approach  near  enough  to  exert  much  effect  upon  the  French  ships, 
though  she  was  still  near  enough  to  suffer  from  the  fire  of  the 
Spanish  batteries. 

Until  after  10  a.m.  the  cannonade  on  both  sides  was  extremely 
heavy,  and  very  little  intennittent,  although  at  one  time  the 
Formidable  had  been  for  a  short  space  nearly  silent,  and  although, 
owing  to  the  manner  in  which  she  had  swung,  the  Pompee  was  able 
to  use  only  her  foremost  guns.  It  was,  probably,  with  a  view 
to  reheving  the  Pomp6e  that  Saumarez,  at  about  10.12  a.m.,  ordered 
tlie  Hannibal  to  "  go  and  rake  the  French  admiral." 


1801.]  ACTION   OFF  ALQECIRAS.  463 

Captain  Ferris  instantly  cut  his  cable  and  made  sail  to  the 
northward  with  such  light  -wind  as  there  was.  Wheii  he  dared 
proceed  no  further  for  fear  of  the  shoals,  he  tacked  so  as  to  place 
himself  between  the  Formidable  and  the  shore ;  but  at  11  p.m., 
when  she  was  nearly  abreast  of  the  Almirante  Tower,  the  Hannibal 
grounded.  Some  of  her  foremost  larboard  gmis  bore  upon  the 
French  flagship,  some  of  her  starboard  foremost  ones  upon  the 
Almirante  Tower  and  the  battery  of  Santiago,  and  yet  others  upon 
the  Spanish  gunboats  ;  and  she  opened  as  brisk  a  fire  as  possible 
upon  every  enemy  whom  she  could  reach,  while  she  tried  by  every 
conceivable  means  to  get  herself  off.  As  soon  as  she  had  made 
known  her  unfortunate  situation,  boats  were  sent  to  her  by  the 
Ccesar  and  the  Venerable.  The  Cicsar's  boat  was  sunk  alongside  by 
a  round  shot ;  and,  as  the  men  were  of  no  use  to  him.  Captain 
Ferris  sent  them  all  back. 

Apprehensive  lest  other  British  ships  might  endeavour,  with 
better  success,  to  get  between  his  line  and  the  shore,  and  en- 
couraged by  the  fact  that,  soon  after  the  Hannibal  had  grounded, 
a  light  and  puffy  breeze  sprang  up  from  the  north-east,^  Linois,  at 
about  11.1.5  A.M.,  signalled  to  his  vessels  to  cut  their  cables  and  to 
allow  themselves  to  run  ashore.  He  was  obeyed,  but,  owing  to  the 
nature  of  the  wind,  his  ships  were  long  getting  round.  In  the  mean- 
time Linois  seems  to  have  repented  of  his  decision  so  far  as  his  own 
ship  was  concerned,  for,  instead  of  running  ashore,  the  Formidable 
brought  up  again,  when  she  had  but  a  few  inches  of  water  under 
her  bottom.  The  Desaix  and  Indomptable,  however,  grounded,  the 
one  in  front  of  Algeciras,  and  the  other  north-east  of  Isla  Verde. 

The  movements  of  the  French  left  the  British  ships  at  too 
great  a  distance  to  use  their  guns  with  full  effect.  Saumarez, 
therefore,  ordered  the  cables  to  be  cut,  and  set  the  example  of 
endeavouring  to  stand  into  a  position  more  favourable  for  continuing 
the  action  ;  but  the  untrustworthiness  of  the  breeze,  the  unfavour- 
able current,  and  the  rocks  and  shoals  to  leeward,  finally  confounded 
the  effort ;  and,  in  the  meantime,  it  was  found  necessary  to  direct 
the  boats  of  the  squadron  to  tow  out  the  Ponijoee,  the  situation 
of  which  had  become  precarious.^     Nearly  all  such  boats  as  were 

'  "  Ce  fut  precisement  cet  heurcux  changement  dont  je  profitai,  qui  me  rendit 
possible  cette  manreuvre  qui  sauva  ma  division  en  m'evitant  d'etre  double." — Linois : 
priv.  letter  to  M.  Gue'rin. 

'  Linois  stated  positively  iu  his  dispatch  that  the  Pompee  struck  "  to  the  fire  of 
Jsla  Verde  and  of  the  Indomptable."    She  was  never  near  enough,  after  the  action  had 


464  MAJOR    OPEfiATIOXS,    1793-180!^.  [1801. 

uot  thus  emploj'ed  had  been  destroyed.  In  consequence,  the  Rear- 
Admiral  was  also  forced  to  forego  an  intention  of  sending  his 
Marines  to  storm  the  island  battery,  which  had  been  reinforced 
by  the  French  ;  and  at  1.35  p.m.  '  he  signalled  to  cease  action,  and 
withdrew  his  five  uncompromised  ships,  leaving  the  Hannibal. 
partially  dismasted,  shattered,  silent,  and  aground,  but  still  with  her 
dag  tlying. 

Captain  Ferris,  when  he  saw  that  to  prolong  an  active  resistance 
would  be  only  to  needlessly  sacrifice  his  people,  ordered  firing  to 
cease  and  directed  his  officers  and  men  to  shelter  themselves  from 
the  enemy's  shot.  At  about  2  p.m.,  realising  that  he  could  hope 
no  more  to  save  his  ship,  he  hauled  do^^^l  his  colom-s.  A  little 
while  afterwards  these  colours  were  rehoisted  upside  down,  and,  in 
consequence,  the  Calpe,  which  had  approached  from  the  direction 
of  Gibraltar,  sent  a  boat  to  the  Hannibal's  assistance.  The  French 
had  by  that  time  taken  possession  ;  and  the  boat's  crew  was  there- 
fore made  prisoners." 

The  losses  on  both  sides  were  very  heavy.  The  Ccesar  had 
9  killed  and  33  wounded  or  missing ;  the  Pompee,  15  killed  and 
69  wounded ;  the  Spencer,  G  killed  and  27  wounded  ;  the  Venerable, 
8  killed  and  25  wounded  ;  the  A  udacious,  8  killed  and  32  wounded  ; 
and  the  Hannibal,  75  killed  and  66  wounded  or  missing  :  total 
373  killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  besides  the  prisoners  taken  with 
the  Hannibal.     The  officers   killed  were  :    Masters  William  Grave 

{Ccesar),  and  Eobert  Roxburgh  {Pompee)  ;  Midshipmen Steward 

{Pompee),  and  William  Gibbons  (Venerable)  ;  Captain's  Clerk  David 
Lindsey  {Hannibal)  ;  and  Lieutenant  of  Marines  James  D.  Williams 
{Hannibal).  Among  the  officers  wounded  were  Lieuts.  Richard 
Cheeseman,  Arthur  Stapledon,  and  Thomas  Innes  {Pompee),  and 
John  Turner  {Hannibal).  The  Hannibal  had  her  fore  and  main- 
masts shot  awaj'  and  many  of  her  guns  disabled  ;  the  Pompee  had 
not  a  mast,  yard,  shroixd,  rcpe,  or  sail  uninjured ;  the  Ccesar  had 
all  her  masts  and  yards  more  or  less  wounded,  and  several  shot  in 
her  hull ;  but  the  remaining  British  vessels  had  received  no  very- 
serious  injivries.     Captain  Ferris,  after  his  return  to  England,  was 

begut,  to  be  seriously  inconvenienced  by  the  fire  from  the  is^lauil.  The  s-hiji's  log 
mentions  that  the  colours  were  shot  away  anil  quicklj'  rchoistcil.  Hence,  probably. 
the  error  of  Linois. 

'  Csesai's  Log.     Log  of  Audacious  says  1.20. 

^  Ferris  :  '  Narrative,'  '  Vict,  et  Conq.,'  xiv.  IC 1 .  Vcneruhh'f  Log.  Calpe  s  Log, 
probably  in  error,  puts  time  of  Hannibal's  striking  as  late  as  4  p.m. 


1801.]  PROMPTITUDE   OF  SAUMAREZ.  465 

tried,  with  his  officers  and  ship's  company,  for  the  loss  of  the 
Hannibal,  and  was  most  honourahly  acquitted.'  The  French  lost, 
according  to  their  own  reports,  306  killed,  and  280  wounded,  among 
the  former  being  Captains  Moncousu  and  Laindet  Lalonde.  Their 
ships  were  much  damaged  as  well  aloft  as  in  their  hulls  ;  and  of 
the  Spanish  gunboats  five  had  been  driven  ashore  or  sunk.  But 
Saumarez's  first  impression  that  the  whole  French  squadron  had 
been  rendered  "  entirely  unserviceable,"  was,  as  will  be  seen,  soon 
proved  to  be  incorrect. 

The  British  Eear-Admiral,  having  taken  his  ships  to  Gibraltar, 
set  to  work,  with  almost  unexampled  energy,  to  fit  them  again 
for  service.  It  was  judged  hopeless  to  attempt  to  repair  the  Pompee 
in  time  to  make  her  ready  for  further  work  against  Linois  ;  and  her 
people  were  turned  over  to  help  in  bringing  forward  the  rest  of  the 
squadron.  Saumarez  himself  was  inclined  also  to  despair  of  the 
CcBsar ;  and  he  shifted  his  flag  from  her  to  the  Audacious;  but 
Captain  Jahleel  Brenton  was  more  sanguine,  and,  appealing  to  his 
men  not  to  allow  the  Eear-Admiral  to  go  to  sea  in  another  ship, 
ordered  them  to  work  all  day,  and  by  watch  and  watch  at  night ;  the 
result  beiiag  that  the  Cccsar  was  ready  when  she  was  again  wanted, 
and  that  Saumarez,  on  the  12th,  rehoisted  his  flag  in  her.  The 
business  was  done  with  an  energy  and  rapidity  that  have  never  been 
exceeded. 

It  has  already  been  said  that  Eear-Admiral  Dumanoir  Le  Pelley 
was  at  Cadiz  in  charge  of  the  six  ships  of  the  line  which  had  been 
transferred  by  Spain  to  France.  He  had  arrived  there  from  Brest 
on  June  13th,  with  the  frigates  Liherte,  40,  and  Indienne,  40,  after 
a  smart  chase  by  the  Venerable  and  Superb ;  but  he  still  lacked 
many  of  the  officers  and  men  to  enable  him  to  take  over  the 
squadron.  As  soon  as  Linois  had  floated  his  grounded  ships  and 
his  prize  at  Algeciras,  he  sent  a  message  to  Dumanoir  Le  Pelley  and 
Massaredo,  at  Cadiz,  begging  them  to  come  or  send  to  his  assistance, 
ere  the  British  should  be  in  a  position  to  again  attack  him.  Both 
flag  ofiicers  were  vrilhug  enough  to  aid  him.  Indeed,  succour  would 
probably  have  been   despatched   so   soon  as  the  danger  of   Linois 

'  C.  M.,  Sept.  1,  1801.  French  historians  assert  that  after  Capt.  Ferris  had 
surrendered  his  ship,  he  quitted  his  people,  and  fled  in  a  boat  to  Gibraltar,  being  fired 
upon  by  the  French  as  he  went,  but  escaping.  That  there  is  no  truth  in  this  is  proved 
by  the  fact  that  after  the  action  Capt.  Jahleel  Brenton  was  sent  to  Algeciras  to 
negotiate  the  exchange  of,  among  others,  Ferris  and  Lord  Cochrane  (Brenton,  iii.  36  ; 
James,  iii.  1'22),  and  that  Ferris  was  eventually  liberated  on  parole. 

VOL.    IV.  2   H 


466 


MA  JOS    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1801. 


became  known,  but  for  the  non-anival  of  the  French  officers  and 
seamen,  and  for  the  impossibihty  of  getting  the  Spanish  authorities 
to  move  -vsith  promptitude.  On  July  8th,  however,  Yice-Admiral 
Don  Juan  Joaquin  de  Moreno  anchored  in  the  outer  road  of  Cadiz 
with  five  Spanish  and  one  Franco- Spanish  sail  of  the  hue,  three 
frigates  and  a  lugger,  in  readiness  to  sail  for  Algeciras  on  the 
following  morning.  His  proceedings  were  observed  by  the  Superb, 
Thames,  and  Pasley,  which  were  by  that  time  again  oflf  the  port. 

At  daylight  on  the  9th  Moreno  put  to  sea  with  all  his  squadron 
except  the  Saint  Antoine  {ex-San  Antonio),  which  was  delayed,  but 
which  rejoined  on  the  following  morning ;  and  made  sail  towards 
the  Gut  of  Gibraltar,  while  the  Superb,  Thames,  and  Pauley  kept 
ahead  of  him.  That  forenoon  the  Pasley  pressed  on  and  entered 
Gibraltar  signalling  the  approach  of  an  enemy  ;  at  3  p.m.  the  Superb 
and  Thames  joined  Saumarez ;  and  a  little  later  the  squadron  from 
Cadiz  joined  Linois  off  Algeciras.  On  the  two  following  days  the 
British  worked  harder  than  ever  to  make  ready  for  sea  ;  and  when, 
at  dawn  on  July  12th,  the  Franco-Spaniards  loosed  sails,  the 
squadron  of  Saumarez,  except  the  Pompee,  was  prepared  to  meet 
them.  The  enemy  began  to  get  under  way  at  noon  ;  by  1  p.m.  their 
headmost  ships  were  off  Cabareta  Point,^  and  the  Ccesar  was 
wai-ping  out  of  Gibraltar  mole,  her  band  playing  "  Come,  cheer  up, 
my  lads,"  and  the  garrison  band  answering  with  "  Britons,  strike 
home."  At  3  p.m.  Saumarez  signalled  for  the  rest  of  his  squadron 
to  weigh  and  prepare  for  battle.  The  forces  about  to  be  opposed  one 
to  another  are  set  forth  in  the  note.* 

'  The  Haniiibul,  towed  by  tlie  Iiidieitne,  left  with  the  fleet;  but,  being  unable  to 
keep  up  with  it,  the  two  vessels  eventually  returned  to  Algeciras. 


■  BUITISH. 

FKANXO-SPASlSn. 

Suits. 

X 
9 

CUMMAXDEKS. 

Ships. 

COUUAXBKES. 

iRear-Adm.  Sir  James  Sau-1 

Heal  Carlos  {S)  . 

112 

Don  J.  Esqnerra. 

Catar.     .     .     . 

80    .;     marei. 

ICapt.  Jahleel  Brcntou. 

i<an  ffermene- 
f/ildo  (S)     ,     . 

112 

„    J.  Emparran. 

IfMcruW*.     .     . 

74 

„     Samuel  Huod  (2). 

^in  Finiaiido(^S) 

94 

,.    J.  Waliua. 

It 

„     Kitbard  Goodwin  Koats. 

rormklabU  (F)  . 
IiiJomijIabU  (i) 

80 

Com.  A.  G.  1  rwude. 

Speticer     .     .     . 

U 

„     Henry  d'Esi*  rre  Darby. 

80 

„     —  Lucas. 

Audacious     .     . 

U 

„     Shuldhaoi  IVard. 

Afiionauta  (S)   . 

80 

Don  J.  Hcrnra. 

Aln  Am/iistiu^S) 

74 

„    U.  Topete. 

Si 

„     Aiskew  raffanl  Hollis. 

SI.  Aiiloine(,¥)  . 

74 

Commod.  Julieu  Le  Roy. 

Curlo«<i  (Portug.) 

.. 

,,     Craufurd  Duncap. 

Desaix  (F)     .     . 

J4 

Capt.  J.  A.  Christi-l'ailliere. 

Calpe,  poUcre    . 

14 

|Com.  Hon.  Got>rge  Hencage 
I     Lawrence  Dundas. 

Sabina  (S)  1  .     . 

44 

ioaua,    armed 
brig.     .     .     . 

8 

Lieut.  Francis  Truscott. 

/.ifieiff  (F)    .     . 
i/iii.-oii  (,F)    .     . 

40 
40 

„     Protein. 
„      Martinencq. 

VautouriV)'     . 

14 

„     Kernel. 

•  Flags  of  Vice-Adm.  Mureuu  aiiU  Ktar-Aiini.  Liuois. 


..jC^f////' .  yauy/m<rei .  Barf.  KRD/'.L 


y. 


^,, 


t.7Atmv  -me^unei^^ya/:  i^  K  J^ 


1801.]  SAUMARErS    VICTORY.  467 

The  wind  was  from  the  east ;  and,  as  soon  as  they  were  clear 
of  the  shelter  of  the  Eock,  the  British  ships  formed  in  line  ahead 
on  the  port  tack.  At  7  p.m.  they  wore  together,  and  stood  on  the 
starboard  tack,  until  a  little  after  8  p.m.,  when,  the  enemy  having 
all  cleared  Cabareta  Point,  Saumarez  bore  away  in  chase.  A  little 
previously,  Don  Juan  Moreno,  in  accordance  -mth  the  Spanish 
custom  of  the  time,  had  shifted  his  flag  from  a  line-of-battle  ship 
to  the  frigate  Sabina,  and  had,  with  considerable  difficulty,  persuaded 
M.  Linois  to  leave  the  Formidable  for  the  same  vessel. 

At  8.40  P.M.  the  Kear-Admiral  hailed  the  Superb,  and  ordered  her 
to  make  sail  ahead,  and  attack  the  rearmost  of  the  enemy's  ships, 
none  of  which  were  at  that  time  visible.  Captain  Keats,  in  response, 
quickly  passed  the  flagship;  and  by  10  p.m.,  when  the  wind  had 
freshened,  only  the  Cmsar  and  Venerable,  of  her  ovm  squadron, 
remained  visible  from  her  deck.  By  11  P.M.  her  next  astern,  the 
Ccssar,  was  fully  three  miles  away,  and  the  Venerable  could  not  be 
seen  at  all.  Twenty  miniites  later,  Keats  distinguished  the  Beal 
Carlos,  112,  about  a  point  before  his  port  beam,  and  the  San 
Hermenegildo,  112,  and  St.  Antoine  on  the  three-decker's  port  side. 
He  therefore  shortened  sail,  and,  quite  regardless  of  the  fact  that 
he  was  alone,  opened  his  port  guns  on  the  Real  Carlos  when  he  was 
at  a  distance  of  about  a  cable  and  a  half  from  her.  He  had  given 
the  Spaniard  three  broadsides  and  had  brought  down  her  foretop- 
mast,  when,  perceiving  her  to  be  on  fire,  he  again  made  sail.  In 
the  meantime  the  Beal  Carlos,  after  having  for  a  short  time 
continued  her  coiu-se,  came  suddenly  to  the  wind,  dropped  astern, 
and  began,  with  her  two  nearest  consorts,  firing  wildly.  Each,  in 
the  darkness,  mistook  the  others,  it  would  appear,  for  an  enemy. 

Having  passed  on,  the  Superb,  at  11.50  p.m.,  brought  the 
St.  Antoine  to  action,  and,  after  half  an  hour's  engagement,  some 
of  which  was  fought  at  close  quarters  upon  a  wind,  the  Frenchman 
hailed  that  she  surrendered.^  She  was  afterwards,  owing  to  her 
broad  pennant  having  been  accidentally  left  flying,  fired  into  by  the 
C(csar,  Venerable,  Spencer,  and  Thames  as  they  got  up ;  but  it  was 
not  long  ere  it  was  made  known  that  she  had  already  struck.  Just 
before  she  surrendered,  the  Beal  Carlos,  which  had  never  succeeded 
in  extinguishing  her  fire,  blew  up ;    but,  ere  she  did  so,  she  had 

'  In  this  conte.st  the  Superb  had  15  (including  Lieut.  Edmund  Waller)  wounded. 
The  St.  Antoine  was  added  to  the  Navy,  but  after  reaching  Portsmouth  she  never 
again  went  to  sea. 

2  H  2 


468  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1801. 

fouled,  and  also  set  fire  to,  her  unfortunate  consort  the  San 
Hermenegildo,  which,  in  turn,  at  about  12.30  A.M.  on  the  13th, 
exploded.  From  these  two  three-deckers,  38  persons  reached  the 
Superb,  and  '262  more  were  taken  up  by  other  ships ;  but  the  rest 
of  the  complements,  amounting  to  about  1700  officers  and  men, 
perished.  The  Superb,  Carlotta,  Calpe,  and  Louisa  remained  by 
the  prize,  and  the  rest  of  the  squadron  pressed  on  after  the  enemy. 

After  midnight  the  wind  temporarily  increased  to  a  gale,  and 
at  4  A.M.,  when  the  Venerable  and  Thames  led  the  squadron  and 
were  getting  up  with  the  Formidable,  the  Ccesar  was  some  distance 
astern  of  them,  the  Spencer  was  far  astern  of  her,  and  the  Audacious 
and  Superb  were  out  of  sight.  At  about  that  time  the  wind  began 
to  drop,  and  even  to  fail ;  and,  in  spite  of  all  that  could  be  done, 
only  the  Venerable  and  Thames  were  able  to  gain  materially  upon 
the  chase.  At  5.15  a.m.  the  Formidable  opened  with  her  stern  guns 
upon  the  Venerable  ;  and,  a  little  later,  the  light  and  baffling  airs 
threw  the  two  ships  broadside  to,  within  musket  shot  of  one 
another.  A  hot  action  then  ensued.  By  5.30  the  Venerable  had 
lost  her  mizen  topmast ;  at  5.45,  by  order,  the  Thames  hauled  up 
and  raked  the  Formidable  from  astern ;  at  6.45  the  Venerable's 
mainmast  went  by  the  board,  and  the  British  74  fell  alongside  her 
opponent,  who,  profiting  by  the  confusion,  stood  on,  though  slowly, 
and,  as  she  went,  plied  the  Venerable  for  some  time  from  her  stern- 
chasers.  Neither  the  Ccesar  nor  the  Spencer  was  able  to  get  within 
gunshot  of  her.  Captain  Hood's  ship  was  left  mimanageable.  At 
7.50,  to  add  to  her  difficulties,  she  lost  her  foremast ;  and  almost 
simultaneously  she  struck  upon  the  shoals  in  front  of  San  Pedro, 
about  twelve  miles  south  of  Cadiz.  At  about  8  A.M.  her  mizenmast 
went  over  the  side,  and  Saumarez,  by  boat,  sent  to  her  Captain 
permissive  directions  to  abandon  and  destroy  the  vessel  in  case  the 
enemy  should  show  any  disposition  to  attack  her  again,  while  he 
also  ordered  the  Thames  to  be  ready  to  take  on  board  her  people. 
But  Hood  did  not  despair  of  saving  his  ship ;  and,  when  the 
Audacious  and  Superb  at  length  showed  in  the  southward,  the 
enemy,  who  had  previously  betrayed  some  slight  inclination  to 
renew  the  engagement,  hauled  up  for,  and  presently  entered  Cadiz. 
The  Venerable  had  lost  eighteen  killed  and  eighty-seven  wounded, 
among  the  former  being  her  Master,  John  Williams,  and  among 
the  latter  Lieutenant  Thomas  Church.  The  Thames  had  escaped 
scot  free. 


1801.]  SAL  VINO    OF   THE  "VENERABLE."  469 

The  total  casualties  suffered  by  the  enemy  '  cannot  be  ascer- 
tained ;  but  they  had  lost  three  ships,  two  by  fire  and  one  by 
capture ;  and  this  they  have  never  attempted  to  deny.  The  action 
is,  nevertheless,  always  chronicled  in  French  histories  as  a  victory, 
and,  indeed,  as  a  most  glorious  victory,  for  France.  That  this  is  so 
is,  no  doiibt,  due  almost  entirely  to  the  extraordinary  report  which, 
after  reaching  Cadiz,  Commander  Troude,^  of  the  Formidable,  sent 
to  Eear-Admiral  Linois.  At  about  midnight,  so  he  declared,  he  had 
sustained  the  fire  of  five  British  ships ;  and  at  daybreak  he  had  been 
attacked  by  three  ships  and  a  frigate,  and  had  driven  them  all  off, 
completely  dismasting  one  of  them.^  This  exaggerated  story  was 
accepted  by  the  French  government,  and  has  been  credited  by  the 
French  people  ;  and  Troude,  not  so  much  on  the  strength  of  his 
other  performances,  some  of  which  were  far  more  worthy  of 
applause,  as  on  the  strength  of  this  imaginative  dispatch,  has  ever 
since  ranked  among  the  most  brilliant  naval  heroes  of  his  country. 
That  he  made  a  good  defence  is  true.  That  he  disabled  the 
Venerable,  a  ship  of  force  inferior  to  his  own,  is  true  also.  But 
that  he  drove  off'  the  British  squadron,  or  that  the  action  was,  in 
any  sense  of  the  words,  a  French  or  a  Franco-Spanish  victory,  is,  of 
course,  utter  nonsense.  Dumanoir  Le  Pelley,  in  his  report  *  to  the 
Minister  of  Marine,  ingenuously  adopted  and  gave  currency,  never- 
theless, to  all  Troude's  self-glorification. 

After  the  disappearance  of  the  allies,  the  British,  thanks  mainly 
to  the  Thames  and  to  the  boats  of  the  Ccesar  and  Spencer,  succeeded 
in  hauling  off  the  Venerable,  which,  by  8  a.m.  on  the  14th,  owing  to 
the  energy  of  her  own  people,  had  got  up  three  spars  to  serve  as 
masts  and  had  made  some  sail  on  them,  though  she  still  had  to  be 
towed.  Saumarez  returned  to  Gibraltar  with  her  and  the  prize,  and 
left  the  Spencer,  Audacious,  and  Thames  to  watch  the  enemy  in 
Cadiz.  He  sent  home  his  dispatches''^  by  Lieutenant  Philip  Duma- 
resq,  first  of  the  Ccesar,  who,  upon  delivering  them,  was  made  a 
Commander.     The  first  Lieutenants  of  the  Superb  and  Venerable, 

'  Troude  speaks  of  havLug  bad  3  killed  and  2  wounded  in  the  night  action,  and 
20  killed  or  severely  wounded  in  the  morning  one. — Report  to  Linois. 

2  Aimable  Gilles  Troude  ;  born  1762  :  entered  the  Xavy  at  the  beginning  of  the 
American  War;  posted  for  this  action  on  July  14th,  1801 ;  subsequently  served  in  the 
West  Indies ;  rear-admiral,  1811 ;  convoyed  Louis  XVIIL  to  France,  1814 ;  retired,  1810 ; 
died,  1824. 

^  Troude  to  Linois,  July  loth,  in  Moniteui: 

*  Cadiz,  July  10th. 

^  In  the  Louisa. 


470  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [ISOl. 

Samuel  Jackson  and  James  Lillicrap,  were  also  deservedl}'  promoted  ; 
and  Saumarez  himself,  for  bis  promptitude  in  striking  at  two  parts 
of  a  force  largely  in  excess  of  his  own,  for  the  quickness  with  which 
he  had  refitted  his  squadron,  and  for  the  gallantry  which  he  had 
displayed  in  pursuing  and  in  beating  a  numerically  superior  squadron, 
was  made  a  K.B.,  and  given  a  pension  of  i'1'200  a  j'ear.  In 
common,  too,  with  bis  otiicers  and  men  he  received  the  thanks  of 
Parhament.  In  itself  the  success  was  not  of  first-rate  importance, 
though  it  was  brilliant.  But  it  was  important  as  part  of  the  system 
which  was  then  in  process  of  enforcement  by  Great  Britam  in  all  the 
waters  of  Europe.  The  application  of  sea-power  had  begun  to 
hamper  Napoleon  by  confounding  his  plans  and  preventing  his 
combinations.  His  enemy  had  begun  to  seize  and  hold  the  interior 
positions,  and  to  beat  his  detachments  in  detail  whenever  they 
ventured  far  from  port.  And  it  is  the  merit  of  Saumarez  that, 
when  the  time  came  for  him  to  do  his  share  of  work  in  the  general 
scheme,  he  did  it,  in  spite  of  a  prehminary  check,  and  in  face  of 
superior  numbers. 

It  has  been  seen  that,  either  upon  their  own  initiative  or  at  the 
instigation  of  others,  Eussia,  Sweden,  Denmark,  and  Portugal  had 
added  themselves,  in  this  last  year  of  the  war,  to  the  ranks  of  the 
enemies  of  Great  Britain.  Such  of  these  countries  as  possessed 
outlying  possessions  were  promptly  made  to  realise  how  dangerous 
for  them  was  the  new  policj'.  Sweden  was  promptly  deprived  by 
Rear- Admiral  John  Thomas  Duckworth  and  Lieut. -General  Thomas 
Triecre  '  of  her  small  colonies  in  the  West  Indies.  St.  Bartholomew 
surrendered  on  March  iZOth,  and  St.  Martin  on  March  •24th. 
Denmark  suffered  in  a  similar  waj'.  St.  Thomas  and  St.  John 
capitulated  on  March  29th,  and  St.  Croix  on  March  31st  to  the 
same  force.  Nor  did  Portugal-  fare  any  better.  On  July  23rd  a 
British  squadron  anchored  in  Funchal  Bay  and  landed  a  detachment 
which,  under  the  orders  of  Colonel  Clinton,  took  possession  of  the 
forts  and  occupied  Madeira.  British  garrisons  were  also  placed  in 
all  the  East  Indian  colonies  of  Portugal  except  Macao.  Holland, 
too,  was  made  to  suffer  for  her  subservience  to  France.  The  French 
were  obliged  on  April  KUh  to  evacuate  St.  Eustatia,  which,  with 

'  Both  Duckwortli  and  Trigge  were  made  Knights  oi  the  Bath  for  these  services, 
June  Gth. 

^  Portugal  bought  olT  France  by  a  treaty  which  was  signed  at  Madrid  on 
Sept.  29th,  1801,  and  which  ceded  to  France  jiart  of  Portuguese  Guiana. 


1801-1802.]  THE  PEACE.  471 

Saba,  was  occupied  by  Captain  Jolln  Perkins,'  of  the  Aral,  20,  and 
a  few  troops  under  Colonel  Blunt,  of  the  3rd  Buffs;  and,  in  the 
East,  Temate,  after  a  stubborn  resistance  of  fifty-two  days, 
capitulated  on  June  '21st  to  the  East  India  Company's  forces  under 
Colonel  Barr  and  Captain  Hayes,  H.E.I.C. ;  but,  save  at  the  place 
last  mentioned,  and  at  St.  Martin,  where  the  enemy  lost  about  fifty 
killed  and  wounded,  the  operations  involved  little  or  no  fighting. 

In  the  meantime  the  belligerents  had  become,  for  the  moment, 
wearj^  of  the  contest :  and  on  October  1st,  after  some  negotiations, 
preliminary  articles  of  peace  were  signed  in  London.  Eatifications 
were  exchanged  on  October  10th,  and  King  George,  on  the  12th, 
proclaimed  a  cessation  of  hostilities  by  sea  and  laud ;  but  the  defini- 
tive treaty  of  peace  was  not  signed  at  Amiens  until  March  27th, 
1802  ;  ^  and,  more  than  once  in  the  interval,  it  looked  as  if  hostihties 
were  on  the  point  of  being  resumed.  Indeed,  few  at  any  time 
regarded  the  settlement  as  likely  to  be  of  long  duration. 

The  peace,  such  as  it  was,  provides,  however,  a  convenient 
halting  place  for  the  course  of  this  history,  the  present  chapter  of 
which  will  be  fitly  concluded  with  some  account  of  the  gains  and 
losses  of  the  contracting  parties'  and  of  others  concerned. 

In  Europe,  France  had  restored  to  her  the  little  islands  of 
St.  Marcou ;  the  republic  of  the  Seven  (Ionian)  Islands  was  acknow- 
ledged;  Portugal  returned  to  the  status  quo  ante,  save  as  regards 
Alemtejo,  which,  under  the  treaty  of  Badajos,  she  had  ceded  to  Spain  ; 
the  French  were  to  evacuate  Neapolitan  and  Roman  territory  ;  and 
the  British  were  to  evacuate  all  the  ports,*  save  Gibraltar,  which 
they  held  in  the  Mediterranean,  restoring  each  to  its  previous 
owner.  It  was  expressl}'  stipulated,  moreover,  as  to  Malta,  Gozo, 
and  Comino,  which  were  to  revert  to  the  Order  of  St.  John  of 
Jerusalem,  that  they  were  to  be  evacuated  by  British  troops  within 

^  This  John  Perkins  was  a  gallant  but  very  estraordiuary  character,  a  Lieutenant 
of  1782,  a  Commander  of  1797,  and  a  Captain  of  1800.  He  is  supposed,  by  a  writer  in 
the  '  Nautical  Magazine,'  who  knew  him,  to  have  been  of  illegitimate  birth,  and  to  have 
had  negro  blood  in  his  veins.  He  could  only  write  to  the  extent  of  signing  his  name 
mechanically ;  and  he  served  almost  exclusively  in  the  West  Indies,  where,  when  on 
half-pay,  he  lived  with  little  regard  to  the  decencies  of  civilisation.  He  was  known  on 
the  station  as  "  Jack  Punch,"  the  Punch,  schooner,  having  been  one  of  his  earliest 
commands.  His  name  occurs  more  than  once  in  this  history.  He  died  in  1812. 
'Naut.  Mag.,'  1842,  387-391,  461-465  ;  'Nav.  Chron.,'  xvii.  458,  xxvii.  351. 

-  Peace  was  proclaimed  in  London  on  .\]m\  29th,  1802. 

^  Great  Britain,  France,  Spain,  and  the  Batavian  Piepublic. 

*  Including  Minorca,  which  reverted  to  Spain. 


472  MAJOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1802. 

three  months  of  the  exchange  of  the  ratification.  Egypt  and 
the  teiTitories  of  the  Porte,  were  to  he  maintained  in  their  integrity 
as  before  the  war. 

The  numerous  foreign  conquests  of  Great  Britain  were  thus 
disposed  of  under  the  treaty.  To  France  were  restored  St.  Pierre 
and  Miquelon ;  Poudicheny,  Chandernagore,  and  Foul  Point,  Mada- 
gascar; Goree;  and,  in  the  West  Indies,  Tobago,  Martinique,  and 
St.  Lucia.  To  the  Bata%nan  Eepubhc  were  restored  Malacca  and  its 
dependencies ;  Amboyna,  Banda,  and  Ternate ;  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope ;  and  Demerara,  Essequibo,  Berbice,  Surinam  and  Curasao. 
To  Denmark  and  Sweden  were  restored  their  little  islands  in  the 
West  Indies ;  and  Portugal  received  back  Madeira.  Only  Trinidad, 
which  had  been  won  from  Spain,  and  the  settlements  in  Ceylon, 
which  had  been  won  from  Holland,  were  retained  by  Great  Britain 
as  trophies  of  her  victorious  war.  The  reason  why  she  held  so  little 
and  suiTendered  so  much  was  that,  one  after  another,  her  continental 
allies  had  failed  her ;  and  that  France,  though  beaten  at  sea,  was  not 
to  be  gainsaid  on  shore  except  by  the  indirect  influences  of  sea- 
power.  Yet,  upon  the  whole,  Great  Britain  had  little  cause  for 
dissatisfaction.  As  Mahan  justly  points  out,  she  had  successfully 
traversed  a  long  stage  towards  the  final  solution  of  a  great  difficultj\ 
France,  in  1793,  had  begun  the  war,  posing  as  the  champion  of 
ideas  which  she  desired  to  force  upon  the  whole  world.  French 
republican  quixotism  and  popular  aggressiveness  had,  in  the  nine 
years,  been  bled  and  bled  until  their  feverish  energy  had  left  them. 
There  remained  unaffected,  it  is  true,  the  ambition  and  aggressive- 
ness of  a  single  man,  France's  master.  Napoleon.  But  the  vicious 
impulse  of  one  man,  no  matter  how  able,  is  always  a  much  easier 
force  to  deal  with  than  the  vicious  impulse  of  an  entire  nation  ;  and 
the  Peace  of  Amiens,  though  it  did  not  end  the  whole  danger,  did 
effectively  tame  the  most  threatening  tendencies  of  the  French 
revolution.  Great  Britain,  or,  to  be  exact.  Great  Britain's  sea- 
power,  had  been  the  chief  factor  in  the  accomphshment  of  this 
result ;  and  Great  Britain,  without  having  lost  a  yard  of  the  territory 
that  had  belonged  to  her  in  1793,  had  gained  not  only  her  moral 
object,  but  also  two  rich  islands  in  distant  seas.  She  gained,  there- 
fore, very  substantial  advantages. 

Nor  had  her  commerce,  which  is  her  wealth,  suffered  materially 
during  the  struggle.  While  the  merchant  ships  of  France  had 
hterally  been  swept  from  the  seas,  the  British  merchant  navy  had 


1802.]  TEE    WAR   AXD   BRITISH   COMMERCE.  473 

grown  to  greater  proportions  thair  ever.  It  suffered  heavy  losses,' 
of  course ;  but  the  gains  soon  became  even  more  considerable  than 
ihe  risks ;  and  the  general  result  of  the  war  was  to  make  British 
trade  a  hundred  per  cent,  more  flourishing  than  it  had  been  in  any 
previous  time  of  peace. '■^ 

Between  the  conclusion  of  peace  and  the  renewal  of  the  war  in 
1803,  the  Royal  Navy  saw  no  active  service  that  requires  a  chronicle. 
The  government  of  the  United  States  was  engaged,  during  the 
interval,  in  hostilities  with  the  piratical  states  of  the  Barbary  coast ; 
and  France  embarked  upon  an  unfortunate  and  costly  expedition  for 
the  reduction  of  San  Domingo,  which  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
the  exceptionally  able  mulatto  general  and  statesman,  Toussaint 
Louverture ;  ■'  but  these  operations  called  neither  for  the  aid  nor  for 
the  interference  of  Great  Britain. 

'  According  tu  Lloyd's  returns,  34G6  British  ships  were  captured  from  1793  to 
1800  inclusive.  The  enemy  lost  less  only  because  he  had  far  less  to  lose.  The  per- 
centage of  British  trade  captured  was  but  about  2^  per  cent.  French  trade,  on  the 
other  hand,  disappeared. 

■^  Chalmers  :  '  Hist.  View,'  351. 

'  Louverture  capitulated  and  was  allowed  to  return  to  his  home,  but  he  was  after- 
wards arbitrarily  arrested  and  deported  to  France,  where  he  died  in  prison.  This 
treacherous  treatment  of  him  served  only  to  rekindle  the  hostility  of  the  blacks. 


SIGNATURE    OF    ADMIRAL    SIR    FRANCIS   LAFOREV,    BART. 


(     474      ) 


CHAPTEE  XXXVI. 

MINOE   OPERATIONS   OF   THE   ROYAL   NAVY,    1793-1802. 

H.  W.  Wilson. 

Beginning  of  hostilities — Capture  of  privateers — Tlie  Iris  and  Citoyenne  Frani;aife — 
Loss  of  the  Ilyiena — The  Venus  ami  the  Se'millante — The  Nymplie  takes  the 
Cleopatre—'nie  Boston  and  tlie  ii'miuscarfe— The  Crescent  takes  the  lieunion — 
Xelson  and  a  French  squadron — The  Thames  and  the  Uranie — Loss  of  the 
'Ihames — Capture  of  the  Inconi^tant. — The  Antelope  takes  the  Atalante — Escape 
of  tlie  Juno — Defence  of  the  Figot — Capture  of  the  Pomone  and  luujageante — 
The  ('rpheus  takes  the  Dwjiuiy  Trouirt — The  Swiftsnre  takes  the  Atalrxyile — Loss 
of  tlie  Castor — Her  recapture — Escape  of  the  Crescent,  Druid,  and  Eurydice — The 
liomney  takes  the  Sihylle — Loss  of  the  Hound — Destruction  of  the  Volonlaire 
— Saur.iarez  frightens  Weymouth — Capture  of  the  Bevolutionnaire — Captain 
Jlatthew  Smith's  action — Loss  of  the  Dapikne — Faulknor  at  D&irade — The 
Blaiiche  takes  the  Pique — Loss  of  the  Esperance  and  capture  of  the  Bequin — 
The  Lively  takes  the  Espion  and  the  Tourterelle — The  Coureuse  and  Jean  Bart 
taken — The  Astraia  takes  the  Gloire — The  Uannihal  takes  the  Gentille — Blowing 
up  of  the  Boyne — French  convoy  destroyed  in  Camaret  Bay — Ca])ture  of  French 
storeships — The  Courier  National,  Prompte,  and  Liberti:  taken — Capture  of  the 
Minerve — The  AUiantie  taken — The  Southampton  and  the  Vestate — Capture  of 
the  Superhe,  Brutus,  Bepublicaine,  Bonne  Citoyenne,  Atopic,  and  Mutine — Sidney 
Smith  at  Enjui — Warren's  action  with  a  convoy — The  Bevolutionnaire  takes  the 
Unite — Smith  taken  prisoner — Fremantle  at  Bona — Capture  of  the  Viryinie — The 
Ecureuil  burnt — The  Spencer  takes  the  Volcan — The  Argo  taken — The  Santa 
Margarita  takes  the  Tamise,  and  the  Unicorn  the  Tribune — Cutting  out  of  the 
Utile — The  Dryad  captures  the  Proserjiine — Capture  of  the  Le'gere  and  Benommee 
—  The  Glatton  and  French  frigates  —  Indecisive  actions  —  The  Andromaque 
destroyed — Escape  of  the  Bait^on — The  Topaze  takes  the  Elisabeth — Frigate 
action  ofl"  Sumatra — Bl;iwing  up  of  the  Arnpliion — Defence  of  the  Pelican — The 
Trr/sicliore  captures  the  Mahonesa — The  Lapwing  at  Anguilla — 'I'he  Ti-rpsirhore 
aud  the  Vestale — Ca])ture  and  recapture  of  the  Sabina — The  Blanche  and  the 
C'eics— Ca|iture  of  the  Tartu — Escape  of  Indiamen — An  Algerine  pirate  taken — 
Landing  of  French  criminals  at  Fishguard — Capture  of  the  li&istance  and 
Constance — The  Nin/a  and  Santa  Elena  taken— Destruction  of  the  Calliope — 
Cai>ture  of  the  Gaile — Action  with  the  Beohiise,  etc. — The  Banger  and  the  Ilyene 
taken — The  Pha:be  takes  the  Nereide — Capture  of  the  Daphne — The  Sihylle  and 
Fox  at  Manilla — The  fpeedy  and  the  Papillon — Action  with  the  Chareute — 
Escajie  of  the  /'ear? — Taking  of  the  Corcyre  and  Mondavi— ')^he  Seahorse  takes 
the  (SensiWc— Capture  of  the  Seine — Capture  of  the  Santa  Z>oro<ea— Blowing  up 


1793.]       THE  "JUIS"   AND    THE  "CITOYEXNE   FHANCAISE."  475 

of  the  Resistance— 'Esca\-)e  of  the  Brilliant— CyMmg  out  of  the  Avenlurier— The 
Espoir  takes  the  ijjuiM— Capture  of  the  Vailhinte  and  of  the  Neptune— l.of.?,  of 
the  ieajjcfer— Capture  of  the  7)«'ca(ie— Taking  of  the  Fuiie  and  Waakzaamheid— 
Dickson  at  Margarita— Loss  of  the  ^mSuscarfe— Defence  of  the  TI'o/ cen'nc— Wreck 
of  the  Proserpine— The  Argo  taken— The  Dxdalus  takes  the  Prndente — The 
Espoir  takes  the  Africa — The  Sibyf/e  captures  the  Forte— Frignte  action  off 
Hot-die— Loss  of  the  Fortune— Cutting  out  affair  at  La  Selva — Recapture  of  the 
C'rasli — The   Clyde  takes  the    Vestale-The   Tamar  captures  the  Bepmhlicaine— 

Taking  of  the  Draak  and  Gier — Action  in  Algoa  Bay— Escape  of  the  Preneuse 

Taking  of  the  Arethuse  and  £o!-rfe7aise— Blowing  up  of  the  Trinconvde — Capture 
of  the  Thetis  and  Santa  Brigida — 'J  he  Cerherus  and  Spanish  frigates — Cuttin" 
out  of  the  Hermione-The  Speedy  off'  Gibraltar — Capture  of  the  Gal(,o— The 
Solebay  off  San  Domingo — Burning  of  the  Prentuse-Action  off  Madeira— Capture 
of  the  Pallas — The  Petrel  takes  the  Liyurienne — Capture  of  the  Carmen  and 
Florndina — Taking  of  the  Alhanaise — Affairs  off  St.  Croix  and  Xoirmoutier — 
Cutting  out  of  the  Desiree — Cutting  out  of  the  Cerbere — Capture  of  the  Concorde 
and  Medee — The  Seine  takes  the  Vengeance — Cutting  out  of  the  Esmeralda  and 
Paz — Taking  of  the  East  Indiaman  Kent — Cajiture  of  the  Yenvs — Cutting  out  of 

the  San  Josef — The  Milbrook  and  the  Btllone — Destruction  of  the  Rcolaise 

Cutting  out  of  the  Senegal — Capture  of  the  Eclair  and  of  the  Sanspareille — Gallant 
action  of  the  N.  S.  de  los  Dolores — Capture  of  the  Dedaigneuse — Taking  of  the 
Curieux — Action  of  the  Penguin  —  The  Phcebe  takes  the  Africaine  —  Lord 
Cochrane  in  the  Speedy — The  Mercury  at  Ancona — Affair  off'  Oropeso — Cutting 
out  of  the  CJievrette — Gallant  action  of  the  Pasley — Mysterious  engagements  of 
the  Sylph — Capture  of  the  Chiffonne — The  Victor  and  the  Fleche — Recapture  of 
the  Bulldog — Unsatisfactory  nature  of  ships'  logs — Criticism  of  French  tactics — 
Influence  of  chance — Effects  of  weight  of  metal  upon  the  results  of  actions — Value 
of  the  carronade — Various  categories  of  actions — British  promptitude  in  refitting 
— Successes  of  merchantmen — Distribution  of  British  cruisers. 


0^' 


January  'iiid,  1793,  the  first  act  of  hostility 
between  France  and  England  in  Europe  occurred, 
MESS  KETTLE.  |;]^g  CJiUders,  sloop,  being  fired  upon  by  the  Brest  forts 
whilst  standing  in  towards  the  harbour. 
On  May  13th  occurred  the  first  naval  action  of  the  war,' 
though  previously,  on  March  13th,  the  British  sloop,  Scourge, 
Commauder  George  Brisac,  had  captured  one  French  privateer, 
and  on  April  14th  a  British  squadron  had  taken  another.  The 
Iris,  -S^,  Captain  George  Lumsdaiue,  sighted  a  strange  sail  iu 
the  Ba}-  of  Biscay,  early  in  the  morning,  and  gave  chase.  The 
stranger  was  closed  at  about  6.30  a.m.,  and  engaged,  but  after  an 
hour  and  a  half  of  sharp  fighting  made  off ;  and  the  Iris,  having 
lost  her  foremast,  maintopmast,  and  mizenmast,  was  unable  to 
overhaul  her.  The  stranger  was  at  the  time  supposed  to  be  the 
French  Medee,  but  has  been  proved  by  James  to  have  been  the 
Citoyenne  Franc^aise,  32. 

■  .James,  i.  100  (Edit.  1886.     London,  6  vols.  8  vo.).     No  notice  in  Troude. 


476  iiryOB    OPERATIOSS,   1793-1802.  [1793. 


— 

>  v-U?. 

'J  -il  ?- 

i.r^.>..v.         ;.:.:.. 

i^.  .c_. 

W  .ui.i-  -■ 

;  .:^, 

Iris    .      .      . 

Citoytn  li  •  F. . 

ess 

40' 

Lbs. 

246»         21711. 

4 

32 

36 

90  minutes. 

■  Cunmd^  vhi^b  are  not  cuented  in  tbe  nling,  are  alwirs  included  in  these  compuiaoos. 

*  ABovance  hj£  been  ma<ie  for  the  greater  veigbt  of  tbe  Ficnch  p-jvnd  in  llKse  tiUes.     Tide  Jam^  L  45. 

'  Sligfa'.l;'  wcjDded  men  were  rarelr  incindei  in  tbe  retnnis. 

On  May  ^Tth,  in  the  West  Indies,  the  Hija-na,  24,  Captain 
WiUiam  Hargood  ^l),  was  seen  and  chased  by  the  Concorde,  40, 
Captain  Yandongen,  and  by  several  other  French  vessels.'  She 
was  quickly  overhauled,  and,  after  a  few  shots,  struck  her  colours. 

GoQS.  Broad^de. 

Concorde         ....       44  410  lbs. 

Hyxna  .....       .30  153  „ 

On  the  same  day,  to  the  west  of  Cape  Finisterre,-  the  British 
Venus,  3'2,  Captain  Jonathan  Faulknor  (2),  sighted  the  Semil- 
lante,  32,  Captain  Gaillard.  The  two  closed,  the  Venus  being  to 
windward,  and  began  a  warm  fire  at  about  8  a.m.  After  two  hours' 
fighting  the  Seniillante's  gans  seemed  to  be  silenced ;  and  the  Venus 
was  bearing  down  to  take  possession,  when  another  ship  under 
French  colours  hove  in  sight,  and  the  T>«m5  retired.  Tbe  Semil- 
lante  lost  her  captain  and  first  Ueu tenant  killed,  and  had  her  masts, 
sails,  and  huU  badly  injured,  and  five  feet  of  water  in  her  hold. 
The  Venus  was  much  damaged  in  her  masts,  sails,  and  rigging. 
She  was  fortunate  in  escaping  the  strange  ship,  which  was  the 
CUopdtre,  36,  and  in  rejoining  the  British  Nymphe,  36,  from  which 
she  had  parted  two  days  before. 

T^-^^.  >juui,         Brcodside.         ilen.  Killed.        "Wwi'.d'-i-         .    :  - 


t  Cbamock  gives  a  rexiu,  ie,  (.f  tius  tonnage,  boiii  in  1  «&8.    Sbe  is  tlie  same  ship. 

•  James  oedi's  the  ^fmil/onl^  «ith  ten  6-pTS. ;  Tronde.vith  ca^y  foor.     ride  Lote  in  James,  i.  1(3.    1  ttave 
ftjUomd  Troode. 

On  June  18th,  the  British  frigate,  Symphe,  36,  Captain  Edward 

'  James,  105  :  Troude,  iL  302. 

-  James,  103 :  Troude,  302 ;  C.  Williams,  '  Liverpool  Privateers,'  314. 


a 
tit 


« 
H 
<■< 

t^ 
C 

o 

K 

K 

O 
S3 

tl 


13 


1793.] 


THE  "NYMFIIE"   AND    THE   "CLEOPATSE." 


477 


Pellew,  whilst  cruising  in  the  Channel,  sighted  the  Cleopdtre,  36, 
Captain  Million,  and  bore  down  upon  her.'  The  French  ship 
shortened  sail  and  waited  for  the  British  attack.  The  two  vessels 
were  within  hail  before  a  shot  had  been  fired.  The  Nymphe's  men 
gave  three  cheers  for  the  King;  the  French  replied;  and  Captain 
Million,  standing  in  the  gangway,  waved  his  hat  and  shouted,  "  Vive 
la  nation  !  "  At  6.15  a.m.,  Pellew,  who  had  been  standing  with  his 
hat  in  his  hand,  put  it  on  his  head,  as  the  concerted  signal  for 
opening  fire.  About  seven  the  Cleopdtre  s  mizenmast  fell,  masking 
some  of  her  guns  on  the  engaged  side ;  and  just  at  the  same  time 
Israel  Pellew,  the  Captain's  brother,  who  was  on  board  as  a  volunteer, 
succeeded  in  shooting  away  the  CUopdtre's  wheel,  on  which  she  fell 
on  board  the  Nijmphe,  with  her  other  broadside  bearing,  her  jib- 
boom  striking  the  Kijmphes  mainmast.  The  jib-boom  broke,  but 
one  of  the  Cleopdtre  s  studding  sail  boom-irons  hooked  the  Nymphe's 
maintopsail  leech-rope,  and  the  latter  had  to  be  cut  away  to  save 
the  mast.  The  Nyinjjhe  anchored  that  the  French  ship  might  clear 
her,  but  before  this  could  happen  the  Cleopatre  had  fallen.  Pellew 
noticed  that  the  French  were  gathering  to  board,  and  ordered  his 
men  to  prepare  to  repel  them  ;  on  which  the  British  seamen  swept 
on  board  the  enemy  and  carried  the  ship.  The  heroic  Mullon  w^as 
discovered  in  the  agony  of  death,  striving  to  bite  to  pieces  a  paper 
which,  he  thought,  contained  the  French  secret  coast-signals.-  His 
faihng  consciousness  did  not  reveal  to  him  that  he  was  destroying 
the  paper  containing  his  commission.  For  this  action  Captain 
Pellew  was  knighted,  and  his  brother,  Israel,  was  promoted  to 
post  rank. 


— 

Tons. 

Gqds. 

Broadside. 

Wen. 

Killed. 

A\'oimded. 

Total. 

Nyinphe  . 

938 

40 

Lta. 

322 

240 

23 

27 

50 

Cleopdtre. 

913 

40' 

290' 

320 

— 

— 

G3 

00  minutes. 

1  Troude  differs  from  James  as  to  the  armament,  giving  Cleopatre  thirty-six  gims,  with  a  broadside  of 
204  lbs. ;  but,  as  Cleopatre  was  captured,  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  English  figures  are  the  more  correct.  C/. 
also  Pellew,  iu  Osier,  59,  who  gives  her  forty  guns,  some  18'b. 


'  Troude,  ii.  303 ;  James,  i.  106  ;  Osier,  '  Lord  Exmouth,'  54  (2nd  edition). 
'^  As   a   trait  of  chivalrous   generosity,  it   should   be   recorded  that  Pellew   sent 
pecuniary  aid  to  Capt.  Mullon's  widow. 


478  MIXOR    OPEnAT/OXS,   1793-1802.  [1793. 

The  Cleopdtre  was  purchased  for  the  British  Navj',  and  re-named 
Oiscau. 

In  July,  Captain  George  WiUiam  Augustus  Courtenaj-  of  the 
British  frigate  Boston,  32,  cruising  off  New  York,  sent  in  a  challenge 
to  Captain  Jean  Baptiste  Francois  Bompard  of  the  French  frigate 
Emhuscade,  34,  having  first  captured  by  an  adroit  stratagem  the 
Einbuscude's  first  heutenant  with  a  boat's  crew.'  Courtenay  offered 
to  wait  for  three  days  off  Sandy  Hook,  and  had  a  written  copy  of 
the  challenge  posted  up  in  one  of  the  New  York  coffee-rooms.  On 
July  30th,  a  considerable  French  fleet  passed,  but  the  Boston  kept 
her  station,  and  in  the  night  of  the  31st  saw  a  large  ship  standing 
towards  her.  The  Emhuscade  had  come  out  to  fight.  Both  ships 
hoisted  their  colours  at  about  dawn,  and,  soon  after  five,  closed  and 
began  action — the  Boston  with  her  larboard  and  the  Emhuscade 
with  her  starboard  broadside.  Their  evolutions  were  watched  by 
a  great  crowd  on  the  New  Jersey  beach,  twelve  miles  away.  In 
less  than  an  hour  the  Boston's  rigging  was  so  injured  that  she 
lost  command  of  her  sails,  and  a  little  later  her  maintopmast  went 
overboard.  By  6. "20  Captain  Courtenay  and  the  Lieutenant  of 
Marines  were  killed  ;  the  two  Lieutenants  borne  on  the  ship's 
books  were  both  severely  wounded ;  and  the  mizenmast  was 
tottering.  The  crew  fell  into  confusion,  but  the  wounded  first 
Lieutenant,  John  Edwards,  took  command  and  fought  the  ship. 
With  difficulty  the  Boston  avoided  an  attempt  of  the  Emhuscade 
to  rake  her.  Her  condition  was  desperate,  as  the  wreck  of  the 
maintopmast  hampered  the  service  of  her  guns,  and  all  her  chief 
officers  were  killed  and  wounded.  She  turned  and  fled  before  the 
wind,  followed  for  some  distance  by  the  Emhuscade,  which  had, 
however,  been  too  much  injured  in  masts,  sails,  and  rigging  to 
overtake  her.  After  an  hour's  chase,  the  Frenchman  put  about 
and  returned  to  New  York.  The  Boston  was  much  the  weaker 
and  smaller  ship  ;  and  at  that  time  indiscipline  had  not  destroyed 
the  moral  of  the  French  navy.  On  her  return  to  New  York  the 
Emhuscade  had  to  remove  her  masts.  Captain  Bompard  was 
presented  with  a  gold  medal,  and  Captain  Courtenay's  widow  and 
children  were  pensioned  by  the  King.  Brenton  accuses  Lieutenant 
Edwards  of  cowardice,  but,  it  would  appear,  on  quite  insufticient 
evidence. 

'  .James,  i.  110  ;  Brenton  [ed.  1837],  i.  263  ;  Trouile,  ii.  ?,0i. 


1793.] 


THE  "CRESCENT"   AND    TBE  "REUNION: 


479 


Tons. 


Bi  o-ndside. 


lien. 


Emhvscade 
Boston 


!i06 
G76 


34' 
38 


Lbs. 

2.30' 

210 


About  1  liour  40  luiuutes. 


1  So  Troude.    James  differs,  giving  thirty-eight  guns  and  240-lb.  broadsides.    Brenton  calls  her  an  18-pr. 
frigate. 

The  batterj'  of  the  Boston  included  six  very  indifferent  1'2-pr. 
carronades,  which,  James  states,  were  of  the  "  useless  monke}'- 
tailed  "  type. 

On  October  20th,  the  Crescent,  36,  Captain  James  Saumarez, 
sighted  the  French  Bhuiion,  36,  Captain  Francois  A.  Deuiau,  and 
a  cutter,  at  daylight,  off  Cherbourg.^  Saumarez  had  been  informed 
that  there  was  a  French  frigate  at  Cherbourg,  which  left  that  port 
at  nightfall,  cruised  during  the  night,  and  returned  early  in  the 
morning.  This  was  in  fact  the  procedure  of  the  Beunion.  The 
Crescent  was  on  her  way  with  dispatches  from  Portsmouth  to  the 
Channel  Islands.  She  had  just  been  docked  and  sailed  very  fast. 
At  10.30  A.M.,  the  Crescent  was  close  enough  to  the  enemy  to  open 
fire,  both  ships  being  on  the  larboard  tack.  The  cutter  had  made 
off.  In  three-quarters  of  an  hour  the  Reunion  lost  her  foreyard 
and  mizen-topmast,  and  was  in  consequence  exposed  to  the  raking 
fire  of  the  Crescent,  which  ship,  by  a  singularly  adroit  manoeuvre  of 
Saumarez,  had  wore  round  on  her  heel.  Keeping  under  the  enemy's 
stem,  the  Crescent  was  able  to  use  her  larboard  broadside,  receiving 
scarcely  a  shot  from  the  Beunion.  After  a  brave  resistance  which 
had  lasted  over  two  hours,  the  Beunion  struck,  as  the  British  Circe, 
28,  was  approaching  in  the  distance.  She  had  lost  her  main  top- 
gallant mast,  in  addition  to  her  mizen-topmast,  and  was  a  good  deal 
damaged.  The  Crescent's  only  loss  was  one  man  wounded  by  the 
recoil  of  a  gun. 


— 

T..ns. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Killed. 

Woonded. 

Total. 

Lbs. 

Crescen  t   . 

888 

36 

315 

257 

0 

0 

0 

Reunion  . 

f),")l 

40 

.310' 

320 

33 

48 

81 

2  hours  10  miuutcs. 
1  Sanmarez  makes  her  weight  of  metal  330  lbs.,  which  is  a  slight  exaggeration. 


.James,  114  ;  Troude,  309  ;  Eoss,  '  Saumarez,'  i.  101. 


480  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1793. 

Captain  Saumarez  was  knighted  for  this  action.  The  Rhmion  was 
purchased  for  the  Navy,  and  retained  her  French  name. 

On  October  22nd,  fhe  Agamemnon,  04,  Captain  Horatio  Nelson, 
cruising  off  Sardinia,  sighted  a  French  squadron  composed  as 
follows  : — ' 

Melpomene,  40     .      .      .     Capt.  G.iy.  Mignnnne,  28. 

Minerve,  38    ....         „      [Z.  J.  T.  Allemand?]   //as«rrf,  [?]  14. 
Fortuiiee,  36  ...      .         „      Maistral. 

and  made  sail  in  chase."  By  4  a.m.  he  was  close  enough  to  one  of 
the  hostile  frigates  to  speak  her,  and,  as  she  did  not  answer  his  hail 
but  fired  her  stern-chasers  at  him,  opened  on  her.  She  constantly 
yawed  and  fired  at  the  Agamemnon's  rigging,  whilst  the  slower- 
sailing  British  ship  could  make  but  little  reply.  At  first  the 
Agamemnon  and  her  enemy  had  far  outdistanced  the  other  French 
ships,  but  at  about  nine  the  Agamemnon  ran  into  a  calm,  and  her 
enemy,  hauling  up,  joined  her  French  consorts.  The  Agamemnon 
was  too  crippled  to  pursue,  and  the  frigates  were  very  satisfied  to 
get  away.  The  British  loss  was  one  killed  and  six  wounded.  The 
frigate  engaged  was  apparently  in  a  sinking  state,  but  her  loss  is 
unknown. 

On  October  24th,  the  TJiames,  32,  Captain  James  Cotes,  sighted 
the  Uranie,  36,  Captain  Tartu,  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay.^  The  two 
closed  at  once,  and  in  thick  weather  began  action  at  a  little  before 
11  A.M.,  the  Thames  passing  and  repassing  the  Uranie  on  the 
opposite  tack,  the  ships  each  time  exchanging  fire.  At  2.20  the 
Uranie  succeeded  in  raking  the  Thames,  and  tried  to  board,  but 
was  raked  in  turn  and  driven  off.  She  dropped  to  the  south,  and 
the  British  crew  hailed  her  retreat  with  cheers.  She  finally  spread 
all  sail  and  retired,  the  Thames  being  too  badly  damaged  to  pursue 

'  Xicolap,  '  Nelson  Dispatches,'  i.  331 ;  Troude,  313  ;  James,  117. 

-  So  James.  Nelson  speaks  of  four  frigates — one  looking  like  a  ship  of  the  line — 
and  a  brig ;  he  omits  the  Fleche,  and  gives  the  Fouchet,  24,  and  an  unknown  brig. 
Troude  gives  the  Fleche,  18,  and  omits  Mignonne  and  Hasard.  But  as  he  makes 
Z.  J.  T.  AUemand  the  captain  of  the  Minerve,  when  his  own  and  other  accounts  show 
Z.  AUemand,  at  about  this  very  time,  to  have  been  commanding  the  Carmagnole  in  the 
Bay,  his  authority  cannot  be  accepted.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  there  is  no  really 
trustworthy  French  history  of  this  war.  The  Gazette  de  France  ceases  to  afford  valuable 
information ;  and  deliberate  falsification  of  facts,  which  is  not  noticeable  in  1778-1783, 
becomes  too  common.  Chevalier  omits  minor  actions  with  some  rare  e.xceptious. 
Troude  misdates  this  action. 

*  Troude,  310;  James,  113;  Marshall,  '  Nav.  Biography,'  III.,  ii.  252;  C.  M.,  72, 
June  11th. 


1793.] 


THE  "THAMES"   AND    THE  "UHANIK" 


481 


her.  The  Thames  had  suffered  very  severely  in  masts  and  rigging. 
Her  hull  was  terribly  shattered,  three  guns  were  dismounted,  and 
almost  all  the  gun-tackles  and  breechiugs  had  been  carried  away. 
The  Uranie's  rigging  was  very  much  cut  up,  and  her  captain 
wounded.  Having  on  board  many  Spanish  prisoners  from  the 
Alcoudia,  15,  which  she  had  captiu'ed  some  days  before,  she  made 
for  Eochefort. 


Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

KUled. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Uninie     . 

.        1100 

1 

40' 

Lbs. 

280' 

260' 

•> 

V 

V 

Thames     . 

056 

32 

174 

187  = 

11 

23 

34 

3  hours. 
1  Troude.    James,  forty-four  guns,  403-lb.  broadside. 


■  Captain  Cotes's  letter,  134  men  and  boys. 


Whilst  the  battered  Thames  was  refitting,  at  about  4  p.m.,  four  sail 
came  in  sight.  Escape  was  out  of  the  question  for  her,  and  one  of 
the  strangers  drew  up  under  her  stern  and  fired  a  broadside,  when 
she  struck.  Her  captor  was  the  Carmagnole,  40,  Captain  Zacharie 
Jacques  Theodore  AUemand.  The  British  crew  were  treated  with 
great  severity  and  rigidly  imprisoned.  Captain  Cotes's  official 
letter  did  not  reach  the  Admiralty  till  May  7th,  1795,  as  the  French 
intercepted  all  correspondence.  The  Uranie's  name  was  changed  to 
Tartii,^  after  the  battle,  in  memory  of  her  captain. 

On  November  2.5th,  the  British  frigates  Penelope,  32,  Captain 
Bartholomew  Samuel  Kowley,  and  Ipliigenia,  32,  Captain  Patrick 
Sinclair,  fell  in,  off  San  Domingo,  with  the  French  Tnconstante,  36, 
■Captain  Eiouffe."     The  Penelope  began  the  action  at  about  1.30  a.m. 


— - 

T"!!*. 

Gun«. 

Broadside. 

.Men. 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

1 

Tctal. 

[Penelope  . 

720 

40 

Lbs. 
246 

217  11. 

1 

1 

8 

\lphigenia 

681 

40 

246 

217  n. 

0 

0 

0 

Tnconstante    . 

— 

40 

270 

.ilM  1  11. 

1 

21 

e.'? 

'  English  authorities  say  Tortue,  and  that  the  change  waB  made  to  hide  the 
discreditable  "defeat"  of  the  French.  But  Tartu  seems  to  have  been  the  name,  cf. 
Troude.     ^Vhen  in  1790  she  entered  the  British  service  she  was  renamed  Urania. 

2  James,  122  ;  Troude,  313. 
VOL.   IV.  2  I 


482  JUmOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1791. 

The  hammock  cloths  on  her  engaged  side  soon  took  fire,  but  this  did 
not  compel  her  to  hanl  off.  At  two  the  Iphigenia  came  up,  and  the 
Inconstante  struck.  The  French  captain  was  caught  by  a  superior 
force,  with  his  ship  unprepared  for  action,  and  could  do  little.  The 
Inconstante  was  purchased  for  the  Nav}'. 

On  November  30th,  the  French  brig  Espihgle,  16,  was  captured 
off  Ushant  by  the  British  frigates  Nymphe  and  Girce.^ 

On  December  '2nd,  the  diminutive  West  India  packet  Antelope, 
('}  (3-prs.),  with  an  effective  crew  of  twenty-one,  fought  and  captured 
a  French  privateer,  the  Atalante,  8,  fitted  out  at  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  and  manned  with  a  crew  of  sixty-five  men,  many  of  whom 
were  Americans.  The  Antelope  lost  three  killed  and  four  wounded. 
Of  her  crew  a  French  royalist,  named  Nodin,  distinguished  himself 
most. 

On  January  8th,  1794,  the  Hind,  28,  Captain  Philip  Charles 
Durham,  was  chased  by  five  French  frigates  and  a  brig.^  She  escaped 
with  the  loss  of  twelve  men  killed  or  wounded.  The  British  ships  of 
the  line,  ImpregnuUe,  90,  and  Majestic,  74,  were  close  at  hand,  but 
at  first  would  give  no  aid,  because  they  were  weakly  manned,  fresh 
from  port,  and  took  the  Hind  for  a  decoy. 

On  January  11th,  1794,  after  the  evacuation  of  Toulon,  the 
British  frigate /wwo,  32,  Captain  Samuel  Hood  (2),  arrived  from  Malta 
at  that  place.^  Hood  was  not  aware  that  the  British  had  abandoned 
it,  and  could  exchange  no  signals,  as  it  was  night  when  he  neared 
the  port.  He  entered  the  inner  harbour  unchallenged,  but  took  the 
ground  shghtly,  in  attempting  to  pass  a  brig.  That  vessel  hailed 
him,  and  was  answered  by  his  informing  her  of  his  ship's  name  and 
nationaUty.  The  Juno  anchored  with  her  stern  on  the  shoal  and 
hoisted  out  a  launch  to  warp  off.  Whilst  she  was  thus  engaged,  a 
boat  rowed  alongside,  and  from  it  two  officers  came  up  the  ship's  side, 
and  directed  Hood  to  go  to  another  part  of  the  harbour.  Something 
in  their  words  attracted  attention,  and  a  Midshipman,  looking 
carefully  at  them  in  the  dim  light,  saw  that  they  wore  ti'i-coloured 
cockades.  They  were  seized,  the  cable  was  cut,  and  the  Juno's  sails 
were  set,  whereupon  the  stem  came  off  the  ground  and  the  ship  stood 
down  the  harbour.  All  the  forts  fired  at  her,  but  she  escaped  without 
the  loss  of  a  man.  Some  damage  to  sail  and  rigging  was  the  only 
result   of   the   brush  with   the  formidable  works  of  Toulon.     This 

'  Troudc,  293  ;  Log  of  Nymphe.  -  A.  Murray,  '  Sir  P.  Diirliani,'  27. 

»  Jame.s,  21G. 


1794.]  WARREN'S   FRIGATE  ACTION.  483 

incident  shows  the  ease  with  which  the  forts  of  those  days  could  be 
passed  at  night,  even  by  a  saihng  ship. 

On  January  17th,  two  large  French  privateers,  the  Bholue,  26, 
and  Vengeur,  8-1,  attacked  the  Pigot,  East  Indiaman,  George 
Ballaatyne,  master,  near  Bencoolen,  and  were  ignominiously  beaten 
off.  Though  the  action  lasted  for  nearly  two  hours  the  Pigot  only 
lost  one  man.  Five  days  later  the  privateers  were  attacked  by  five 
British  East  Indiamen  ^  and  captured.  Their  loss  was  heavy  :  the 
British  loss  trifling. 

On  April  '23rd,  the  British  frigates  Flora,  36,  Commodore  Sir 
John  Borlase  Warren ;  Arethusa,  38,  Captain  Sir  Edward  Pellew ; 
Melampus,  36,^  Captain  Thomas  Wells  (1) ;  Concorde,  36,  Captain  Sir 
Eichard  John  Strachan;  and  Ngmphf,  36,  Captain  George  Murray  (3), 
whilst  cruising  off  the  Channel  Islands,  sighted  the  French  ships 
Engageante,  36,  Commodore  Desgarceaux ;  Besolue,  36,  Captain  P. 
Villeon ;  Pomone,  44,  Captain  Etienne  Pevrieu ;  and  Bahet,  20, 
Lieutenant  P.  J.  P.  Belhomme.^  The  French  formed  in  Hue  of 
battle  :  the  British  came  up  one  by  one  to  windward  of  them.  The 
Flora  began  the  action  at  6.30  a.m.,  but  lost  her  maintopmast,  had 
her  rigging  cut  to  pieces,  and  dropped  behind.  The  Arethusa,  after 
engaging  the  Bahet,  took  the  Flora's  place,  whilst  both  sides  crowded 
all  sail — the  French  to  escape,  the  British  to  pursue.  The  Arethusa 
and  Melampus  captured  the  Bahet  at  8.30:  the  Engageante  and  Besolue 
had  left  the  Pomone  behind,  and  on  that  ship  next  fell  the  brunt  of 
the  British  onset.  Already  the  Pomone  had  been  much  damaged  by 
the  Flora's  fire.  The  Arethusa  completed  her  discomfitm-e  by 
shooting  away  her  main  and  mizen-masts,  and  setting  her  on  fire. 
She  struck  at  9.30.  The  Concorde  and  Melampus  then  pushed  on 
after  the  Besolue  and  Engageante,  but  could  not  separate  the  pair 
nor  delay  them  both  enough  to  enable  the  other  ships  to  come  up. 
The  Concorde  accordingly  decided  to  secure  one,  and  closed  the 
Engageante.  The  two  fought  side  by  side  almost  miinterrupted, 
as  the  Besolue  quickly  retired  and  the  other  British  ships  were  too 
far  astern  to  give  help.  At  1.45  p.m.  the  Engageante  struck.  In 
comparative  force  the  British  had  a  great  superiority — 210  guns  to 

'    William  Pitt,  Britannia,  Nonsuch,  Euughton,  and  brig  Nautilus. 

-  In  the  '  Navy  List  BooIj,'  a  38. 

»  James,  222  ;  Tioude,  323 ;  Osier,  64 ;  Brenton,  i.  122.  The  British  cruiser 
siiuadron  was  to  protect  trade.  Its  cruising  ground  extended  from  Cape  Finisterre  to 
Cherbourg.  It  was  found  so  useful  that  other  light  squadrons  of  three  or  four  frigates 
were  sent  out  to  scour  the  same  waters. 

2  I  2 


484 


MINOU    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802. 


[1794. 


144  :'  40  of  those  in  the  lUsolue  were  scarcely  engaged,  as  against 
as  many  in  the  Nijinphe  which  were  not  in  action,  owing  to  that, 
ship    being   left   behind.      None   of   the   British    ships   were  very 
severely  damaged.     Their  loss  is  stated  as  follows  : — 


British. 

Slen. 

KilleJ. 

Wouuiieii. 

Total. 

Freucii. 

Men. 

I...SS. 

Flora .      .      . 

267 

1 

3 

4 

Engayean  te    . 

9 

*> 

Ai-ethusa  . 

277 

3 

5 

8 

Fomone   . 

:U1 

80-100 

Melampus 

267 

5 

0 

10 

Bahft .      .      . 

ITS 

30-40 

Concorde  . 

257 

1 

12 

i:^ 

The  Ponione  was  of  1'239  tons,  of  unusual  beam,  and  an  excellent 
sailer.^     She  was  purchased  for  the  Navy. 

On  May  5th,  in  East  Indian  waters,  the  Orpheus,  32,  Captain 
Henry  Newcome ;  Centurion,  50,  and  Bcsistance,  44,  chased  the 
French  Duguay  Trouin,  34,  and  another  ship.^  The  Orplieus  closed 
the  Duguay  Trouin,  and  began  action  before  noon.  In  little  more 
than  an  hour  the  Frenchman  struck.  She  had  been  an  East  India- 
man,  and  was  probably  weakly  built. 


Killed.        \\'onnded.        Total. 


(irpheus     .      .         708     !       40 
Duguay  Trouin        —  34 


Lbs. 
246 

194? 


GO 


10 
81 


The    Centurion    and    liesistance   were   coming   up    fast    ^\■hell    the 
enemy  surrendered. 

On  the  same  day  the  Siciftsure,  74,  Captain  Charles  Boyles,  and 
St.  Albans,  64,  with  a  convoy  out  from  Cork,  saw  and  chased  the 
French  inga,te  At alante,  36,  Captain  Charles  Alexandre  Leon  Durand 
Linois,  and  the  corvette  Levrette.*  The  Swiftsure  chose  the  former 
as  her  quarry,  and  after  a  long  chase,  in  which  the  two  exchanged 
fire  more  than  once,  brought  her  to  close  action  on  the  7th  at  2.30  a.m. 
The  Levrette  seems  to  have  escaped.  After  fifty-five  minutes'  fighting 
the  Atalante  struck.    Her  masts  and  rigging  were  in  bad  order  before 

>  Troude,  13G. 

^  According  to  Osier  and  James  she  carried  24-prs.  on  her  main-deck  ;  according  to 
Brenton,  18's. 

'  James,  226.     Not  in  Troude.     Possibly  the  Duguay  Trouin  was  a  privateer. 
*  James,  227  :  Troude,  370  ;  llennequin,  '  Biograjihie  Maritime,'  i.  320. 


1794.]         THE  "CAETSFOJiT"    REOAPTURES    THE  "CASTOR."  485 

the  action,  and  were  now  disabled.     Her  crew  was  weak,  and  had 
been  for  two  whole  days  and  nights  at  quarters. 


Tons. 


liruudside. 


Killed.        Wounded.        Total. 


Swifts  urt 

1612 

82 

Lbs. 
928? 

644 

1 

0 

1 

Atalante  . 

'Df^C} 

40? 

280? 

274 

10 

o^o 

42 

00  minutes. 


The  Swiftsure  and  her  prize  were  seen  and  unsuccessfully  chased  by 
three  74's  of  M.  Nielly's  squadron.  The  Atalante  was  purchased 
for  the  Navy,  and  renamed  Esjnon. 

On  May  10th,  the  Castor,  Si,  Captain  Thomas  Troubridge,  was 
captured  on  her  way  to  Newfoundland,  without  any  resistance,*  by 
the  French  Patriote,  74,  one  of  Admiral  Nielly's  squadron.  On  the 
29th  she  w^as  sighted  by  the  Carysfort,  28,  Captain  Francis  Laforey, 
and,  after  seventy-five  minutes'  action,  recaptm-ed.  On  board  were 
twenty  of  the  Castor's  British  crew. 


— 

Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

lien. 

Killed. 

Wounded.  . 

Total. 

Carysfort 

599 

32 

Lbs. 

156 

180 

1 

4 

5 

Castor 

678 

36 

222 

200 

16 

9? 

25? 

io  minutes. 

On  May  25th,  Lord  Howe's  fleet  captured  and  destroyed  the 
French  Bepublicaine,  20,  and  hiconnue,  12.^ 

On  June  8th,  the  Crescent,  36,  Captain  Sir  James  Saumarez ; 
Druid,  32,  Captain  Joseph  Ellison  ;  and  Eur  yd  ice,  24,  Captain 
Francis  Cole,  fell  in  with  the  French  cut-down  74's,  Scevola,  50, 
and  Brutus,  50,  two  36-gun  frigates  and  a  brig,  but  succeeded  in 
making  their  escape.  The  Crescent  drew  off  the  French  pursuit, 
from  the  slower  ships,  heading  into  Guernsey  road  by  a  channel  till 
then  unused  by  warships.  Captain  Saumarez  was  a  Channel 
Islander,  and  his  local  knowledge  stood  him  iu  good  stead.  This 
was  an  achievement  as  brilliant  as  it  was  gallant  and  skilful. 

On  June  17th,  Captain  the  Hon.  William  Paget  in  the  Bomney,  50, 

'  James,  228  ;  Troude,  379  ;  CM.,  71,  June  24th. 
^  Logs  of  Audacious  and  Niijt-r. 


486 


MINOR    OPFAtATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1794. 


with  a  convoy,  discovered  the  French  Sihylle,  40,  Captain  J.  M. 
Rondeau,  at  anchor  in  the  harhour  of  Mykonos.'  Three  other  British 
vessels  were  in  sight  from  the  liomnei/s  masthead,  and,  as  her  convoy 
would  for  that  reason  he  safe,  she  went  into  the  harhoiu-,  anchored 
close  to  the  Sihylle,  and  summoned  her  to  surrender.  The  Sihylle's 
captain  refused,  and  the  Bomney  opened  fire.  After  seventy  minutes' 
fighting  most  of  the  French  crew  fled  ashore,  and  Captain  Eondeau 
struck  his  colours.  The  Sihylle  fought  14  instead  of  13  guns  on  her 
main-deck  engaged  hroadside. 


Tons. 

Gnns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Bomney  . 

1046 

54' 

I.bs. 
462 

266 

8 

i       30 

38 

Sibylh      .      . 

1091 

44 

380 

380 

44 

11 L' 

156 

70  minutes. 

I  James  gives  her  no  tarrouftiies,  but  I  have  allowed  lier  four     Tronde  gives  her  ten,  and  reduces  the 
Sibylle's  battery  to  thirty-two  guns. 

The  Sihylle  was  purchased  into  the  British  Navy. 

On  July  14th,  the  sloop  Hound,  16,  Commander  Eichard  Piercy, 
on  her  way  home  from  the  West  Indies,  was  captm'ed,  thirty  miles 
to  the  west  of  the  Scillies,  by  the  French  frigates  Seine,  40,  and 
Galatee,  36.^     To  a  force  so  superior  she  offered  no  resistance. 

On  August  23rd,  early  in  the  morning,  the  British  frigates  Flora, 
Captain  Sir  John  Wan-en  ;  Arethusa,  38,  Captain  Sir  Edward  Pellew  ; 
Diamond,  38,  Captain  Sir  William  Sidney  Smith  ;  Artois,  38,  Captain 
Edmund  Nagle  ;  Diana,  38,  Captain  Jonathan  Faulknor  (2) ;  and 
Santa  Margarita,  3G,  Captain  Eliab  Harvej',  discovered  the  French 
frigate  Volontaire,  36,  Captain  Papin,  off  Brest,  and  compelled  her 
to  anchor  off  the  Penmarcks.^  There  she  was  vigorously  attacked 
by  four  of  the  British  ships,  and,  cutting  her  cables  to  take  up  a 
better  position,  was  driven  ashore.  Her  pumps  could  not  keep  the 
water  down,  and  therefore  Captain  Papin  abandoned  her.  At  the 
same  time  the  French  corvettes  Alerte,  12,  and  Esjnon,  18,  were 
driven  ashore  in  Audierne  Bay,  and  boarded  by  British  boats. 
Fifty-two  French  prisoners  were  brought  off,  but  the  vessels,  as 
they  had  many  wounded  on  board,  could  not  be  destroyed.     The 


'  J.anies,  231 ;  Troude,  381.  2  CM.,  72 

»  J.iiiies,  233  ;  'Iroude,  383;  Osier,  67. 


.Time  29th. 


1794.] 


TAKING    OF   TEE  "REVOLUTIONNAIRE." 


487 


Espion  was  got  off  by  the  French'  in  the  night.  The  Alerte 
was  lost. 

On  September  14th,  an  amusing  incident  happened.  Captain 
Samnarez's  squadron  of  four  frigates  was  sighted  off  Weymouth, 
where  at  that  time  was  the  Eoyal  family,  and  failed  to  answer  the 
guardship  Trusty's  private  signal.  It  was  immediately  supposed 
that  the  French  were  making  an  attempt  to  carry  off  the  King,  and 
the  troops  at  Weymouth  stood  to  arms,  the  batteries  were  manned, 
and  carriages  for  the  Eoyal  household  were  got  ready.  The  mis- 
understanding was,  however,  cleared  up  after  dark,  when  Saumarez 
entered  the  road. 

On  October  21st,  the  Arethusa,  Artois,  Diamond,'  and  Galatea, 
32,  Captain  Bichard  Goodvdn  Keats,  off  Ushant,  saw  and  chased  a 
French  frigate,  the  Bevolutionnaire,  44,  Captain  H.  A.  Thevenard. 
The  French  ship  was  with  some  difficulty  cut  off  from  the  land  and 
brought  to  action  by  the  Artois,  38,  Captain  Edmmid  Nagle,  which 
had  outsailed  the  other  British  ships.  A  warm  action  of  fortj' 
minutes'  duration  followed  before  the  Diamond  came  up  astern  of 
the  Frenchman,  though  Smith  would  not  spoil  the  Artois'  game  by 
firing.  Then,  after  a  gallant  and  creditable  defence  in  the  face  of 
a  greatly  superior  force.  Captain  Thevenard  struck  his  colom-s,  as 
his  men  would  no  longer  fight  the  ship.  He  was  but  just  out  from 
port  with  a  raw  crew. 


Tons. 


Gnus. 


Killed. 


Artois    . 

996 

44 

Lbs. 
370 

28111. 

3 

5 

8 

liecohitionnairi! 

1148 

44 

403 

351 

8 

5 

13 

40  iiiiuutes. 


Captain   Nagle  was   knighted,  and   his  capture  purchased  for  the 
Na\^'. 

On  October  22nd,  whilst  cruising  off  Mam-itius,  the  Centurion,  50, 
Captain  Samuel  Osbom,and  Dio»iec?e, 44, Captain  Matthew  Smith  (1),^ 
saw  and  chased  four  French  ships,  the  Cybele,  40,  Captain  Trehouart ; 
Prudente,  36,  Commodore  ■*  Jean  Marie  Benaud ;  Jean  Bart,  20,  and 

'  The  Esjiion  was  finally  taken,  however,  by  the  Lively,  in  1795. 

^  For  gun.s  and  Captains  see  above  p.  486.     James,  235  ;  Troude,  384  ;  Osier,  68. 

'  James,  236 ;  Troude,  370. 

*   Chef  de  division. 


488 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1795. 


Courier,  14,  which  had  put  to  sea  with  the  express  purpose  of  fighting 
the  British  squadron.  The  Centurion  and  Diomede  placed  themselves 
opposite  the  French  frigates  and  opened  action  at  about  3.30  P.M. 
The  Centurion  was  soon  so  much  cut  up  in  her  rigging  that  she 
dropped  behind,  and  the  Prudente,  leaving  the  French  line,  was 
able  to  get  away  from  her.  The  Cyhkle,  passing  the  Centurion, 
brought  down  the  latter's  mizen  and  foretopgallant-mast,  but,  on 
the  wind  dropping,  was  engaged  by  the  powerful  British  ship  and 
roughly  handled.  The  Diomede  did  httle  or  nothing,  except  fire 
from  a  distance  at  the  French.  Soon  after  five  the  wind  again 
freshened,  and  the  Cybele  got  away  with  her  maintopgallant-mast 
gone.  Though  both  British  ships  pursued  her  they  could  not  prevent 
the  Prudente  from  taking  her  in  tow,  and  ■nith  her  escaping. 


— 

Tods. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Killed. 

\\ounded. 

Total. 

Lbs.      1 

Centurion 
Diomede  . 

1044 

54 

402 

345  n. 

3 

24 

27 

891 

54 

408 

297  n. 

0 

0 

0 

!  Prudente. 

897 

40 

280 

300  n. 

15 

20 

35 

Cyhih      .      . 

— 

44 

410     ' 

330  n. 

22 

62 

84 

■Jean  Bart     . 

— 

20 

? 

? 

1 

0 

6 

\  Courier   . 

14 

? 

? 

0 

0 

0 

Captain  Smith  for  his  behaviour  was  court-martialled  and  dis- 
missed the  service,  biit  the  sentence  was  quashed  in  1798.  He 
retired,  however,  in  1806. 

On  December  2'2nd,  the  Daphne,  20,  Captain  "William  Edward 
Cracraft,  was  captured  by  Admiral  Villaret's  fleet  in  the  Bay.  She 
made  no  resistance. 

On  December  30th,  the  boats  of  the  Blanche,  32,  Captain  Eobert 
Faulknor  (3),  cut  out  a  French  armed  schooner  at  Desirade,  Guade- 
loupe, with  the  loss  of  only  six  men.' 

On  January  5th,  1795,  the  Blanche,  32,  whilst  cruising  off 
Guadeloupe,  encountered  the  French  Pique,  36,  Captain  Conseil.^ 
The  action  began  soon  after  midnight,  when  the  Blanche  passed  the 
Pique  on  the  opposite  tack,  exchanging  broadsides  with  her.  Then, 
as  the  Blaiwhe  tacked  and  came  up  in  the  wake  of  the  Pique,  the 
French  ship,  having  the  weather  gage,  wore  to  rake  her ;  but  Captain 
Eobert   Faulknor    (3)    was  able  to   defeat   the   manoeuvre   bv   also 


James,  308. 

lb.  309  ;  Troude,  439  ;  Brenton,  i.  247  ;  '  Nav.  Chrou.,'  16,  40. 


1795.' 


THE  "BLANGHE"    AND    THE  '"PIQUE." 


489 


The  ships  fought  broadside  to  broadside  till  2.30  a.m., 
when  the  Blanche  shot  ahead.  At  that  momeut,  just  as  the  Blanche 
was  preparing  to  rake  the  Picjue,  the  Blanche's  raizen  and  main- 
masts fell,  and  the  Pique  ran  foul  of  her,  receiving  a  terrible  raking 
fire.  An  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  French  to  board  was  repulsed 
with  heavy  loss.  At  about  3  a.m.  the  heroic  Captain  Faulknor  was 
shot  dead  as  he  was  endeavouring  to  lash  the  Pique's  bowsprit  to  the 


C.-^i-T.^IN    RUUEHT    FAULKSOK   (3),    R.N. 

Killed  iu  command  of  H.M.S.  Blanche,  Jan.,  1795. 

( Frotn  the  portrait  hu  Hotl.) 


Blanche.  The  lashing  parted,  and  the  two  ships  first  drifted  clear 
of  each  other,  and  then  fouled  again,  the  Pique  falling  on  the 
Blanche's  starboard  quarter.  The  Pique's  bowsprit  was  promptly 
lashed  to  the  stump  of  the  Blanche's  mainmast.  It  was  at  that  time 
that  the  top-fire  of  the  Pique's  shai'pshooters  began  to  trouble  the 
Blanche's  seamen,  whilst  the  British  frigate,  having  no  stern  ports 
on  her  main   deck,  could   not   bring  her  guns  to  bear  astern  on 


490 


MINOR    OPESATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1795 


the  Frenchman.  In  this  difficult}'  it  was  decided  to  make  ports 
in  the  ship's  stern,  by  the  simple  expedient  of  firing  two  shotted 
12-prs.  through  it,  leaving  firemen  with  buckets  of  water  to  put  out 
the  tiames  caused  by  such  an  heroic  measm-e.  The  12-prs.  there- 
after maintained  a  most  effective  fire,  until  the  Pique  was  dismasted  ; 
but  she  did  not  sti-ike  for  another  two  hom-s.  At  5.15  A.M.,  she 
hauled  down  her  flag.  She  had  fought  most  gallantly,  and  had  lost 
more  than  two-thirds  of  her  crew. 


Tons. 

Gnus. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

KUled. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Blanche   . 

710 

38 

!      Lbs. 
1     228 

198 

8 

1       21 

29 

Pique . 

906 

38 

f     273 

279 

76 

110 

186 

The  Pique  was  pui-chased  for  the  British  Navy. 

On  January  8th,  the  French  Esperance,  22,  was  captured  off  the 
Chesapeake  by  the  British  Argunaut,  64,  and  Oiseau,  36. '  On 
February  20th,  the  Bequin,  12,  was  taken  off  Dunkirk  by  the  British 
Thalia. 

On  March  2nd,  the  British  Lively,  32,  Commander  George 
Burlton  (actg.  Captain),^  captm-ed  the  French  corvette  Espion,  18, 
Captain  Magendie,  off  Brest,  after  a  two  hours'  action.^ 

On  March  13th,  the  Lively,  32,  Commander  George  Burlton 
(actg.  Captain),  sighted  the  French  TourtereUc,  28,  Captain  G.  S.  A. 
Montalan,  in  the  Channel.*  The  French  vessel  did  not  decline  the 
unequal  battle,  but  stood  to  meet  the  Lively.  Both  opened  fire 
soon  after  10  a.m.,  when  Captain  Montalan,  discovering  the  great 
superiority  of  his  opponent,  turned  and  attempted  to  retreat.  In  this 
he  was  unsuccessful,  and  the  Lively  closing  the  Toiirterelle  fought 
her  till  she  strack  at  1.30  P.M.,  in  a  very  shattered  state.  The 
TourtereUc  carried  a  furnace  for  heating  shot,  and  had  made  use  of 
it  against  the  Lively,  bm-ning  the  latter's  sails  badly.  The  furnace 
was  thrown  overboard  just  before  the  French  flag  was  lowered.  At 
that  time  the  use  of  hot  shot  was,  perhaps  rather  foolishly,  con- 
sidered a  breach  of  the  tacit  conventions  of  war. 

'  Troude,  441. 

"  The  Livelifs  Captain,  Lord  Garlics,  was  sick  ou  shore  at  the  time. 

'  Troude,  441. 

*  James,  313  ;  Troude,  4^5,  dates  the  action  May  15th,  an  evident  mistake. 


1795.] 


CAPTURE    OF   THE  "GLOIBE." 


491 




Toii^. 

Guns. 

Broa<1side. 

.Men. 

KiUe. 

Lively 

806 

38 

Lbs. 

324 

251 

0 

TourtereUe 

.'^81 

30 

188 

2W 

16 

Killed.        Wounded.        Total. 


41 


On  March  25th,  the  French  Coureuse,  18,  was  captured  by  a 
squadron  of  British  frigates  off  Lorient,^  and  the  Jean  Bart,  18,  on 
her  way  from  the  West  Indies  to  France,  was  taken  by  the  Biitish 
ships  Santa  Margarita  and  Cerberus. 

On  April  10th,  a  British  fleet  under  Eear-Admiral  John  Colpoys 
was  cruising  off  Brest,  when  three  sail  were  seen.^  The  fleet  scattered 
in  chase,  and  the  Astrcea,  32,  Captain  Lord  Henry  Paulet,  outsaihng 
the  ships  of  the  hne,  came  up  with  one  of  the  three,  the  French 
Gloire,  36,  Captain  Beens.  The  action  between  the  two  opened  at 
6  P.M.  At  10.30  the  Astrcea  closed  her  adversary,  and  after  an  hour's 
fight  made  her  strike  her  flag.  The  Astrtpa's  maintop-mast  went 
overboard  just  after  the  close  of  the  action,  and  her  other  topmasts 
were  so  wounded  that  they  had  to  be  removed. 


Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Lbs. 
174 

Meu 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Astrcea     . 

703 

32  • 

212 

0 

8 

8 

Gloire      .      . 

877 

42 

286 

275 

•} 

? 

40 

4.1  hums. 

*  James  gives  her  no  carronades;  but  this  must  bo  doubtful.    Possibly  eight  18's  Phould  be  added  to  her 
battery. 

The  Gloire  was  purchased  for  the  Navy,  but  did  not  long  remain 
in  the  service.  Of  the  other  French  vessels,  the  Gentille,  36,  Captain 
Canon,  was  taken  on  the  11th  by  the  Hannibal,  74.  The  third 
escaped.  The  easy  capture  of  the  G/o/;r  should  probably  be  ascribed 
to  the  presence  of  one  or  two  British  ships  of  the  line  at  no  great 
distance. 

On  May  1st,  the  Boijne,  98,  Captain  the  Hon.  George  Grey,  took 
fire  at  Spithead,  and  blew  up.  All  her  crew,  except  eleven  men,  were 
saved,  but  her  shotted  guns,  discharged  hj  the  heat,  killed  or 
wounded  three  men  in  the  fleet. ^ 


'  Troude,  442-3.  ^  James,  315 ;  Troude,  443. 

=  CM.,  vol.  72,  May  19tli. 


492  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1795. 

On  May  9th,  Captain  Sir  Eichard  John  Strachan,  in  the  Melampus, 
36,  with  the  frigates  Diamond,  Hebe,  Niger,  and  Siren,  whilst  at 
anchor  off  Jersey,  saw  a  French  convoy  running  along  the  enemy's 
coast.'  Giving  chase,  he  drove  the  convoy  into  Carteret  Bay,  where 
the  boats  of  his  squadron  attacked  it  and  captui'ed  or  burnt  every 
vessel  but  one,  with  the  loss  of  two  killed  and  seventeen  wounded. 

On  May  loth,  the  French  corvette  Hiroiidelle,  18,  was  attacked 
in  the  Bay  of  Frenay,  near  St.  Malo,  by  a  British  squadron,  but, 
being  supported  by  the  fire  of  a  small  fort,  repulsed  the  ships. ^ 

On  May  17th,  the  Thetis,  36,  Captain  the  Hon.  Alexander  Forester 
Inghs  Cochrane,  and  Hussar,  28,  Captain  John  Poor  Beresford, 
captured  off  Cape  Henry  two  large  French  storeships  of  a  squadron 
of  five.^  The  names  of  the  prizes  were  the  Prevotjante  and  Baison. 
The  British  loss  was  eleven  wounded.  On  the  28th,  the  Thorn,  16, 
Coixnnander  Eobert  Waller  Otway,  captured  the  French  corvette, 
Courier  National,  18,  in  the  West  Indies,  with  a  loss  of  six  wounded ; 
the  French  ship  having  seven  killed  and  twenty  wounded.''  On  the 
28th,  the  French  corvette  Prompte,  28,  was  captured ;  and,  on  the 
30th,  the  French  Liherte,  20,  was  attacked  and  sunk  off  San  Domingo 
by  the  Alarm,  32,  Captain  David  Milne'  (actg.). 

In  June,  almost  at  the  same  time,  the  Admirals  commanding 
the  French  and  British  fleets  in  the  Mediterranean  despatched  each 
two  frigates  to  ascertain  one  another's  movements.*  The  British 
pair  were  the  Dido,  28,  Captain  George  Henry  Towry,  and  Lowestoft, 
32,  Captain  Eobert  Gambler  Middletou  ;  the  French,  the  Minerve,  40, 
Captain  Delorme,  and  Artemise,  36,  Captain  Decasse.  The  enemies 
sighted  each  other  to  the  north  of  Minorca  on  June  24th,  early  in 
the  morning.  The  French  retired,  and  meanwhile  cleared  for  action. 
Having  first  drawn  far  ahead,  they  turned  and  stood  to  meet  the 
Dido  and  Lowestoft.  The  Minerve  was  in  advance,  and  engaged  the 
Dido  at  8.30  a.m.  The  Minerve  attempted  to  run  down  her  opponent, 
but,  owing  to  the  Dido  porting  her  helm,  only  struck  an  oblique 
blow,  and  entangled  her  bowsprit  in  her  enemy's  rigging.  The 
French  endeavoured  to  board,  but  were  beaten  off,  and  in  the  heavy 
swell  the  Miner  re's  bowsprit  snapped  and  went  overboard  carrying 

'  James,  318.  -  Troude,  445.  ^  James,  319. 

*  Marshall,  '  Naval  Biograph.v,'  i.  693. 

''  Captain  Milne  was  posted  on  Oct.  2nd  followiug.  Troude,  447 ;  Alarm's  log 
missing.  According  to  the  List  Book,  the  British  Captain  was  (the  Hon.)  Charles 
Carjienter;  (but  this  is  an  error.     '  Nav.  Chron.'  xxxi.x.,  App. — W.  L.  C.) 

"  James,  321 ;  Troude,  448. 


1795.] 


CAPTURE    OF   THE  "ALLIAXTIE." 


493 


■with  it  the  Dido's  mizen-mast.  The  Minerve  passed  along  the  Dido's 
larhoard  side,  carryiug  awaj-  sails  and  rigging,  but,  as  soon  as  she 
was  clear,  was  attacked  by  the  Lowestoft,  and  had  her  foremast, 
main  and  mizentop-mast  shot  awaj'.  The  Artemise,  instead  of 
helping  her  consort,  only  fired  a  broadside  at  each  of  the  British 
ships,  and  retreated,  pursued  by  the  Lowestoft.  Left  to  themselves, 
the  Minerve  and  Dido  repaired  damage  and  cleared  their  decks.  At 
10.30  the  Lowestoft  was  recalled  by  signal.  At  11.30  she  placed 
herself  on  the  Minerve' s  quarter  and  opened  a  heavy  fire,  whilst  the 
Dido  made  sail  to  renew  the  attack.  At  11.4.5  the  Minerve  hailed  to 
say  that  she  surrendered.  The  action  reflects  great  credit  upon  the 
senior  British  officer,  Captain  Towry,^  who  had  so  boldly  engaged  a 
far  superior  force. 


— 

T..US. 

Gun-J. 

BFoa^iside. 

Men. 

Drowned 
and  Killed. 

Wuunded. 

Total. 

Lbs. 

Dido  .      .      . 
'.Lowestoft 

595 

32 

156 

193 

6 

15 

21 

717 

36 

210 

212 

0 

3 

3 

'  Minerxy   . 
Artemise  . 

1102 

42 

370 

318 

9 

V 

28 



40 

283 

300  n. 

h 

? 

? 

3i  Loui>. 

The  Artemise's  captain  was  tried  by  jury  for  his  conduct,  but 
acquitted.     The  Minerve  was  purchased  for  the  Navy. 

On  August  22nd,  the  British  ships  Isis,  50,  Captain  Eobert 
Watson ;  Reunion,  36,  Captain,  James  Alms  (2) ;  Stag,  32,  Captain 
Joseph  Sydney  Yorke ;  and  Vestal,  28,  Captain  Charles  White, 
captured  the  Dutch  frigate  Alliantie,  36,  after  an  hour's  fight. ^ 
The  Dutch  vessels  Argo,  36,  and  Vlugheid,  16,  which  were  with 
her,  escaped  into  the  "Norwegian  harbour  of  Egero.  The  British 
loss  was  .5  killed  and  17  wounded.  The  Argo  lost  2  killed  and 
15  wounded.     The  AUiantie's  ^  loss  is  unknown. 

On  August  31st,  the  two  French  corvettes,  Suffisante,  14,  and 
Victorieuse,  14,  were  captiu-ed  off  the  Texel  by  Admiral  Duncan's 
squadron.*  They  were  on  a  cruise  against  the  British  whale 
fisheries. 

On    September   2nd,   the   Diamond,   38,    Captain    Sir  William 

'  After  serving  as  a  Commissioner  of  the  Xavy,  Captain  George  Henry  Towry  died 
in  1809. 

^  James,  324  ;  Log  of  Stag.  '  Added  to  the  Navy  as  Alliance. 

*  Brenton,  i.  92  ;  Troude,  ii.  453. 


v.n 


MJXUH    OPERATIOya,    1793-1802. 


[1795-6. 


Sidney  Smith,  chased  and  drove  on  the  rocks  of  the  Breton  coast 
the  French  Asseinblce  Ncitionale,  14. 

On  September  '29th,  the  Southampton,  32,  Captain  James  Mac- 
namara  (2),  cruising  off  Genoa,  chased  the  French  vessels  Vestale, 
36,  Captain  Foucaud,  Bnme,  24,  Alceste,  14,  and  Scout,  14.^ 
Selecting  the  Vestale  as  his  quarry,  Captain  Macnamara  opened 
on  her  at  10  p.m.,  and  maintained  a  running  action  with  her  whilst 
she  crowded  all  sail  to  get  away.  At  about  10.30  the  Southampton's 
rigging  was  so  damaged  that  she  fell  astern,  but  she  effected  repairs 
and  came  up  again  at  about  11,  only  to  lose  her  mizen-mast.  Profiting 
by  this  incident,  the  Vestale  escaped,  but  was  chased  in  the  course 
of  the  night  by  the  British  sloop  Moselle,  18,  Commander  Charles 
Brisbane.  The  French  ships  had  a  convoy  under  their  charge,  a 
fact  which  explains  their  strange  conduct  in  retiring  with  so  superior 
force  on  their  side. 


Southampton 
Vestale     . 


T-'DS. 

Guus. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Killed. 

W'ouiideil. 

071 

40? 

Lbs. 

l'4(j 

217  n. 

? 

? 

— 

40 

280 

300  n. 

8 

9 

J  houi. 

On  October  1st,  the  Vanguard,  74,  Captain  Charles  Sawyer, 
captured  the  French  Superhe,  24,  Captain  Doudoux,  in  the  West 
Indies. - 

On  October  10th,  the  Mermaid,  32,  Captain  Henry  Warre, 
captured  off  Grenada  the  French  Brutus,  10,  and,  four  days  later, 
the  French  Re2mblicaine,  18.  The  British  loss  was  only  4  ;  the 
French  20.  One  of  the  prizes  had  a  French  general  and  troops 
on  board,  destined  for  Grenada,  where  a  savage  war  between  the 
British,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  French  and  Caribs,  on  the  other, 
was  then  raging. 

On  March  10th,  1796,  the  Bonne  Citoyenne,  20,  Captain  La 
Boui'donnais,  was  chased  by  three  British  frigates,  and  captured 
in  the  Bay  by  the  Phaeton,  38,  after  the  exchange  of  a  few  shots. ^ 
The  Bonne  Citoijenne  was  one  of  Rear-Admiral  Sercey's  squadron 
on  her  way  to  Mauritius.      On   the   same  day  the  French  cutter, 

'  James,  325;  Marslmll,  i.  036  ;  Trouile,  454  ;  Log  of  Sotifhampi on. 
^  JameB,  328  ;  Tioude,  455. 
'  James,  387  ;  Troude,  iii.  21. 


1796.]  BRITISH  FEIQATES   AND   A    GONVOT.  495 

Aspic,  was  captured  in  St.  George's  Channel  bj-  the  Quebec,  32. 
The  French  brig,  Muiine,  fell  to  the  British  frigates  in  the  Bay 
a  few  days  later. 

On  March  18th,  Captain  Sir  A\  illiam  Sidney  Smith  in  the 
Diamond,  38,  with  the  Libert//,  14,  Lieutenant  George  M'Kinley, 
and  Aristocrat,  Lieutenant  Abraham  Gossett,  made  a  dash  at  a 
French  corvette  and  some  smaller  vessels  lying  in  the  Breton  port 
of  Erqui.'  Three  guns,  mounted  in  commanding  positions  on  the 
cliffs,  were  stonued  by  a  party  of  seamen  and  Marines.  The  French 
corvette,  Etourdie,  16,  four  brigs,  two  sloops,  and  a  lugger  were 
then  set  on  fire  and  destroyed.  In  this  dashing  operation  the 
British  loss  was  only  '2  killed  and  7— amongst  whom  were  two 
Lieutenants — wounded. 

On  March  20th,  off  Pointe  du  Eaz,  the  British  frigates,  Pomone, 
40,  Captain  Sir  John  Borlase  AVarren ;  Anson,  44,  Captain  Philip 
Charles  Dui"ham ;  Artois,  38,  Captain  Sir  Edmund  Nagle,  and 
Galatea,  32,  Captain  Richard  Goodwin  Keats,  saw  and  chased  a 
large  French  convoy  under  the  charge  of  the  frigates  Proserpine,  40, 
Unite,  Coqwille,  and  Tamise,  all  of  36,  and  the  corvette  Cigogne,  20.'^ 
After  taking  several  prizes  from  the  convoy,  the  British  squadron 
passed  the  French  on  the  opposite  tack,  exchanging  fire.  The 
Galatea  was  roughly  handled.  Tacking,  the  British  stood  after  the 
French,  who  steered  for  Pointe  du  Eaz  and  Brest,  whither  they 
succeeded  in  effecting  their  escape.  A  French  armed  storeship,  the 
Etoile,  28,  was,  however,  added  to  the  list  of  British  prizes.  The 
force  of  the  British  was  superior  in  this  affair,  and  it  is  not  obvious 
why  the  French  escaped  so  easily.  AVarren,  the  British  senior 
officer,  absurdly  exaggerated  the  strength  of  his  enemy  in  his  report 
of  the  business.  Of  the  convoy  six  ships  in  all  were  taken.  The 
British  loss  was  2  killed  and  6  wounded. 

On  Api-il  12th,  Sir  Edward  Pellew's  squadron  of  five  frigates, 
whilst  cruising  off  Brest,  saw  and  chased  the  French  Unite,  36, 
Captain  C.  A.  L.  Durand  Linois.^  The  British  Bevolutionnaire,  38, 
Captain  Francis  Cole,  closed  her  late  in  the  evening  at  11.30,  and 
called  upon  Captain  Linois  to  surrender  to  such  a  superior  force. 

'  James,  355  ;  Troude,  22. 

^  James,  3o(> ;  Troude,  2i. 

^  Osier,  '  Lord  Exmouth,'  80  ;  James,  357.  Troude,  23,  calls  the  French  ship  the 
Variante,  Capt.  Durand,  and  gives  the  date  as  the  11th.  Pellew  in  a  letter  to  the 
Admiralty  speaks  of  her  as  '^V Unite  alias  la  Variante."  The  Log  of  the  EevoluMon- 
nairt  fixes  the  date  as  the  12th. 


496  MINUS    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1796. 

Linois  refused,  and  a  hot  action  began.  The  French  crew,  how- 
ever, composed  mostly  of  conscripts  and  not  of  seamen,  fought 
badly.  Thirty  men  fled  below  and  pretended  that  they  were 
wounded.  Eighteen  Vendeens  refused  to  fight.  Captain  Linois,  in 
these  circumstances,  struck  at  11.50,  just  as  the  British  Concorde,  3(j, 
came  up.  The  Rh^ohitionnaire  by  herself  was  far  more  than  a 
match  for  the  Unite  in  weight  of  metal,  as  she  carried,  besides 
her  thirty-eight  gims,  eight  3-2-pr.  carronades.  Captain  Linois 
had  several  passengers  on  board,  who  were  transferred  to  a  neutral 
ship  by  Sir  E.  Pellew. 




T..ns. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Jlc-u. 

Killed. 

Wouuded. 

Total. 

Revolutionnaire 
Unite   .      .      . 

1148 
893 

46 
38 

Lbs. 
425 

240 

287 
255 

0 
9 

0 

I   11 

0 

20 

20  minute 

s. 

On  April  17th,  Captain  Sir  William  Sidney  Smith  of  the  Dia- 
mond,  38,  was  captured.'  He  led  a  boat  attack  upon  a  privateer, 
the  Vengeur,  at  Havre,  and  carried  her.  The  privateersmeu,  how- 
ever, had  cut  their  cable,  and,  as  the  tide  was  rising,  the  Vengeur 
was  swept  up  the  river,  two  miles  above  Havre.  Smith  attempted 
to  escape  with  the  boats,  but,  as  there  were  French  ships  on  the 
move  at  the  river's  mouth,  that  was  impossible.  The  intrepid  officer 
and  his  men  had  not  long  to  w^ait  before  they  were  attacked.  The}' 
were  surrounded  by  small  craft  and  compelled  to  surrender  ^^-ith 
the  loss  of  4  killed  and  7  wounded.  Smith  and  Midshipman  John 
"Wesley  Wright  w'ere  considered  state  prisoners  and  shut  up  in  the 
Temple.     They  escaped,  however,  in  May,  1798. 

On  April  '20th,  the  French  corvette  Unite,  '24,  was  carried  off 
from  the  neutral  harbour  of  Bona  by  the  British  frigate  Incon- 
stant, 36,  Captain  Thomas  Francis  Fremantle."  The  Unite  offered 
no  resistance.  She  was  purchased  for  the  Kavy  and  renamed 
Surprise. 

On  the  same  day  Sir  Edward  Pellew,  in  the  Indefatigable,  44,  with 
the  Amazon,  36,  Captain  Robert  Carthcw-  Reynolds,  and  Concorde,  36, 
Captain  Anthony  Hunt  ('2),  sighted  the  French  Virginie,  40,  Captain 

'  James,  359  ;  Tioude,  28. 

"  Troude,  28 ;  Scliomberg,  ii.  431 ;  James,  ii.  405.     Log  of  Inconstant  gives  the 
Unite  34  guns  and  318  men. 


1790.]  CAPTURE    OF   THE   "VIBGINIE."  497 

Bergeret,  off  the  Lizard.^  The  three  British  ships  at  once  crowded 
all  sail  and  stood  after  the  enemj'.  The  wind  was  south-east,  and 
prevented  the  Virginle  from  retreating  to  Brest.  After  a  fifteen 
hours'  chase  the  Indefatigable  got  close  enough  to  begin  a  running 
fight.  At  about  midnight  the  action  commenced.  After  an  hour  and 
three-quarters'  filing  the  Virginie  lost  her  mizen-mast  and  main- 
top-mast, and  the  Indefatigable  her  mizen-topmast  and  gaff.  By 
reason  of  these  injuries  the  British  ship  shot  ahead  and  was  all 
but  raked.  She  was  repairing  damages  when  the  Concorde  came 
up  astern  of  the  Virginie,  whereupon  the  latter  struck  in  a  very 
crippled  condition,  with  four  feet  of  water  in  her  hold.  The 
Virginie  had  been  bravely  fought  against  a  very  superior  force. 


— 

I'ons. 

Ltuu:-.         liroadbide.         Meu. 

KiUol. 

Wounded. 

Tutal. 

Indefatigable 
Virginie  . 

1384 

1(11  ;r, 

46 

!  ) 

Lbs. 

702             327 
.■■.4--'             339 

0 
1.5 

0 

0 

1  li 

uur  45  minutes. 

The  presence  of  the  Concorde  and  Amazon  at  the  close  of  the 
action  must  also  be  taken  into  account.  The  Virginie  was  pm'chased 
for  the  Navy. 

On  April  -llth,  the  British  frigate  Niger,  32,  Captain  Edward 
James  Foote,  drove  the  French  armed  lugger,  Ecureuil,  ashore  on 
the  Penmarck  rocks."  After  cannonading  her,  Captain  Foote  sent 
in  his  boats,  which,  in  spite  of  a  desperate  resistance  on  the  part 
of  the  French,  burnt  her.     The  British  loss  was  seven  wounded. 

On  April  'Jlst,  the  French  corvette  Perc;antc,  '2G,  Captain 
Tourtelet,  was  chased  ashore  on  the  San  Domingo  coast  by  the 
British  Irresistible,  74,  a  frigate,  and  two  smaller  vessels.' 

On  May  4th,  the  Spencer,  16,  Commander  Andrew  Fitzherbert 
Evans,  brought  the  French  gun-brig  Volcan,  12,  to  action,  after  a 
long  chase,  south  of  Bermuda.*  The  Spencer  was  armed  almost 
entirely  with  caiTonades,  having  only  two  long  guns.  Her  broad- 
side threw  88  lbs.,  against  the  French  vessel's  26  lbs.  The  Volcan, 
before  she  struck,  had  her  topmasts  shot  away,  and  lost  many 
men,  some  of  whom  were  killed  by  the  explosion  of  hand-grenades 
which  had  been  prepared  by  her  crew  for  use  against  the  British 

'  James,  361 ;  Troude,  29  ;  Log  of  Indefatigable.  '  Troude,  32. 

2  James,  362.  *  James,  363  ;  Troude,  33. 

VOL.    IV.  2   K 


498 


iMINOR    OPERATIONS,    17!)3-1802. 


[179G. 


sloop.  The  Spencer  sustained  a  loss  of  one  killed  and  one  wounded, 
and  much  injury  to  her  rigging.  Three  of  her  carronades  upset  in 
the  action,  which  lasted  for  seventy-five  minutes. 

On  May  12th,  Admiral  Adam  Duncan's  squadron,  cruising  off  the 
Texel,  chased  the  Dutch  frigate  Argo,  36,  three  hrigs  and  a  cutter.^ 
The  Argo  was  quickly  overhauled  by  the  Phwnix,  36,  Captain 
Lawrence  William  Halsted,  and  brought  to  action,  when,  after 
twenty  minutes'  fighting,  seeing  British  ships  on  all  sides  of  her, 
the  Dutchman  struck.  Two  of  the  Dutch  brigs  were  chased  on 
shore  ;  the  third  was  captured,  and  the  cutter  shared  her  fate  on 
May  13th.  The  Argo  w'as  purchased  for  the  Navy,  and  renamed 
Juno,  there  being  already  an  Argo  in  the  service. 

On  May  2nd,-  the  British  Dryad,  36,  Captain  Lord  Amelius 
Beauclerk,  for  whom  Commander  John  King  Pulling  was  acting, 
captured  the  French  corvette  Aheille.^ 

On  June  8th,  the  British  frigates  Santa  Margarita,  36,  Captain 
Thomas  Byam  Martin,  and  Unicorn,  32,  Captain  Thomas  Wil- 
liams (4),  sighted  in  the  Channel  the  French  Tribune,  36,  Captain 
Jean  Moultson,  Tamise,  36,  Captain  J.  B.  A.  Fradin,  and  Legere,  18, 
Lieutenant  J.  M.  M.  Carpentier.^  As  the  British  ships  approached, 
the  Legere  drew  away  from  her  two  consorts.  A  running  fight 
began  at  1  p.m.,  as  the  result  of  which  the  British  vessels  suffered 
much  in  their  masts  and  rigging.  At  4  p.m.,  however,  the  Santa 
Margarita  closed  the  Tamise,  and  fought  her  broadside  to  broadside, 
whilst  the  Unicorn  continued  the  pursuit  of  the  Tribune.  After 
twentv  minutes'  fighting  the  Tamixc  struck. 


'■'}  liours  20  minutes. 

The  Tamise  was  restored  to  the  Navy  under  her  original  name, 
Tha?nes. 

The  Unicorn  after  a  long  chase  closed  the  Tribune  at  10.30  p.m., 

'  James,  363;  Schomberg,  ii.  421.  ^  Log  o(  Dryad. 

'  James,  364,  gives  the  capture  by  the  Suffisante,  14,  of  the  Freuch  Revanche,  12, 
on  May  27th,  without  stating  that  tlie  latter  was  a  jirivateer.  Troudc,  34,  omits 
this  actiou. 

*  James,  365;  Troude,  3G. 


1796.] 


CAPTURE    OF   THE  "UTILE:' 


499 


and  fought  her  for  thirty-five  minutes,  when  the  Frenchman  dropped 
astern.  The  Unicorn,  backing  her  sails,  followed  her  adroitly,  placed 
herself  on  the  Tribune  s  weather  bow,  brought  down  her  foremast, 
mainmast  and  mizentop-mast,  and  compelled  her  to  strike. 


Unicorn  . 
Tribune    . 


Tons. 


791 

91 G 


44 
38 


Lbs. 

348 
260 


lien. 


240 
339 


0 

37 


0 
14 


Total. 


0 
51 


It  is,  as  James  comments,  extraordinary  that  the  Unicorn  should 
have  suffered  no  loss ;  and  the  only  conclusion  is  that  the  French 
gunnery  was  exceedingly  bad.  This  was  the  third  frigate  action 
within  a  few  months  in  which  the  same  phenomenon  occurred. 

On  June  9th,  the  British  Mediterranean  fleet  was  cruising  off 
Toulon  when  a  French  corvette  was  noticed  in  Hyeres  Roads. '  Sir 
John  Jervis,  the  British  Admiral,  summoned  Captain  James  Mac- 
namara  (2)  of  the  Southampton,  32,  on  board  the  flagship  and  pointed 
out  "  this  eyesore."  Macnamara  accepted  the  hint ;  stood  in  under 
easy  sail  past  the  French  batteries,  which  took  his  ship  for  a  neutral, 
dashed  at  the  corvette.  Utile,  24,  boarded  and  carried  her,  and  then, 
taking  her  in  tow,  repassed  the  forts  iinder  a  heavy  fire.  Lieutenant 
Charles  Lydiard,  who  led  the  Southampton  s  boarders,  was  promoted 
by  Jervis  on  the  spot  to  the  command  of  the  Utile.^  The  British 
loss  was  one  killed ;  the  French,  eight  killed  and  seventeen 
wounded. 

On  June  11th,  the  French  corvettes  Trois  Couleurs,  14,  and 
Betsy, ^  18,  were  taken  off  Brest  by  the  Amazon,  38,  and  other 
British  frigates.* 

On  June  13th,  to  the  south  of  Cape  Clear,  the  Dryad,  36, 
Captain  Lord  AmeHus  Beauclerk,  brought  the  French  frigate 
Proserpine,  40,  Captain  Pevrieu,  to  action  at  about  8  A.M.^  For  an 
hour  the  engagement  was  a  running  one.  Then  the  Dryad  came 
up  on  the  Frenchman's  larboard  quarter  and  began  a  close  action. 
After   forty-five   minutes  of  this  the  French  ship  struck.     Neither 

'  Tucker,  '  St.  Yinceut,'  i.  18.5  ;  James,  370 ;  Troude,  38. 

^  Lydiard,  who  was  further  promoted  on  Jan.  1st,  lt-01,  to  the  rank  of  Captain,  was 
drowned  in  the  Anson  in  1807. — W.  L.  C. 

^  The  Betsy  appears  in  the  prize  lists  as  the  Blonde. — W.  L.  C. 

'  Troude,  38  ;  Log  of  Amazon. 

'"  .James,  369 ;  Troude,  39  ;  Log  of  Dryad. 

2  K  2 


500 


MIXOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802. 


[1796. 


vessel   lost   a   spar,    and    neither   was   much    damaged  in    sails   or 


D)-yad 
Proserpine 


Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Killed. 

\\ounded. 

924 

44 

Lbs. 
407 

254 

o 

7 

1059 

42 

366 

346 

30 

45 

75 


\l  llOUlS 


ADMIRAL    »lli    ilL^KY    TliuLLoi'E    (1),    KT. 

(Friiin  n.  li.  CnoKx  •ii'traving,  after  the  portrait  bii  Bowi/er,  painted  when  Sir  Henry  was  a 
Vtee-Admtral,  1803-1812.) 

The  Proserpine  was  purchased  for  the  Navy  and  re-named  Amelia. 

On  June  22nd,  the  French  corvette  Lkjtre,  18,  was  captured  off 
Brest  by  the  British  frigates  Apollo,  38,  and  Doris,  36.^ 

On  July  12th,  the  French  frigate  Renommee,  36,  Captain  Pitot, 
was  overtaken  by  the  British  Alfred,  74,  Captain  Thomas  Druiy,  off' 

'  James,  370. 


1796.] 


THE  "QLATTON"    AND    FRENCH  FRIGATES. 


501 


San  Domingo.'  Two  broadsides  from  the  Alfred  disabled  the  French 
frigate,  several  shots  striking  the  latter  below  the  water-line,  and 
flooding  the  magazines  in  a  moment. 

Late  in  the  evening  of  July  15th,  the  Glattun,  5G,  with  twenty- 
eight  08-pr.  carronades  on  her  lower  deck,  and  as  many  32-pr. 
carronades  on  her  upper  deck,  under  Captain  Henry  Trollope,  met 
a  French  squadron  of  seven  or  eight  ships  in  the  North  Sea.  These 
were  probably  the  Brutu.t,-  46  or  50,  Incorruptible,  38,  Rassurante,  36, 
RepubUcdiiie,  "28,  and  four  small  corvettes.  The  French  formed  in 
line  ahead.  The  Glatton  stood  past  the  small  ships  and  attacked  the 
largest  of  her  enemies.  Two  of  the  other  French  frigates  hung 
about  her,  but  all  thiee  were  very  roughly  handled  and  beaten  off. 
The  Glutton,  however,  was  so  wounded  in  her  masts  and  rigging, 
at  which  the  enemy  fired,  and  was  withal  so  slow  a  sailer,  that  she 
could  not  take  possession  of  any  of  her  opponents.  It  is  astonishing 
to  record  that  onlj'  two  men  were  wounded  in  her.  Her  68-pr. 
carronades  were  very  effective  at  close  quarters,  but  she  had  not 
enough  men  to  fight  both  broadsides  at  once.  It  is  said  that  one 
of  the  French  ships  foundered  on  the  squadron  taking  refuge  in 
Flushing,  whither  it  was  chased  by  the  Glatton. 

On  July  2'2nd,  off  Guadeloupe,  the  British  Aimable,  32,  Captain 
Jemmett  Mainwaring,  chased  the  French  Pensee,  36,  Captain 
Valteau.''  After  exchanging  fire  in  the  evening,  the  Pensee  fled 
and  drew  ahead  during  the  night.  At  about  7  a.m.,  however,  she 
shortened  sail  ;  the  Aimable  closed  ;  and  the  two  captains  saluted 
one  another.  Then,  as  the  Pensee  was  again  retreating,  the  Aimable 
bore  up  at  about  8.40  a.m.  and  fired  into  her,  but,  after  a  running 
engagement,  dropped  astern  out  of  range. 


— 

Tons. 

Gdds. 

BroaiJside 

.Men. 

Killed. 

Wouuded. 

T"tal. 

Aimable  . 

782 

40 

Lbs. 
2iG 

217  n. 

0 

2 

2 

Pensee 

— 

40  • 

280' 

300  n. 

g 

? 

'.lOV 

1  Troude,  43,  forty-two  gnn*,  320-lb.  broadside. 

On  August  8th,  in  the  same  waters,  the  Mermaid,  32,  Captain 

'  Troude,  41. 

-  James,  372.    Troude,  41,  does  not  mention  the  Brutus.    The  Olattoiis  carronades 
ajipear  to  have  been  mounted  on  the  non-recoil  principle. 
^  James,  377. 


502 


MJA'OIi    OPEKATIOSS,    1793-1802. 


[1700. 


Eobert  ^^'allel•  Otway,  engaged  the  French  Vengeance,  40,  at 
11.50  A.M.'  A  prolonged  but  indecisive  action  followed,  until,  on 
the  British  Beaulieu,  40,  Captain  Francis  Laforey,  coming  up,  the 
Vengeance  retired,  under  shelter  of  the  Basseterre  batteries.  The 
French  ship  sustained  most  of  her  loss  when  twice  missing  stays. 


Tuus. 

Guus. 

Hroadsiile. 

Men. 

Killed. 

W'uund'  d. 

luUi. 

Mermaid  . 

689 

40 

Lbs. 

246 

217  n. 

0 

0 

0 

Veiigeann 

1180 

44' 

410 

330  n. 

12 

2i.i 

38 

1  James  says  fiftv-two. 


On  August  22nd,  Commodore  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren's  squadron 
of  four  frigates  and  a  sloop,  cruising  off  the  mouth  of  the  Gironde, 
chased  the  French  ix\ga.ie  Andromaque,  'iQ>}  She  was  cut  off  from 
the  Gironde  by  the  Galatea,  32,  Captain  Eichard  Goodwin  Keats, 
and  Sylph,  18,  Commander  John  Chambers  White,  and,  after  she 
had  several  times  been  lost  sight  of  through  the  darkness  of  the 
night,  was  driven  ashore  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd.  The  .%//)/; 
proceeded  to  fire  into  her  bottom,  and  in  the  afternoon  sent  in  her 
boats  and  bui-nt  her. 

On  August  2.5th,  the  liaison,  20,  Captain  John  Poo  Beresford, 
was  chased  by  the  French  Vengeance,  40,  to  the  west  of  the  Gulf 
of  Maine. ^  The  British  vessel,  however,  after  a  running  action  of 
two  hours,  escaped  from  her  powerful  antagonist  with  the  loss  of 
three  killed  and  six  wounded,  whilst  the  French  lost  six  killed  and 
an  unknown  number  of  wounded.  The  JRaison  was  helped  in  her 
escape  by  the  very  foggy  weather. 

On  August  28th,  the  French  Elisabeth,  36,  was  captured  by  the 
Topaze,  36,  Captain  Stephen  George  Church,  off  Cape  Henry,  after 
a  broadside  had  been  exchanged.*  A  large  British  squadron  was 
coming  up  behind  the  Topaze. 

On  September  9th,  off  the  coast  of  Sumatra,  Eear-Admiral 
Sercey's  squadron,  composed  of  the  Forte  and  Regeneree,  38,  Vertu 
and  Cijhele,  36,  Prudente,  32,  and  the  armed  ship  Seine,  was  attacked 
by  the  Arrogant,  74,  Captain  Richard  Lucas,  and  Victorious,  74, 
Captain  William    Clark  (1),   which   had   been  following   since   the 


'  James,  379  ;  Kalfc,  '  Kaval  Biograpliy,'  iv. 
'  James,  383. 


=  James,  384. 

*  lb.,  385  ;  Troude,  43. 


1796.] 


THE   "PELICAN"   AND    THE  "MEDEE." 


503 


previous  day.'  The  enemies  passed  on  opposite  tacks,  exchanging 
tire,  but  the  Arrogant  was  very  soon  so  much  damaged  in  her  rigging 
that  she  fell  behind  and  ceased  firing,  having,  however,  almost 
crippled  the  Vertti.  Four  of  the  British  ship's  guns  were  disabled 
or  dismounted.  The  Victorious  continued  the  action,  but  without 
great  success.  She  was  out-manoeuvred  by  the  French  frigates, 
which  kept  as  far  as  possible  outside  the  field  of  fire  commanded 
by  her  broadside,  and  attempted  to  rake  her.  Sercey  retired  at  10.55, 
and  at  11.15  a.m.  the  Victorious  ceased  her  fire. 


— 

Tons. 

Uiins. 

Br.adside. 

Men. 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

British     . 
French '   . 

164 

220  V 

Lbs. 
1676 

1700? 

1200? 
1400? 

24 
42 

84 
104 

108 

146 

1   1  he  Seine's  armament  being  uncertain,  a  minimutii  of  force  bas  been  allowed  her. 

Sercey  appears  to  have  had  the  undoubted  advantage,  and  this 
though  he  was  engaging  ships  of  the  line  with  stouter  sides  than 
his  frigates.  His  orders  to  avoid  fighting  and  attack  commerce 
probably  prevented  him  from  obtaining  a  more  significant  success. 

On  September  •22ud,  the  Amphion,  32,  Captain  Israel  Pellew, 
blew  up  at  Plymouth  from  some  unexplained  cause.  Captain 
Pellew  was  saved,  with  ten  out  of  312  officers  and  men  or  visitors 
on  board. 

On  September  23rd,  the  Pelican,  18,"  Captain  John  Clarke  Searle,^ 
attacked  the  French  Medee,  36,  in  the  West  Indies,  and  fought 
with  her  a  close  action  of  two  hours'  duration,  when  the  Frenchman 
retired.  The  Pelican  was  so  cut  up  that  she  could  not  pursue. 
After  such  an  astounding  action  the  value  of  the  carronade,  in 
certain  cases,  seems  self-evident. 


Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

M(U. 

Kill.d. 

Wounded. 

Tolal. 

Pelican    . 

— 

18 

Lbs. 

i     262 

97 

— 

1 

1 

Medee 

— 

40 

:    410 

300  n. 

■5 

9 

33 

'  James,  301 ;  Tioude,  18 ;  Chevalier,  'La  Mar.  Franc,  sous  la  Republique,'  245. 
^  James,  396,  sisteen  32-pr.  carronades,  two  long  6's. 

^  Searle   had   been   posted   on   the   previous   13th  of  July,  but  still  retained  his 
Commander's  command. 


504 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1790. 


It  appears  that  the  Medic's  captain  imagined  that  the  Pelican  was  a 
frigate  "  with  her  mizen-mast  out." 

On  October  13th,  off  Cartagena,  the  Terpsichore,  32,  Captain 
Kichard  Bowen,  with  a  weak  and  sickly  crew,  engaged  the  Spanish 
Mahonesa,  34,  Captain  Don  T.  Ayaldi.'  After  a  two  hours'  warm 
action  the  Terpsichore  dropped  astern  with  serious  injuries  to  masts 
and  rigging.  Refitting  in  twenty  minutes,  she  came  up  again,  when 
the  Mahonesa  struck  her  colours. 


— 

Tons. 

Guus. 

liroadsiiie. 

Men. 

Killed. 

\Vounded. 

lotal. 

Terpsichore    . 
Mahonesa 

682 

921 

40 
.34? 

I,bs. 
276 

180? 

182 

275 

0 

30 

4 
30 

4 
60 

120  minutes. 


The  Terpsichore  had  her  three  masts  wounded,  and  shots 
through  her  spars  and  boats :  otherwise  she  was  little  the  worse. 
The  Mahonesa  was  added  to  the  Navy. 

On  November  25th,  the  Lapwing,  28,  Captain  Eobert  Barton, 
was  summoned  from  St.  Kitts  to  the  aid  of  Anguilla,  in  the  West 
Indies,  where  a  French  force  had  disembarked.-^  She  arrived  on  the 
26th,  and  immediately  the  French  re-embarked  in  the  Decius,  20, 
and  Vaillante,  10 ;  but  the  DScius  was  captured  after  an  hour's 
action,  in  which  she  lost  120  killed  and  wounded  out  of  836  on 
board.  The  Lapwing  had  one  killed  and  six  wounded.  The 
Vaillante,  to  avoid  capture,  ran  ashore,  and  was  destroyed  by  the 
Lapicing's  guns. 

On  December  12th,  the  Terpsichore,  Captain  Eichard  Bowen, 
chased  the  French  Vestale,  36,  Captain  Fourcaud,  off  Cadiz. ^  On 
the  13th  the  Frenchman  hove  to,  and  waited  for  the  Terpsichore, 
wliicli  came  up  at  11.30  p.m.  and  began  a  hot  action  in  stormy 
weather.  At  1.20  a.m.  the  Vestale,  with  all  her  masts  and  her 
bowsprit  tottering,  struck.  Her  mizenmast  fell  just  after  her 
surrender ;  and,  before  the  British  boats  could  reach  her,  her  main- 
mast, foremast  and  bowsprit  followed. 

'  James,  399  ;  Log  of  Terpsichore. 
'  James,  401. 

'  James,  402 ;  Troude,  45 ;  Chevalier,  '  JIar.  Franc,  sous  la  Kepublique,'  261 ;  Log 
of  Terpsichore. 


1796.] 


NELSON  AND   SPANISH  FRTQATES. 


505 


— 

Tons. 

Guus. 

BroadsiJe.  |      Men. 

Killed. 

WotindeJ. 

Total. 

Terpsichore    . 
Vestale     . 

682 

40 

40 

Lbs. 

276           166 
286       '     300 .' 

4 
30 

18 
37 

67 

1  hour  40  minutes. 

The  high  sea  and  strong  wind  prevented  the  Terpsichore  from 
placing  an  adequate  crew  on  board  the  prize,  or  transferring  the 
prisoners,  and,  on  the  14th,  the  Vestale  s  men  rose  on  the  British 
party,  recaptured  the  ship,  and  reached  Cadiz.  For  this  action  the 
gallant  Bowen  received  no  warm  commendation  from  Sir  John 
Jervis,  and  no  reward  from  the  country.  The  merchants  of  London 
gave  him,  however,  a  piece  of  plate. 

On  December  19th,  Commodore  Horatio  Nelson  in  the  Minerve, 
38,  Captain  George  Cockburn,  with  the  Blanche,  32,  Captain  d'Arcy 
Preston,  fell  in  with  two  Spanish  frigates,  Sabina,  40,  Captain  Don 
Jacob  Steuart,  and  Ceres,  40,  off  Cartagena.  At  10.40  the  Minerve 
engaged  the  Sabina}  In  fifty  minutes  the  Spanish  ship's  mizen- 
mast  went  overboard,  and  at  1.20  a.m.  she  struck. 


Minerve 
Sabina 


UroadsidH.  ,       Men. 


1102 


42 
40 


Lbs. 

370 

3i:)0 


286 

2S(; 


34 


Total. 


41 

16 1 


2  hours  40  minutes. 

Lieutenants  John  Culverhouse  and  Thomas  Masterman  Hardy, 
with  a  prize  crew,  were  placed  on  board  the  Sabina  ;  but  at  4  a.m.  of 
the  20th  the  Minerve  had  to  cast  off  the  tow-rope  and  engage  a  second 
Spanish  frigate,  the  Matilda,  34,  which  she  drove  off  with  the  loss  of 
ten  wounded.  As  a  Spanish  112-gun  ship  and  two  more  frigates  were 
coming  up,  the  Minerve  was  then  obliged  to  look  to  her  own  safety. 
She  owed  her  escape  to  the  fact  that  Hardy  and  Culverhouse  hoisted 
the  British  coloui-s  above  the  Spanish  in  the  Sabina,  and  thereby 
drew  off  the  enemy's  attention.     The  Sabina  was  recaptured. 

The  Blanche  meanwhile  engaged  the  Ceres  and  quickly  brought 
her  colours  down,  but  could  not  take  possession  owing  to  the  arrival 


'  Nicolas,  '  Nelson,'  ii.  312  ;  James,  406. 


506  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [l7tiG-T. 

of  the  otlier  Spanish  ships.  The  Blanche  lost  no  one;  the  Ceres, 
seven  killed  and  fifteen  wounded. 

On  December  30th,  the  Poli/phemun,  64,  Captain  George  Lums- 
daine,  captured  the  French  Tartu, ^  40,  after  a  running  fight  of  four 
hours.-  The  Tartu  had  formed  part  of  the  ill-fated  expedition  to 
Ireland.  She  was  purchased  for  the  Navy,  in  which  she  figured 
under  her  old  name,  Urania. 

On  January  ■28th,  1797,  five  large  East  Indiamen,  under  Charles 
Lennox,  master  of  the  Woodford,  met  Rear-Admiral  Sercey's 
squadron  of  six  French  frigates  off  Java.^  Lennox,  with  remark- 
able judgment,  hoisted  a  British  admiral's  flag  and  made  signals, 
so  that  the  French,  convinced  that  they  saw  before  them  Eear- 
Admiral  Peter  Eainier's  squadron,  were  only  too  pleased  to  retire. 

On  January  31st,  an  Algerine  corsair  of  twenty-four  guns,  mistook 
the  British  Andromache,  3'2,  Captain  Charles  John  Moore  Mansfield, 
cruising  on  the  Mediterranean  station,  for  a  Portuguese  frigate,  and 
found  that  she  had  caught  a  tartar.*  The  Algerine  lost  sixty-six 
killed  and  fifty  wounded,  to  the  Andromache's  two  killed  and  four 
wounded,  and  struck  her  colours. 

On  Februaiy  22nd,  the  French  vessels  Resistance  and  Vengeance, 
40,  Constance,  22,  and  Vautour,  lugger,  landed  in  Fisgard^  Bay, 
Pembroke,  a  nondescript  force  of  1500  criminals,  armed  and 
dressed  as  soldiers.  The  instructions  to  the  French  captains 
were  to  destroy  Bristol  and  then  attack  Liverpool,  but  their  hearts 
failed  them.  The  criminals  were  captured  with  ridiculous  ease  by 
Welsh  yeomanry,  militia,  and  fencibles. 

On  March  9th,  the  British,  frigates  San  Fiorenzo,  36,  Captain  Sir 
Harry  Burrard  Neale,  and  Nijnqilie,  36,  Captain  John  Cooke  (2), 
discovered  two  of  the  French  ships  engaged  in  this  expedition, 
the  Resistance,  40,  Captain  J.  B.  M.  Laroque,  and  Constance,  22, 
Captain  Purchet,  approaching  Brest.  The  British  frigates  at  once 
bore  down,  though  the  Brest  fleet  of  twenty  sail  could  be  made 
out  from  the  masthead,  and  attacked.  The  Resistance  struck  after 
twenty  minutes'  fight.     She  had  lost  her  rudder  and  steered  badly. 

'  Or  Tortue.     See  p.  481,  aniea. 

^  James,  ii.  11,  gives  the  date  as  Jan.  oth,  1797.  Log  of  Polyphemus :  which  ship 
had  one  wounded. 

'  James,  ii.  89. 

■*  7ft.,  90.     Log  of  AnJromache. 

'  Guillon,  '  France  et  I'lrlandc,'  297.  Tlie  name  is  now  spelt  Fishguanl.  Barras, 
Memoires,'  ii.  .345. 


1797.]  DESTRUCTION   OF    THE   "CALLIOPES  507 

The  Constance  offered  a  stouter  resistance,  but  ended  by  hauling 
down  her  flag  ten  minutes  later.  The  British  liobust,  74,  and 
Triton,  '28,  came  in  sight  at  the  close  of  the  action.  The  British 
ships  sutt'ered  no  loss.  The  French  had  eighteen  killed  and  fifteen 
wounded.  The  Resistance  mounted  48  guns  and  measured  1182  tons. 
She  was  purchased  for  the  Navy  and  renamed  the  Fishf/uard,  after 
the  place  where  she  had  landed  the  invading  force.' 

On  April  26th,  the  British  Irresistible,  74,  Captain  George 
Martin  (2),  and  Emerald,  36,  Captain  Velters  Cornwall  Berkeley, 
forming  part  of  the  squadron  blockading  Cadiz,  chased  the  Spanish 
frigates,  Ninfa,  34,  and  Santa  Elena,  34,-  into  Conil  Bay,  near 
Cadiz,  attacked  them  at  2.30  p.m.,  and  compelled  them  to  strike 
ninety  minutes  later.  The  Santa  Elena,  however,  after  striking, 
cut  her  cable  and  went  ashore,  when  her  crew  escaped.  She  sank 
after  being  got  off.  The  Ninfa,  purchased  for  the  Navy,  was  re- 
named the  Hamadryad .  The  Spanish  loss  was  eighteen  killed  and 
thirty  wounded  ;  the  British,  one  killed  and  one  wounded.  The 
Spanish  frigates  had  treasure  on  board,  but  unloaded  it  into  fishing- 
boats,  and  despatched  it  ashore  before  they  were  attacked. 

On  July  16th,  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren's  frigate  squadron, 
composed  of  the  Pomone,  40,  Anson,  44,  Artois,  38,  Sylph,  18,^ 
and  a  cutter,  chased  a  French  convoy  in  charge  of  the  Calliope,  28, 
and  two  corvettes.  The  corvettes  escaped  into  Audierne  Bay,  but 
the  Calliope  was  driven  upon  the  Penmarcks  early  on  the  17th.  To 
prevent  the  French  crew  from  removing  her  stores  and  guns,  she 
was  cannonaded,  first  by  the  Anson  and  then  at  close  quarters  by 
the  Syl2)h.  The  Calliope  went  to  pieces  on  the  18th.  The  loss  of 
the  Sylph  in  her  gallant  attack  was  six  wounded. 

On  August  10th,  the  Arethusa,  38,  Captain  Thomas  WoUey, 
cruising  in  the  latitude  of  the  Bermudas,  fell  in  with  the  French 
corvette   Gaite,  20,  Enseigne   J.  F.    Guine.*      The   latter   did   not 


— 

Tons. 

Guns. 

Hroadsi'ie. 

Men. 

Killed. 

W'oiiniled. 

Tot.il. 

Arethusa  . 

Oa!te .      .      . 

938 
514 

•II 

20 

Lbs. 

393? 
88 

277 

186 

1 

2 

3 

8 

1 

10 

30  miuut 

es. 

'  James,  91;  Troude,  (il.  *  James,  95;  Troude,  70. 

^  James,  93 ;  Breuton,  i.  191.  ■*  Troude,  iii.  71 ;  James,  98. 


508  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [iT'.iT. 

attempt  to  escape,  but  fought  the  heavy  British  frigate  for  half 
an  hour  and  then  struck.  For  his  recklessness  Guine  was  court- 
niartialled  and  censured. 

On  August  11th,  Warren's  squadron  of  three  frigates  (Pomoiie, 
Jason,  and  Triton)  and  one  brig-sloop,  the  Si/lph,  18,  Commander 
John  Chambers  "White,  attacked  a  French  convoy,  imder  the  charge 
of  the  corvette  Reolaise,  20,  a  gunboat  and  a  lugger.^  The  gun- 
boat was  destroyed  and  the  corvette  a  good  deal  cut  up,  with  a 
loss  to  the  British  ships  of  three  killed  and  five  wounded. 

On  October  14th,  near  the  Canaries,  the  French  Banger,  VI, 
Captain  Hulhn,  was  captured  by  the  Indefatigable,  44,  Captain  Sir 
Edward  Pellew.'  On  the  '2.5th,  in  the  same  waters,  the  same 
British  ship  was  mistaken  bj-  a  French  privateer  for  an  East 
Indiaman.  The  capture  of  the  Frenchman  was  the  result.  The 
vessel  proved  to  be  the  Hijene,  "24,  a  ship  taken  from  Britain  by 
the  French  in  1793,  and  commissioned  as  a  privateer. 

On  December  20th,  the  Pha-be,  36,  Captain  Eobert  Barlow, 
gave  chase  in  the  Bay  to  the  French  Nereide,  36,  Captain  A. 
Canon. ^  At  9  p.m.  the  two  were  near  enough  for  the  Nereide  to 
open  with  her  stern-chasers,  which  inflicted  much  damage  on  the 
Pha-be's  masts,  sails,  and  rigging.  The  Xereide  then  suddenly 
tacked,  and  the  Phabe  shot  ahead.  The  Phoebe,  however,  tacked 
as  soon  as  she  could,  and  seemingly  the  Nereide  tacked  again,  for 
the  two  passed  on  opposite  courses  exchanging  fire.  Finally,  they 
closed  and  fought  at  three  hundred  yards  for  three-quarters  of  an 
hour.  The  Nereide  once  fell  on  board  the  Phoebe,  but  the  latter 
easily  got  clear.  At  10.4.5  p.m.  the  French  ship  struck,  being  in 
a  very  battered  condition. 


— 

loQ^. 

iiun<. 

Bi-.jail>i.l.'. 

Mill. 

Ki)ic4. 

\\..U11.UI. 

Tut^.l 

Phabe      . 

!I26 

■14 

Lbs. 
-407 

261 

3 

10 

13 

Nereide    . 

892 

40 

278 

3M0 

20 

.»;> 

~~^ 

I4  hours. 

On  December  29th,  the  British  frigate  Anson,  44,  Captain  Philip 
Charles    Durham,    captured   without    much    difficulty    the   French 

'  James,  96 ;  TrouJe,  72. 

-  Troude,  73.     Log  of  Indefatigable.     Osier,  110. 

'  James,  103 ;  Troude,  73. 


1708.]  CHASE    OF   HIE  "CHARENrE."  509 

corvette  Daphne,  24,  Captain  Latre3'te.'  The  two  ships  exchanged 
broadsides,  with  the  result  that  the  Daphne  lost  two  killed  and  five 
wounded.  She  was  bound  for  Guadeloupe  with  dispatches,  but 
had  not  been  able  to  get  clear  of  the  French  coast.  She  was  very 
much  inferior  in  force  to  the  Anson. 

In  January,  1798,  the  British  frigates  Sihylle,  38,  Captain 
Edward  Cook,  and  Fox,  32,  Captain  Pulteney  Malcolm,  entered 
the  bay  of  Manilla,  disguised  as  French  frigates,  and  succeeded  in 
making  two  hundred  prisoners  and  in  capturing  seven  boats. - 

On  the  22nd,  they  attacked  the  Spanish  fort  of  Samboangon  in 
the  Philippines,  but  after  a  sharp  action  were  repulsed,  with  the  loss 
of  four  killed  and  fifteen  wounded.  Visiting  Pullock  Harbour  on  the 
31st,  two  seamen  were  killed  by  the  natives  and  nine  carried  off. 
The  latter  were  afterwards  restored. 

In  the  same  month  a  number  of  Swedish  merchantmen,  freighted 
with  contraband  of  war,  were  seized,  though  under  convoy  of  a 
Swedish  warship,  and  condemned  by  the  British  prize-courts — an 
act  which  led  to  great  soreness  in  Sweden.^  The  value  of  the 
property  in  them  was  £600,000. 

On  February  3rd  and  4th,  the  British  brig  Speedy,  14,  Com- 
mander Hugh  Downman,  fought  a  protracted  action  with  a  French 
privateer,  the  Papillon,  14,  of  very  superior  metal.  She  succeeded 
in  driving  her  enemy  off  with  the  loss  of  four  killed  and  four 
wounded,  but,  owing  to  the  failure  of  her  ammunition,  could  not 
capture  her. 

On  March  22nd,  1798,  the  Canada,  74,  Captain  Sir  John  Borlase 
Warren,  Anson,  44,  Captain  Philip  Charles  Durham,  and  Phaeton,  38, 
Captain  the  Hon.  Eobert  Stopford,  chased,  off'  the  isle  of  Aix,  the 
French  Charente,  36,  Captain  A.  A.  M.  Bruillac,  with  a  number  of 
French  political  prisoners  on  board,  destined  for  Cayenne.''  Early 
in  the  morning  of  the  23rd  the  Phaeton  got  within  long  range  of 
the  Charente,  whereupon  the  latter  turned  and  ran  for  the  Gironde, 
exchanging  broadsides  with  the  Canada  in  passing.  A  little  later, 
both  the  Charente  and  Canada  ran  agroimd.  The  former,  after 
throwing  her  guns  overboard,  escaped  up  the  river  to  Bordeaux 
in  a  damaged  condition.  The  latter  was  got  oft'  without  much 
difficulty  a  little  later. 

'  James,  105  ;  Troude,  7-i ;  Murray,  '  Durham,'  42,  gives  the  date  as  the  23rd. 
-  James,  237.  ^  'Ann.  Register,'  1801,  \\  36. 

*  Troude,  124 ;  James,  228. 


510 


MINOB    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1798. 


Oil  April  '23rd,  the  French  <,'unboat  Arrogante,  G,  was  captured 
off  Brest  by  the  British  frigates  Jason  and  Naiad. 

On  April  24th,  the  Pearl,  32,  Captain  Samuel  James  Ballard, 
found  the  French  frigate  Bighieree,  36,  at  anchor  at  Factory  Island 
in  the  Loss  Archipelago,  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  and  attacked 
her.*  On  this  a  second  French  frigate,  the  Vertu,  40,  came  up  to 
the  help  of  the  RegenerSe,  and  the  latter  weighed,  and  with  her 
companion  gave  chase  to  the  Pearl.  The  British  frigate,  though 
hotly  pursued  for  twenty-four  hours,  made  good  her  escape  to  Sierra 
Leone,  with  one  man  mortally  wounded. 

On  May  2nd,  the  Flora,  36,  Captain  Eobert  Gambier  Middleton, 
captured  the  French  brig  Corcyre,  12,  off  Sardinia.^  On  the  13th, 
she  drove  the  French  brig  Mondovi,  18,  into  Cerigo,  where  late  in 
the  night  her  boats  boarded  and  carried  off  the  enemy  with  the 
loss  of  only  one  killed  and  eight  wounded. 

After  the  capture  of  Malta  by  the  French,  the  frigate  Sensible,  36, 
Captain  Bourde,  w'as  sent  with  dispatches  and  valuables  to  Toulon, 
and  when  on  her  way  thither  off  Marittimo,  was  chased  by  the 
British  Seahorse,  38,  Captain  Edward  James  Foote.^  The  French 
ship  turned  and  ran  towards  Malta,  as  she  had  but  a  very  weak 
crew  on  board  and  was  not  properly  equipped.  In  the  night  of 
the  26th-27th,  the  SeaJiorse  gained  upon  her,  and,  after  a  running 
fight,  brought  her  to  close  action  at  4  a.m.  Many  of  the  Maltese 
galley  slaves,  who  had  been  placed  on  board  the  Sensible,  deserted 
their  guns  at  the  first  broadside,  and  at  the  end  of  eight  minutes' 
action  the  French  captain,  having  made  a  vain  attempt  to  board 
his  enemy,  hauled  down  his  flag.  He  was  censured  by  the  French 
Directory  for  not  having  offered  a  more  stubborn  resistance,  but,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  the  force  opposed  to  him  was  very  superior,  and 
he  was  acquitted  with  honour  by  a  French  court-martial  on  his 
return  to  Toulon. 


— 

!      Tons. 

G  u«s. 

Hroadeule. 

Meu. 

Killed. 

^^'ounde^l. 

Total. 

Seahorse  . 

.    '      984 

46 

Lbs. 
494 

292 

2 

IG 

18 

Sensible    . 

94  G 

40 

280 

300 

25 

55 

80 

I  hnur? 


'  James,  240;  Troude,  139.  ^  j.^i^es,  250;  Troude,  131.     Log  o{  Flora. 

'  James,  234  ;  Troude,  134. 


1798.] 


THE    '"PIQUE"    AND    THE  "SEINE: 


511 


The  Sensible  was  purchased  for  the  Navy. 

On  June  29th,  the  British  frigates  Jason,  38,  Captain  Charles 
Stirhng  (1),  Pique,  36,  Captain  David  Mihie,  and  Mermaid,  32, 
Captain  James  Newman  Newman,  whilst  cruising  off  the  Pen- 
marcks,  sighted  the  French  frigate  Seine,  38,  Lieutenant  J.  G. 
Bigot,  on  her  way  home  from  Mauritius,^  with  four  hundred 
soldiers  on  board,  in  addition  to  her  crew.  She  was  making 
her  landfall,  but,  when  she  saw  the  British  ships,  turned  south 
for  La  Rochelle,  hotly  pursued.  The  Mermaid  and  Jason  stretched 
inshore  to  cut  her  off  from  Lorient.  The  Pique  followed  her, 
and,  at  9  p.m.,  began  a  running  fight,  ranging  alongside  at  11  p.m. 
The  two  fought  broadside  to  broadside  under  sail  till,  two  and  a 
half  hours  later,  the  Pique's  main  top-mast  was  shot  away.  Then 
the  Jason  came  up,  and  Captain  Stirling  ordered  the  Pique  to 
anchor,  as  the  land  was  very  close.  Instead  of  so  doing  she 
pressed  on  and  ran  aground.  A  very  little  later  the  Jason  shared 
her  fate.  The  Seine  drove  ashore  almost  at  the  same  moment. 
The  Jason's  stern  floated,  and,  as  the  tide  rose,  the  ship  swung 
round,  offering  her  stern  to  the  Seine's  raking  broadsides.  The 
Pique  managed  to  bring  some  of  her  guns  to  bear  on  the  French 
ship,  and  then,  as  the  Mermaid  was  coming  up  fast,  the  Seine  struck 
her  coloiu's. 


— 

Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

KiUe.1. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

I  Pique.      .      . 

906 

44? 

Lbs. 

314? 

247  n. 

2 

G 

8 

[Jason . 

984 

46? 

494? 

277  n. 

7 

12 

19 

Seine  . 

1146 

42 

390 

610 

170? 

100? 

270? 

The  Seine  was  got  afloat,  but  the  Pique  had  to  be  abandoned, 
after  being  rendered  unserviceable. 

On  July  15th,  to  the  south-east  of  Cartagena,  the  Lion,  64, 
Captain  Manley  Dixon,  engaged  four  Spanish  frigates,  the  Potnona, 
Proserpine,  Sta.  Cazilda,  and  Sta.  Dorotea,  each  of  thirty-four  guns.^ 
The  Spaniards  formed  in  a  line  of  battle,  the  Lion  holding  the 
weather  gage.  The  Sta.  Dorotea  dropped  astern  in  the  line  and 
was  attacked  by  the  British  ship,  whereupon  the  other  frigates 
tacked  to  her  support,  and,  passing  the  Lion,  each  gave  and  received 

'  James,  247 ;  Troude,  136 ;  Brenton,  i.  389.  ^  James,  254. 


512  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1^02.  [1798. 

a  broadside  twice.  The  Lion,  however,  closed  her  opponent,  and 
the  other  three  Spanish  ships,  after  a  third  attempt  to  give  help, 
stood  away  for  Cartagena.  The  Sta.  Dorotea,  being  very  much  cut 
up  and  quite  unable  by  herself  to  resist  the  battleship's  crushing 
fire,  struck  her  colours. 


— 

I'nllV 

<itUl'^. 

Hr.M.isiJr. 

5k-.i. 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

T..tal. 

Lion  . 

1374 

72? 

Lbs. 

(578? 

485  n. 

0 

2 

"> 

Sta.  Dorotea  . 

OnS 

34 

ISO? 

;!7i 

20 

32 

."i2 

The  Sta.  Dorotea  was  purchased  for  the  Navy. 

On  July  23rd,  the  Besisfance,  44,  Captain  Edward  Pakenham, 
whilst  at  anchor  in  the  Straits  of  Banca,  blew  up  from  some 
unexplained  cause.'  Of  the  people  on  board  her,  332  were  killed 
and  only  thirteen  sm'vived.  These  clung  to  her  wreckage,  con- 
structed a  raft,  and  set  sail  for  Sumatra,  but  a  sudden  storm 
arising,  all  but  five  perished.  These  five  reached  Sumatra  and 
were  imprisoned  by  the  Malays.  Eventually,  only  one  man 
escaped. 

On  July  26th,  the  British  Brilliant,  28,  Captain  the  Hon.  Henry 
Blackwood,  was  chased  by  the  French  Vertu,  36,  and  Begeniree,  36, 
which  she  had  found  at  anchor  at  Teneiife.^  They  shpped,  and  stood 
after  her.  In  the  evening,  though  the  Brilliant  cut  away  boats  and 
anchors,  the  Begeneree  came  up  fast  and  began  a  running  fight.  To 
extricate  herself  the  Brilliant  suddenly  bore  up,  and,  crossing  the 
hawse  of  the  Begeneree,  which  was  to  leeward  of  her,  gave  her  a 
raking  broadside,  and,  bringing  her  main  top-sail  down,  ran  off  on 
the  starboard  tack.  The  Vertu  took  up  the  chase  and  opened  with 
her  bow-guns.  At  midnight  the  wind  fell  and  the  Begeneree  was 
able  to  come  up  again.  Matters  were  looking  very  bad  for  the  small 
British  frigate  when  a  fresh  breeze  sprang  up  and  the  Brilliant  drew 
away,  covered  by  darkness.  She  suffered  no  loss  and  little  damage. 
She  was  very  much  the  weakest  ship,  as,  allowing  her  six  24-pr. 
carronades,  her  broadside  did  not  exceed  198  lbs.  The  broadside  of 
the  two  French  ships  was  670  lbs.  at  least. 

On  the  night  of  August  3rd-4th,  the  British  vessels  Melpomene, 
38,  Captain  Sir  Charles  Hamilton,   and  Childers,   14,  Commander 

'  James,  245.  »  yj^  250;  Troudc,  130. 


1798.]  THE  "ESPOIR"    AND    THE  "I.IGURIA."  513 

James  O'Bryen/  sent  in  their  boats  to  the  harbour  of  Corr^jou,  in 
the  He  de  Bas,  to  cut  out  the  French  hzigAventurier,  12,  Lieutenant 
R.  Gr.  Eaiify.^  The  night  was  dark,  stormy,  and  rainy,  and  this 
covered  the  British  approach.  At  three  in  the  morning  the^ce«- 
turier  was  surprised  and  captured  after  a  sharp  scuffle,  in  which 
the  British  loss  was  two  killed  and  four  wounded.  In  spite  of  the 
fire  of  a  fort  commanding  the  inlet,  the  A  venturier  was  carried  out 
of  the  port. 

On  August  7th,  the  British  brig-sloop  Espoir,  14,  Commander 
Loftus  Otway  Bland,*  whilst  in  charge  of  a  convoy  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean, was  attacked  by  a  large  Genoese  pirate,  the  Liguria,  'ifi.*  The 
two  ships  began  their  battle  at  about  7  p.m.  and  fought  till  11,  when 
the  Liguria  struck.  The  indiscipline  of  the  pirate's  crew  is  probably 
the  explanation  of  her  easy  defeat  by  a  vessel  so  much  her  inferior 
in  armament. 


Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Lbs. 

215 

14 

42 

— 

26 

162 

Men.       '      Killed.        Hounded.         Total. 


Espoir      .      .  215  14       I       42  80  1  6  7 

Lif/ima    .      .  —  26  162  120       '         7  14  21 

4  hours. 

On  the  same  day,  Captain  Sir  Edward  Pellew,  in  the  Indefatig- 
able, 44,  cruising  in  the  Bay,  fell  in  with  and  captured,  after  a  few 
shots,  the  French  corvette  VaiUante,  '20,  Lieutenant  La  Porte,  on 
her  way  to  Cayenne  with  political  prisoners. °  The  prize  was  pur- 
chased for  the  Navy  and  equipped  with  thirty-four  carronades  and 
long  guns.     She  was  renamed  Danae. 

On  August  l'2th,  the  British  sloop  Hazard,  18,  Commander 
William  Butterfield,  chased  and  captured  the  French  armed  ship 
Neptune,  10,  in  the  North  Atlantic.^ 

On  August  18th,  the  British  50-gun  ship  Leander,  Captain  Thomas 
Boulden  Thompson,  on  her  way  from  Alexandria  with  Nelson's 
dispatches  announcing  the  victory  of  the  Nile,  was  sighted  by  the 

'  Nephew  of  Murrough,  fiist  Marquis  of  Tliomond,  and  later  known  as  Lord  James 
O'Bryen.  He  succeeded  his  eldest  brother,  as  third  Marquis,  in  1846,  and  died,  a  fidl 
Admiral,  in  1855.— W.  L.  C. 

^  James,  255 ;  Troude,  140. 

^  A  Commander  of  Oct.  1,  1797.  For  this  action  he  was  posted  on  Sept.  25,  1798. 
—\\.  L.  C. 

■*  James,  256.  "  James,  258;  Osier,  116.  *  James,  259. 

VOL.   IV.  2   L 


514  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1798. 

French  Ghiereux,  74,  Captain  Lejoille,  one  of  the  two  French  vessels 
of  the  Hne  that  had  escaped  with  Villeneuve.'  The  Leander  was 
short  of  her  proper  complement  by  not  fewer  than  eight j'  men,  had 
no  Marine  officer  on  board,  and  had  had  one  of  her  two  1'2-pr.  car- 
ronades  dismounted  at  the  Nile.  She  was  off  the  western  end  of 
Candia  when  she  was  seen.  She  at  once  made  sail  to  escape,  being 
vastly  inferior  in  force  to  the  French  vessel  which  was  chasing  her. 
A  breeze,  however,  brought  up  the  enemy  without  reaching  the 
Leander,  and,  at  8  a.m.,  the  Genereiix  was  within  random  shot. 
Seeing  that  escape  was  hopeless.  Captain  Thompson  shortened  sail 
and  waited  for  his  powerful  antagonist.  Soon  after  nine,  the 
Genereux  was  close  enough  to  the  Leander's  larboard  quarter  to 
open  fire.  A  furious  action  began,  the  two  ships  moving  slowly 
before  the  wind,  broadside  to  broadside.  The  Leander  was  terribly 
shattered  in  her  rigging,  sails,  and  yards,  of  which  fact  the  Ghiereux 
took  advantage  by  running  on  board  the  Leander's  larboard  bow  and 
falling  alongside  at  10.30.  The  French  then  made  a  determined 
attempt  to  board.  They  were  repulsed  by  the  valour  and  resolution 
of  the  Leander's  Marines,  who,  though  they  had  no  officer  to  lead  or 
encourage  them,  poured  in  a  terrible  fire  upon  the  French  boarding 
parties.     Below,  the  great  guns  continued  the  battle. 

A  breeze  at  length  sprang  up  and  carried  the  Genereux  clear.  The 
Leander  had  been  still  more  crippled  by  the  fall  of  her  mizen-mast, 
which  covered  her  starboard  quarter,  of  her  fore  top-mast,  which  had 
gone  over  the  larboard  bow,  and  of  her  yards,  which  were  lying  on 
the  booms.  Yet,  as  the  Genereux  took  the  starboard  tack.  Captain 
Thompson  managed  to  place  his  ship  under  his  enemy's  stern,  where 
he  delivered  a  deliberate  raking  broadside.  The  two  closed  once 
more  at  the  shortest  range,  with  the  sea  "smooth  as  glass,"  and 
fought  thus  till  3.30  p.m.  Then  the  Ghiereux  paid  oflf  and  came 
round  across  the  Leander's  bow,  raking  her,  whilst  the  Leander's 
forward  guns,  masked  by  the  wreck  of  the  fore  top-mast,  could  not 
fire.  In  that  position,  the  Leander  being  quite  unmanageable,  w'ith 
every  mast  gone  and  much  shattered  in  hull,  the  Genereux  hailed  to 
know  if  her  enemy  had  struck.  The  Leander  seems  to  have  had  no 
colours  flying,  and  thence  the  question.  A  reply  was  made  in  the 
affirmative  by  waving  a  French  ensign  on  a  pike ;  and  two  French 
officers  swam  on  board,  the  Ghiereux  having  no  boat   that   would 

'  James,  259;  Tioude,  140;  Clarke  and  McAithur,  'Nelson'  (Fisher's  edition), 
ii.  175;  Hennequin,  '  Biographie  Maritime,'  iii.  293. 


1798.] 


LOSS    OF   THE  "LEANDER." 


515 


float.     The  Leander  was  thus  taken  possession  of,  after  a  six  and  a 
half  hours'  resistance,  famous  in  history  for  its  gallantry. 

In  the  Leander  the  loss  was  heavy.  Nelson's  flag-captain,  the 
gallant  Edward  Berry,  hero  of  innumerable  pitched  battles,  who  was 
on  board  as  the  bearer  of  dispatches,  was  wounded  by  a  piece  of  a 
man's  skull  being  driven  into  his  arm.  Captain  Thompson  had  three 
serious  wounds  ;  three  Midshipmen  were  killed  and  a  fourth,  with 
two  Lieutenants,'  the  Master,  and  a  Master's  Mate,  was  wounded.  In 
all,  3-5  were  killed  and  57  wounded  out  of  a  crew  of  '282  men,  amongst 
whom  were  included  14  men  wounded  at  the  Nile.  The  Genereux 
suffered  far  more  heavily,  in  spite  of  her  thicker  and  stronger  sides. 
She  is  said  to  have  had  100  killed  besides  188  womided,  out  of  a 
crew  of  936.  Thus  each  ship  lost  about  one-third  of  her  crew.  The 
moral  of  the  Leander  had  doubtless  been  raised  by  the  great  victory 
of  the  Nile,  or  she  might  have  been  expected  to  strike  sooner  to  force 
so  overpowering. 


— 

Tons. 

Guns.         Broadside. 

Men.            KiUed. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Genereux . 
Leunder   . 

1920 
1052 

Lbs. 
80        I     1024 

51             432 

936            100? 

282           35 

188 

57 

288 
92 

IJj   hoULS. 

Troude  describes  the  Leander  as  a  64,  and  gives  her  eight 
32-pr.  carronades.  His  account  is  apparently  based  iipon  the  ofticial 
letter  of  Captain  Lejoille,  who  wilfully  misrepresented  the  force  of 
the  ship  which  he  had  conquered,  and  pretended  that  she  was  a  74. 
It  is,  of  course,  well  known  and  ascertained  that  the  Leander  carried 
only  fifty-one  effective  carriage-guns  in  all,  and  therefore  twenty- 
three  guns  must  have  been  added  by  Lejoille's  exuberant  imagi- 
nation. 

The  behaviour  of  the  captors  was  disgraceful.-  They  plundered 
the  ship  and  plundered  the  prisoners.  Captain  Thompson  had  his 
kit,  and  Captain  Berry  a  valuable  pair  of  pistols,  taken  from  him. 
The  Leander's  surgeon  was  robbed  even  of  his  instruments,  and  was 

'  Bridges  Watkinson  Taylor  aud  William  Swiuey  (2).  The  former,  a  Commander 
of  1799  and  a  Captain  of  1802,  was  drowned  in  the  Apollo  in  1814.  The  latter  retired 
with  the  rank  of  Commander  in  1830,  and  died  in  1841. — W.  L.  0. 

^  Troude  cites  evidence  to  the  contrary,  but  it  is  far  from  convincing.  The  state- 
ments of  the  British  Consul  at  Trieste  ('  Naval  Chronicle,'  xiv.  10)  are  unimpeachable, 
.though  I  cannot  find  tliat  either  Berry  or  Thompson  complained. 

2  L  2 


516  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1T98. 

not  allowed  to  attend  npon  Captain  Thompson.  The  wounded 
seamen  were  treated  with  great  barharity ;  and  the  prisoners  were 
compelled  to  aid  in  refitting  the  ship,  a  breach  of  the  established 
usages  of  war. 

On  the  way  to  Corfu,  on  August  "iHth,  the  Genereux  and  her 
prize  were  sighted  by  the  British  sloop  Mutine,  16,  Captain  the  Hon. 
Thomas  Bladen  Capell,  carrying  Nelson's  duplicate  dispatches ;  and 
the  French  made  preparations  to  cast  off  the  prize  and  abandon  her, 
but,  discovering  the  Mufine's  real  force,  did  not  carrj'  out  this  inten- 
tion. At  Corfu,  after  much  more  ill-usage,  the  Leander's  officers  were 
released  on  parole.  Her  seamen  were  detained  prisoners,  and  at  a 
later  date  an  attempt  was  made  by  Captain  Lejoille  to  persuade  or 
compel  some  of  them  to  join  the  French  Navy.  The  reply  of  a 
gallant  main  top-man,  George  Bannister,  has  come  down  to  us  over 
the  sea  of  time  :  "  No,  you  damned  French  rascal ;  give  us  back  oiu" 
little  ship  and  we'll  fight  you  again  till  we  sink." 

On  the  capture  of  Corfu  by  the  Russians  and  Turks  on  March 
3rd,  1799,  the  Lcander  was  restored  to  England.  Captain  Thompson 
was  most  honourably  acquitted  by  court-martial  for  the  loss  of  his 
ship,  and,  going  ashore  after  the  verdict,  was  cheered  by  every  vessel 
at  Sheerness.     He  and  Berry  were  knighted  for  their  gallantry. 

On  August  22nd,  the  British  Naiad,  38,  Captain  William 
Pierrepont,  saw  the  French  Decade,  36,  Captain  Villeneuve,  making 
her  landfall  off  Finisterre,  and  chased  her  during  the  night.'  Next 
day  the  Magnanime,  44,  Captain  the  Hon.  Michael  de  Coui'C}',  joined 
the  Naiad  in  her  pursuit.  At  5  p.m.,  the  Decade  opened  on  the  leading 
British  ship,  the  Naiad,  and  the  latter,  a  little  more  than  an  hour 
later,  replied.  The  two  fought  for  about  sixty  minutes,  when,  seeing 
no  chance  of  escape  from  so  superior  a  force,  Captain  Villeneuve 
hauled  down  his  flag.  The  Decade  was  from  Cayenne,  where  she 
had  left  ten  of  her  guns  ;  she  was  no  match  for  the  Naiad  alone, 
which  mounted  forty-six  guns,  much  less  for  the  Magnanime,  which 
canied  24-prs.,  and  was  a  cut-down  64-gun  ship. 

On  October  24th,  off  the  Texel,  the  British  Sirius,  36,  Captain 
Eichard  King  (2),  fell  in  with  the  Dutch  vessels  Furie,  36,  Captain 
Bartholomeus  Pletsz,  and  Waakzaamheid,  24,  Captain  Meindert 
van  Neirop.'-^  As  these  two  were  some  distance  apart,  the  Sirius 
was  able  to  isolate  the  Waakzaamheid  and  attack  her,  when  at 
the  first  shot  she  struck.  A  prize  crew  was  placed  on  board  her, 
'  James,  269  ;  Troude,  144.  ^  .lames,  270. 


1798.J 


THE  "FURIE"    AND   "  WAAKZAAMHEID"    TAKEN. 


r.i7 


and  then  the  Sirius  made  sail  after  the  Fiirie,  which  had  taken 
to  her  heels.  At  5  p.m.,  the  British  frigate  was  close  enough  to 
her  enemy  to  open  fire,  and  a  rmining  fight  ensued.  The  Furie 
continued  a  very  ill-directed  fire  for  an  hour,  doing  little  damage 
to  the  Sirius,  while  sustaining  serious  injury  herself.  Then  the 
Dutch  colours  were  hauled  down.  In  this  action  the  two  Dutch 
captains  displayed  singular  incapacity,  allowing  their  ships  to  be 
separated  and  beaten  in  detail. 


— 

Ton>. 

l.Juus. 

Broadside. 

MfH. 

KUleJ. 

Wouiuled. 

Total. 

Sirius 

1049 

44 

Lbs. 
407 

251 11. 

0 

1 

1 

(Fui-ie.      .      . 

827 

36 

202 

328 

8 

14 

22 

[  Waahzaamheid' 

504 

26 

111 

o.)o 

0 

0 

0 

Both  prizes  were  purchased  for  the  Navy,  the  Furie  being 
renamed  the  Wilhelmina,  which  had  been  her  original  appellation. 

On  December  3rd,  the  British  brig-sloops  Victorieuse,  14,  Com- 
mander Edward  Stirling  Dickson,  and  Zephyr,  14,  Commander 
WiUiam  Champain,  landed  a  small  force  in  the  West  Indian  island 
of  Margarita  to  attack  a  fort  on  the  river  Caribe.'  This  surrendered 
without  any  ado,  and  the  brigs  sailed  for  Gurupano,  another  port 
in  the  island.  Seventy  soldiers  and  Marines  were  landed  there,  and 
stormed  two  forts,  with  a  loss  of  two  killed  and  two  wounded.  A 
privateer  in  the  harbour  was  captm-ed. 

On  December  14th  occurred  one  of  the  very  few  actions  in  this 
war  which  are  disgraceful  to  the  British  anns.^  The  Ambuscade,  32, 
Captain  Hemy  Jenkins,  whilst  cruising  off  the  Gironde,  expecting 
to  be  joined  by  the  Stag,  32,  sighted  a  sail  approaching.  No  private 
signals  were  made  or  asked  for ;  a  discreditable  degree  of  carelessness 
prevailed  on  board,  and  the  men  went  to  breakfast.  Suddenly,  at  about 
y  A.M.,  the  stranger,  having  approached  almost  within  gunshot,  went 
about  under  a  press  of  sail.  She  was  the  French  corvette  Bayonnaise, 
24,  Lieutenant  J.  B.  E.  Eicher.  The  Ambuscade,  when  Captain 
Jenkins  discovered  his  mistake,  hurried  in  pursuit,  and  towards  noon 
was  near  enough  to  the  chase  to  open  fire.  The  Bayonnaise  shortened 
sail  and  courted  battle.  The  two  fought  for  an  hour,  when  one  of 
the  Ambuscade  s  12-prs.  burst,  doing  much  damage  to  the  ship  and 
1  James,  230.  '  /''.,  273  ;  Troude,  145 ;  CM  ,  90,  Aug.  26. 


518  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1798. 

wounding  eleven  men.'  Such  an  incident,  as  a  study  of  the  minor 
actions  proves,  has  a  disastrous  effect  on  the  moral  of  the  ship  wherein 
it  occurs.  The  only  exception  to  this  is  in  the  case  of  the  action 
between  the  Serapis  and  Bonhomme  Richard.  The  Bayonnaise  seized 
the  opportimity  of  the  confusion  which  this  occurrence  caused  in  the 
Ambuscade  to  make  off.  She  was  piu'sued  by  the  Ambuscade,  which 
came  up  to  leeward,  and  shot  a  little  ahead  under  a  press  of  sail. 
The  French  had  so  far  suffered  severely.  At  that  juncture  they 
determined  to  board.  They  had  a  much  larger  crew  than  had  the 
Ambuscade;  and  serving  in  the  Bayonnaise  were  thirty  veteran 
soldiers  of  the  Alsace  regiment.  The  French  ship  ran  on  board  the 
Ambuscade,  which  was  becalmed  as  the  French  ship  wore  under 
her  stern,  carrying  away  the  tiller  ropes,  starboard  quarter-deck 
bulwarks,  mizen  shrouds  and  mizen-mast,  and  locking  the  wheel 
with  her  sprit-sail  yard,  and  then  dropped  under  the  British  vessel's 
stern,  but  did  not  clear  her.  The  French  soldiers  from  the 
Bayonnaise' s  bowsprit  swept  the  Ambuscade's  deck,  which  was  not 
barricaded  with  hammocks,  with  a  deadly  fire.  In  a  few  minutes 
five  officers  ^were  killed  or  wounded  in  quick  succession,  and  the 
command  devolved  upon  the  Purser,  Mr.  William  Bowman  Murray. 
An  explosion  of  cartridges,  left  on  the  rudder-head,  blew  out  a 
portion  of  the  Ambuscade's  stern,  and  caused  panic  amongst  her 
men.  Most  of  the  British  crew  left  their  quarters.  At  that 
moment  the  French  boarders  nished  on  to  the  Ambuscade's  deck 
and  carried  it.  The  British  crew  was,  according  to  James,  an 
ill-disciplined  one,  and  Captain  Jenkins  a  most  indiscreet  and 
incompetent  ofiicer.  The  management  of  the  Ambuscade  left  much 
to  be  desired,  and,  as  often  is  the  case,  bad  management  was 
attended  by  bad  luck.  The  two  explosions,  and  the  great  weakness 
of  the  British  crew,  from  which  not  less  than  thirty-one  ofiicers  and 
men  had  been  detached  and  placed  on  board  a  prize,  must  be  taken 
into  account.  All  the  French  officers  except  two  were  wounded  ;  all 
tb(!  British  executive  ofiicers  killed  or  wounded.  The  action  shows 
clearly  that  superiority  of  force  is  useless  with  a  bad  or  weak  captain 
and  an  ill-disciplined  crew.  The  French  may  none  the  less  be 
proud  of  their  victory. 

'   Nine  men,  according  tu  a  witness  at  the  court-nuutial. 

-  Lieutenant  Dawson  ilain,  mortally  wounded;  Captain  Jenliins,  wounded; 
Lieutenant  of  Marines,  James  Sinclair,  wounded  ;  Mr.  Brown,  Master,  killed ;  Lieu- 
tenant Joseph  Briggs,  wounded. — \V.  L.  C. 


1799.]  LOSS    OF   THE  "PROSERPINE:'  519 


Killed.       Woonded. 


Bayonnaise   . 

580? 

■j- 

Lba. 
123' 

250? 

30? 

30? 

GO? 

Ambuscade    . 

684 

40 

268 

190 

11 

39 

50 

4  hours  ? 

1  Troude.  According  to  James,  her  broadside  was  156  Ib^.  or  tbereabonts,  as  he  credits  her  with  two  36-pr 
carronades,  and  gives  good  reasons  for  his  statement.  Of  the  Jntbuscade^s  24-pr.  carronades  some,  if  not  all, 
were  disabled  in  the  action. 

Captain  Jenkins,  whilst  still  suffering  from  his  wound,  was  tried 
and  acquitted  for  the  loss  of  his  ship.  This  fact  may  explain  the 
verdict.  His  officers  and  his  crew  were  hkewise  acquitted,  though 
the  opinion  was  expressed  that  all  had  not  behaved  with  the  accus- 
tomed courage  of  British  seamen.  Lieutenant  Eicher  was  promoted 
two  steps  for  his  brilliant  success. 

On  January  4th,  1799,  the  Wolverine,  12,  Commander  Lewis 
Mortlock,  cruising  off  Boulogne,  was  attacked  by  two  strongly- 
manned  French  privateers,  the  Buse,  8,  and  the  Furet,  4,  but 
succeeded  in  repulsing  them.'  The  Wolverine,  though  she  carried 
only  seventy  men,  could  fight  on  each  side  two  18-prs.,  six  '24-pr. 
carronades,  and  two,  if  not  three,  12-pr.  carronades.  She  was, 
therefore,  a  more  formidable  ship  at  close  quarters  than  her  rating 
seemed  to  show. 

On  February  1st,  the  British  28-gun  frigate  Proserpine,  Captain 
James  Wallis  (1),  struck  on  the  Scharhorn  Eiff,  below  Neuwerk, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Elbe,  in  stormy  weather,  and  had  to  be 
abandoned.-  Her  crew  escaped  ashore  on  the  ice  with  the  loss  of 
fourteen  frozen  to  death  in  the  bitterly  cold  weather. 

On  February  6th,  the  British  ships  Leviathan,  74,  Captain  John 
Buchanan  (1),  and  Argo,  44,  Captain  James  Bowen  (1),  discovered 
off  Majorca  two  Spanish  frigates,  the  Sta.  Teresa,  34,  and  Proser- 
pina, 34.^  The  two  latter  separated  and  took  different  courses. 
The  Sta.  Teresa  was  pursued  by  the  Argo,  but  the  Leviathan,  which 
had  dropped  behind,  did  not  alter  course  and  chase  the  Proserpma. 
At  midnight  the  Argo  closed  the  Sta.  Teresa  after  a  running  fight, 
and  a  broadside  brought  down  the  Spanish  flag.  The  Spaniard 
was  no  match  for  the  Argo  alone,  much  less  for  the  Argo  and 
Leviathan  combined.     The  prize  was  purchased  for  the  Navy. 

On   February   9th,    the    British    Dcedalus,   32,    Captain   Henry 

■  James,  353.  "  lu.,  354.  '  Ih.,  359. 


520 


MINOR    OFEKATIONS,    1793-1802. 


[1709. 


Lidgbird  Ball,  cruising  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  sighted  the  French 
Frudente,  36,  Captain  Johti",  with  a  prize.'  The  I'rudente  had  only 
thirty  guns  on  board,  having  left  eight  at  Mauritius,  and  she  had 
already  detached  seventeen  of  her  officers  and  men  to  form  the  prize 
crew.  She  separated  from  her  prize  and  was  soon  closed  by  the 
Dcedalus,  which  engaged  her  hotly  just  after  noon.  The  British 
ship  crossed  her  stern,  raked  her  and  luffed,  bringing  the  two 
broadside  to  broadside.  At  1.21  p.m.,  the  Prudente  struck  in  a 
very  shattered  condition.  According  to  Troude,  she  was  a  privateer 
and  not  a  warship. 


— 

Tons. 

Gims. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Dsedalus  . 

703 

38 

Lbs. 

'       246 

212 

."> 

12 

14 

Prudente . 

920 

30 

1       214 

301 

27 

22 

49 

1  hour  20  minutes. 

The  Prudente  was  too  much  damaged  to  be  purchased  for  the 
Navy. 

On  February  2'2nd,  off  the  Spanish  coast,-  the  British  sloop 
Espoir,  14,  Commander  James  Sanders,  captured  the  Spanish 
xebec  Africa,  14,  with  a  loss  of  four  killed  and  wounded.  The 
Spanish  loss  was  thirty-seven  killed  and  wounded. 

Late  in  February,  the  French  frigate  Forte,  40,  Captain  Beaulieu, 
arrived  in  the  Bay  of  Bengal  and  began  to  harass  British  commerce.^ 
She  was  in  bad  order ;  the  discipline  of  her  crew  was  not  good ;  and 
her  captain,  according  to  Eear-Admiral  Sercey,  was  too  old  and  feeble 
for  his  work.  The  British  cruiser  Sihylle,  40,  Captain  Edward 
Cook,  a  very  fine  and  powerful  vessel,  went  to  look  for  her,  to  stop 
her  depredations.  In  the  evening  of  the  28th,  whilst  the  Sihylle 
was  on  this  quest,  vivid  flashes  were  seen  to  the  north-west,  and 
supposed  to  be  lightning.  As,  however,  the  flashes  went  on  con- 
tinuously till  nine,  and  then  stopped  altogether.  Captain  Cook 
began  to  suspect  that  they  were  from  guns,  and  stood  towards  them, 
with  all  lights  out,  to  make  certain.  At  9.30  he  sighted  the  Forte 
and  two  prizes  lying  side  by  side.  Captain  Cook  manoeuvred  to 
gain  the  weather  gage,  untroubled  by  the  Forte.  The  French 
captain  saw  the  Sihylle,  but  was  obstinately  persuaded  that  she  was 

'  James,  357 ;  Troude,  170.  -  James,  304. 

»  lb.,  365;  Troude,  171. 


1799.] 


TUE  "SIBYLLE'   AND    THE  "FORTE." 


521 


a  merchantman,  and  made  no  preparations  to  attack  her,  though 
assured  by  his  officers  that  she  was  an  enemy.  The  French 
were  on  the  starboard  tack,  l3'ing  to.  The  SihijUe  bore  steadily 
down,  until,  as  she  approached,  the  Forte  crossed  her  bows  and 
fired  a  few  random  shot  at  her,  to  which  the  British  ship  made 
no  answer.  Then,  at  12.45  a.m.,  the  SibyUe  put  her  helm  up, 
the  Forte  being  abaft  her  beam,  and  passed  under  the  enemy's 
stern,  pouring  in  a  most  destructive  broadside  at  the  very  shortest 
range.  She  followed  this  up  by  closing  the  Forte  broadside  to 
broadside,  whilst  the  guns  of  the  French  were  fired  by  mistake  at 
one  of  their  prizes.  The  Forte  had  had  to  supply  crews  for  seven 
captures  and  for  this  reason  was  unable  to  man  her  forecastle  and 
quarterdeck  guns.  In  consequence,  her  fire  was  not  very  effective. 
Early  in  the  action  Captain  Cook'  was  wounded,  and  Captain 
Beaulieu  was  killed  an  hour  after  the  battle  began.  At  2.30  the 
Forte  had  only  four  guns  which  could  be  used.  She  therefore 
stopped  her  fire  and  endeavoured  to  make  sail  and  escape.  Dis- 
covering her  intentions,  the  SibyUe,  after  twice  hailing  her  to  strike, 
resumed  her  fire  and  very  quickly  brought  down  the  Forte's  masts. 
On  this  the  French  ship  struck  and  was  taken  possession  of.  The 
SibyUe  was  much  cut  up  in  her  masts  and  rigging.  The  Forte  was 
in  a  horrible  state,  with  her  starboard  side  almost  beaten  in,  and 
three  hundred  shot  in  her  hull. 


Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

Sihylh      . 

1091 

48' 

Lbs. 
503 

371 

5 

17 

Forte  .      . 

1401 

52' 

610 

370? 

65 

80? 

145 


■1\  l.um>. 

1  The  Sibylle  carried  twenty-eight  18-prs.,  sis  S-pr.^.,  and  fourteen  32-pr.  carronades.    The  Forte's  armament 
is  variously  given : — 


'.i4-prs.      I      -i-l-prs. 
(French).       (English). 


James . 
Troude 


'  P'^-         (carronades). 


14 

in 


.lames  has  been  followed  in  the  text. 


1  This  gallant  officer,  a  Captain  of  1794,  died  of  his  wounds  at  Calcutta  on 
May  lioth,  following.  '  Xav.  Cbron.,'  ii.  643.  James  and  others  spell  his  name 
"Cooke";  but  the  Navy  List  spelling  is  here  followed. — W.  L.  C. 


522  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1799. 

In  the  Sihijlle  were  131  officers  and  men  of  the  Scotch 
brigade,  who  fought  with  gi-eat  credit.  It  should  be  noted  that 
in  the  general  opinion  of  naval  men  at  that  time  the  SihyUe 
was  no  match  for  the  Forte.  The  latter's  weight  of  broad- 
side, from  long  guns  only,  was  448  lbs.,  as  against  the  Sibylle's 
279  lbs.  The  bad  shooting  of  the  Forte  is  partly  explained  by 
the  fact  that  her  gun-quoins  had  been  planed  down  three  days 
previously.     The  Forte  was  purchased  for  the  Navy  and  rated  a  44. 

On  April  9th,  the  British  San  Fiorenzo,  36,  Captain  Sir  Harry 
Bm-rard  Neale,  and  Amelia,  38,  Captain  the  Hon.  Charles  Herbert  (1), 
were  cruising  off  Belle  Isle,  where  lay  three  French  frigates,  the 
Cornilie,  40,  Simillante,  36,  and  Vengeance,  40,  when  a  squall  carried 
away  the  Amelia's  main  top-mast  and  her  two  other  topgallant- 
masts.*  On  this  the  three  French  ships  stood  out,  and,  supported 
by  a  gunboat,  attacked  the  frigates.  A  scrambling  distant  action 
of  three  hours  followed,  after  which  the  French  retired,  to  the  great 
surprise  of  the  British.  The  San  Fiorenzo  and  Amelia  were  much 
cut  up  in  their  rigging.  They  had  to  face  not  only  the  French  ships 
but  also  a  battery  on  Hoedic  Island.  The  retreat  of  the  French  was 
explained  by  the  fact  that  they  imagined  they  were  deaUng  with  two 
cut-down  ships  of  the  line. 

On  May  8th,  the  British  polacca  Fortune,  10,  Lieutenant  Lewis 
Davis,  cruising  on  the  Syrian  coast,"  was  attacked  by  the  French 
brig  Salamine,  18.  After  a  three  hours"  desperate  engagement  the 
Fortune  struck,  as  three  French  frigates  of  Eear-Admiral  Perree's 
squadron  were  seen  to  be  coming  up.  The  Fortune  had  the  help  of 
a  gunboat,  the  Dame  de  Grace,  which  was  sunk.      Her  loss  was  five. 

On  June  9th,  the  boats  of  the  Success,  32,  Captain  Shuldham 
Peard,  cut  out  au  armed  Spanish  polacca,  laden  with  merchandise, 
from  the  harbour  of  La  Selva.  The  British  loss  was  four  killed 
and  eight  wounded  out  of  forty-two. 

On  August  11th,  the  British  sloops,  Pijlades,  16,  Commander 
Adam  Mackenzie,  and  Espiegle,  16,  Captain  James  Boorder,  with 
the  cutter  Courier,  10,  Lieutenant  Thomas  Searle,  attacked  the  ex- 
British  brig  Crash,  12,  which  was  lying  between  Schiermonnikoog 
and  the  Dutch  mainland.^  The  Courier  led,  followed  by  the  other 
two,  and  after  a  fifty  minutes'  action  the  Dutch  flag  was  hauled 
down.  The  British  loss  was  three  killed  or  wounded.  On  the  12th, 
the  Crash  and  the  boats  of  the  other  vessels  attacked  the  Dutch 
'  James,  37G.  =  lb.,  379.  '  IK,  382. 


1799.] 


THE  "CLYDE"   AND    THE  "VESTALE: 


523 


schooner  Vengeance,  6,  which  was  lying  under  the  guns  of  a  battery 
on  Schiermonnikoog.  Under  a  heavy  fire  the  battery  was  taken  and 
its  guns  spiked  or  brought  off.  The  schooner  was  burnt  by  her  crew. 
There  was  no  loss  on  the  British  side. 

On  August  20th,  the  British  Clyde,  38,  Captain  Charles 
Cunningham,  was  cruising  off  Eochefort,  when  she  sighted  the 
French  ships  Vestale,  32,  Captain  M.  M.  P.  Gaspard,  and 
Sagesse,  20.'  The  two  separated,  and  the  Vestale  was  followed  by 
the  Clyde.  At  1.30  p.m.  the  latter  was  within  range,  and  the 
action  began,  the  Clyde  and  Vestale  engaging  broadside  to  broadside. 
The  Clyde  changed  from  larboard  to  starboard  of  the  French  ship, 
passing  astern  and  raking  her,  and  repeated  this  manoeuvre  several 
times.  The  Vestale's  crew  was  weak,  as  thirty  or  forty  men  had 
died  in  the  West  Indies  of  yellow  fever ;  and  of  those  on  board 
many  were  ill.  She  had  no  chance  of  success  against  so  superior 
an  antagonist.     At  about  3.20  she  struck  her  flag. 


Clyde . 
Vestah 


T...,s. 

(;uns. 

Broailskle. 

JKii, 

Kille.l. 

Wuimded. 

1000? 

46 

Lbs. 

425 

281 

o 

3 

946 

36?' 

273' 

230 

10 

22 

110  luiuutes. 

1  James  calls  the  Vestale  a  36-guu  frigate,  and  gives  her  a  total  of  thirty-eight  carriage-guns.  From  Tronile, 
and  from  the  number  of  her  complement  as  detailed  in  James,  she  appears  to  have  Ijeen  a  3^  of  thirty -six 
carriage  guns. 

The  Vestale  was  not  purchased  for  the  Navy. 

On  August  25th,  off  the  coast  of  Guiana,  the  British  Tamar,  38, 
Captain  Thomas  Western,  chased  the  French  corvette  Bepuh- 
licaine,  28,  Captain  P.  M.  Lebozec.^  The  latter  during  the  night 
escaped  into  shoal  water,  whence  under  cover  of  darkness  she  ran 
for  the  open  sea.  At  dayhgbt  she  was  seen  and  pursued.  At 
5.30  P.M.  the  Tamar  came  up  with  her;  and,  after  ten  minutes' 
fighting,  the  Bepublicaine  struck. 


Tuus. 

(lulls. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

KiUed. 

Wounded. 

•  > 

12 

Total. 

Tamar 
Sepublicaiue  . 

999 

46 

Lbs. 

425 

266 

281 

175 

0 

9 

•  > 

21 

10  minutes. 


'  James,  384 ;  Tioude,  177. 


2  James,  387  ;  Tioude,  179. 


524 


MINOli    OI'EliATJONS,    1793-1802. 


[1799. 


The  BSpublicaine's  eight  36-pr.  carronades,  counted  above,  were 
so  badly  mounted  as  to  be  ahuost  unserviceable. 

On  September  12th,  the  British  sloops  Arrow,  28,  Commander 
Nathaniel  Portlock,  and  Wolverine,  12,  Commander  William 
Bolton  (1),  attacked  off  Harlingen  the  Dutch  brig  Gier,  14,  and 
ship,  Draak,  18.'  The  Wolverine  secured  the  surrender  of  the 
first  without  loss  on  either  side,  but  the  Arrow  had  a  harder  task, 
as  she  had  to  work  up  to  the  Draak  under  fire,  against  tide  and 
wind.  When  close  to  her  enemy  she  opened,  and  in  fifteen  minutes 
the  Draak  hauled  down  her  colours.  The  Wolverine  was  then  fast 
coming  up. 


Arrow 

Draak 


Ti.us. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

— . 

28 

Lbs. 

448 

:        ? 

24? 

358? 

Mcl 


20 
180 


AVounded.         Tutul. 


10 

9 


15  iiiinutes. 

The  Draak  was  destroyed,  and  the  Gier  piirchased  tor  the  Navy. 

On  September  20th,  the  British  vessels  Camel,  armed  storeship, 
Commander  John  Lee,  and  Battlesnake,  16,  Commander  Samuel 
Gooch,  were  lying  at  anchor  in  Algoa  Bay,  South  Africa,^  with 
masts  and  yards  down,  and  their  commanders  and  about  forty- 
five  men  serving  on  shore,  when  the  French  Preneuse,  36,  Captain 
L'Hermitte,  entered  the  bay  and  anchored  near  them,  without 
attacking  them,  though  each  British  vessel  fired  a  shot  at  her. 
At  8.30  P.M.,  since  it  appeared  from  the  Preneuse's  manoeuvres 
that  she  intended  to  board  the  Battlesnake,^  that  vessel  opened 
fire  and  was  supported  by  the  Camel.*  The  Preneuse  at  about 
nine  returned  the  fire,  directing  her  guns  mainly  upon  the  Camel. 
The  latter  ship  was  hulled  below  the  water-line,  and  all  her 
crew  had  to  be  withdrawn  from  the  guns  to  the  pumps.  The 
Preneuse,  supposing  that  the  Camel  was  silenced,  next  turned  her 
fire  on  the  Battlesnake ;  but  at  3.30  a.m.,  to  the  surprise  of  all, 
she  slipped  and  retreated.  The  French  explanation  of  this  is  that 
the  Preneuse's  crew  was  very  weak,  and  that  she  dreaded  attack 
from  a  supposed  British  brig — really  a  prize  schooner.     The  British 

'  James,  388.  -  lb.,  390. 

'  Temporarily  commanded  by  Lieut.  William  Futhorgill.— W.  L.  I'. 

*  Temporarily  commanded  by  Lieut.  Charles  Shaw  (1). — W.  L.  C. 


1799.]  TEE   "THETIS"    AND   "STA.    SJ{IOIDA"    TAKEN.  525 

loss  was  three  killed  and  thirteen  wounded  in  this  action,  against 
veiy  superior  force. 

On  October  9th,  the  Jupiter,  .50,  Captain  William  Granger, 
having  arrived  in  Algoa  Bay,  sailed  in  quest  of  the  Preneuse,  and  on 
the  10th,  in  a  heavy  gale,  sighted  her,  and  chased  her.*  The  Jupiter 
cordd  not  open  her  lower  deck  ports  owing  to  the  sea.  A  running 
fight  continued  during  the  10th  and  11th  till  2  p.m.  of  the  latter 
day,  when  the  Jupiter  closed.  The  sea  was  still  so.  high  that  the 
British  ship  could  not  use  her  24-prs.  The  Preneuse,  though 
seriously  damaged,  was  handled  with  great  skill.  She  twice  raked 
her  heavier  enemy,  and  at  about  5  p.m.  so  disabled  her  foe  in 
masts  and  rigging  as  to  be  able  to  escape.  No  explanation  of  the 
Jupiter's  failure  can  be  given.  As  Troude  points  out,  even  if  her 
lower-deck  guns  were  useless,  she  had  her  twelve  36-pr.  carronades 
with  her  6-prs.,  which  gave  her  a  broadside  of  228  lbs. 

On  October  11th,  the  Excellent,  74,  Captain  the  Hon.  Eobert 
Stopford,  captured  off  Lorient  the  French  corvette  Arethuse,  18, 
Captain  Halgan,  after  an  eight  hours'  chase. ^ 

On  October  11th,  the  British  Bevolutionnaire,  38,  Captain  Thomas 
Twysden,  captured  an  exceptionally  large  and  fast  French  privateer, 
the  Bordelaise,  24,  on  the  Irish  coast. ^  The  Bordelaise  offered  no 
resistance. 

On  the  12th,  the  British  Trincomale,  16,  Commander  John 
Eowe,  whilst  engaging  a  French  privateer,  the  Iphigenie,  18,  in 
the  strait  of  Bab-el-Mandeb,  blew  up,  all  her  crew  except  two 
perishing.* 

On  October  15th,  the  British  frigate.  Naiad,  38,  Captain  Wilham 
Pierrepont,  cruising  in  the  bay,  sighted  the  two  Spanish  frigates, 
Sta.  Brigida,  34,  and  Thetis,  34,  with  treasure  from  Mexico  on 
board  to  the  value  of  £600,000.*  She  at  once  gave  chase,  and  early 
next  morning  saw  another  ship — a  friend,  the  Ethalion,  38,  Captain 
James  Young  (2),  which  also  joined  in  the  chase.  A  third  British 
frigate,  the  Alcmene,  32,  Captain  Henry  Digby,  and  a  fourth,  the 
Triton,  32,  Captain  John.  Gore  (2),  arrived  on  the  scene  after  day 

'  James,  392  ;  Troude,  180  :  Log  of  Jupiter. 

2  Troude,  183  ;  Gazette,  1799,  p.  1066. 

'  James,  399  ;  Log  of  Eevolutionnaire. 

*  Eowe  had  been  a  Commander  for  less  than  three  months.  The  explosion  also 
sank  the  Iphigenie,  about  115  men  perishing  in  her.  The  British  loss  was  about  98. — 
W.  L.  C. 

^  James,  401. 


52G  MINOK    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1799. 

broke.  The  two  Spaniards  tlieu  separated  and  took  different  courses. 
The  Ethalion  pursued  the  Thetis,  passing  the  Sta.  Brigida  and 
firing  into  her.  At  11.80,  the  Ethalion  brought  the  Thetis  to  action, 
and,  after  a  running  figlit  of  an  hour,  captured  her. 

r-iii^.  Ciins,         Hroadeide.         Men.  Kilh^d.     ,  Wounded.        Total. 


Ethaliiin  . 

992 

■l(i 

LDs. 
425 

2hl 

0 

0 

0 

Thetis 

950? 

34? 

180? 

370? 

1 

p 

10 

60  miautes. 

Meantime  the  Sta.  Brigida  doubled  Cape  Finisterre,  closely 
pursued  by  the  Triton.  The  latter  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  strike 
a  reef,  but  was  quickly  got  off,  and  at  7  a.m.  brought  the  Spaniard 
to  action.  At  the  same  time  the  Alcmhie,  steering  so  as  to  cut  off 
the  Sta.  Brigida  from  the  shore,  engaged  her  on  the  other  side. 
Thus  assailed,  the  Sta.  Brigida,  after  a  vigorous  resistance,  hauled 
down  her  flag.  All  the  three  frigates  and  the  Naiad  were  amongst 
the  rocks,  whence  they  succeeded  in  extricating  themselves  on  a 
breeze  springing  up  opportunely  from  the  shore. 

The  Spanish  frigates  and  their  captors  arrived  at  Plymouth  on 
the  '21st  and  22nd.  The  treasure  was  in  due  course  removed  to 
London,  and  divided  amongst  the  captors  in  the  following  pro- 
portion:  Captains,  ^40,730  18s.  each;  Lieutenants,  £5091  7s.  3d. ; 
warrant-officers,  i;2468  10.s.  9^d. ;  Midshipmen,  £791  17.s.  Oid. ; 
seamen  and  Marines,  £182  4.s.  9hd.  The  Spanish  frigates  were  not 
piu'chased  for  the  Navy. 

On  October  20th,  off  Cape  Ortegal,  the  British  Cerberus,^  32, 
Captain  James  Macnamara  (2),  discovered  a  large  Spanish  convoy 
of  eighty  sail,  under  charge  of  the  Ceres,  40,  Diana,  Esmeralda, 
Mercedes,  and  an  unknown  ship,  all  of  34,  besides  two  brigs.  The 
Cerberus  at  once  approached  them,  closed  a  frigate,  and  with  extra- 
ordinary audacity,  attacked  her.  The  Spaniard  was  unprepared. 
She  probably  never  expected  a  single  enemy  to  venture  within  the 
reach  of  so  large  a  squadron  ;  and  at  8.30  her  guns  are  said  to  have 
been  silenced.  The  other  four  Spanish  frigates  then  approached 
and  assailed  the  intruder,  the  Cerberus  being  at  times  engaged  on 
both  sides ;  and  at  9.30  Captain  Macnamara  decided  to  retire.     He 

'  James,  404. 


1799.] 


CUTTING    OUT   OF    THE  "HERMIONE:' 


527 


succeeded  in  getting  clear  of  his  assailants,  and  then,  at  11  p.m., 
captured  a  brig  from  the  convoy  and  burnt  her.  The  Cerberus's  loss 
was  only  four  wounded.     That  of  the  Spaniards  is  unknown. 

On  the  night  of  October  '24th,  the  boats  of  the  Siirjyrise,  28, 
Captain  Edward  Hamilton,  cut  out  the  ex-British  frigate  Hermione, 
32,  from  the  harbour  of  Puerto  Cabello  in  Venezuela.'  The  enter- 
prise was  a  desperate  one,  as  batteries  mounting  about  two  hundred 


ADMIRAL    SIR    EDWARD    liAMlLTOS,    HART. 
(Fri'iii  the  {•intnn-inti  hi/  liidli'ij.  nftcr  the  pninlimi  hi/  Thuiiipsuii.) 

guns  commanded  the  harl)our.  Six  boats  were  employed  under  the 
lead  of  Captain  Hamilton  himself.  They  were  discovered  by  two 
Spanish  gun-vessels,  and  fired  on  long  before  they  reached  the 
Hermione ;  and,  when  they  got  alongside  her,  they  found  her  crew 
at  quarters.  None  the  less  they  boarded  her,  and  a  desperate  fight 
upon  her  deck  ensued.  Captain  Hamilton  was  felled  by  a  clubbed 
musket,  and  several  of  the  British  were  wounded.     They  drove  the 

'  James,  405. 


528  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1799. 

Spaniards,  however,  from  the  deck,  cut  the  cal)le,  and  loosed  the 
foresail  and  topsails.  In  spite  of  a  heavy  tire  from  the  hatteries 
they  carried  out  their  prize  vv'ith  the  loss  of  only  1'2  wounded. 
The  Spaniards,  on  the  other  hand,  lost  no  fewer  than  119  killed 
and  97  wounded  out  of  a  crew  of  36.5.  This  is  pei'haps  the  most 
gallant  of  the  many  gallant  cutting-out  actions  of  this  war,  and 
Captain  Hamilton  was  deservedly  knighted  for  his  conduct.  The 
Hermioiie  was  restored  to  the  Navy  under  the  name  first  of  Ih'talia- 
tion  and  then  of  Betribution. 

On  November  6th,  the  British  Speedn,  14,  Commander  Jahleel 
Brenton,  whilst  waiting  for  her  convoy  off  Gibraltar,  was  attacked 
by  twelve  Spanish  gunboats  which  endeavoured  unsuccessfully  to 
capture  two  vessels  in  her  charge.'  She  drove  them  off  after  a 
sharp  action,  with  the  loss  of  only  two  killed  and  one  wounded. 
She  was,  however,  very  much  cut  up  in  hull.  The  batteries  of 
Gibraltar  gave  her  no  support ;  the  explanation  being,  as  Brenton 
discovered,  that  the  governor  of  Gibraltar  had  agreed  with  the 
governor  of  Algesiras,  that  if  the  gmiboats  would  not  fire  on  the 
town  of  Gibraltar,  the  batteries  would  not  fire  on  the  gunboats. 

On  November  15th,  the  British  Crescent,  36,  Captain  William 
Granville  Lobb,  and  Calypso,  16,  Commander  Joseph  Baker,  with 
a  convoy,  fell  in  with  the  Spanish  Asia,  64,  Amfitrite,  40,  and 
Galgo,  16,  under  Commodore  Don  F.  Montes,  bound  from  San 
Domingo  to  Havana.^  The  Cah/pso  reconnoitred  the  Spaniards 
and  stood  between  them  and  the  British  convoy,  as  also  did  the 
Crescent.  Meantime  the  convoy  had  scattered  and  the  Galgo  was 
observed  to  be  closing  it.  On  this  the  Crescent  made  sail  from 
the  Asia  and  Amfitrite,  and  in  face  of  them  captured  and  carried  off" 
the  Galgo.  The  whole  convoy  reached  Jamaica  with  the  loss  of 
only  one  ship.  There  must  have  been  the  most  astonishing 
incapacity  on  the  part  of  the  Spaniards. 

On  November  24th,  the  British  Solcbag,  32,  Captain  Stephen 
Poyntz,  discovered  off  San  Domingo  four  French  ships,  the  fliite, 
Egyptien,  18,  store-ship,  Eole,  16,  Levrier,  12,  and  Vengeur,  8.* 
They  bore  away  for  Cape  Tiburon,  and  were  followed  by  Poyntz, 

'  James,  395  ;  Breiituii,  i.  487. 

2  James,  413. 

'  James,  415.  Not  in  Troude,  so,  probably,  these  vessels  were  privateers,  or  hired 
by  privateer  companies  from  the  Trench  navy ;  or  else  armed  sliips,  with  stores  on 
board.  (The  Venyeur  was  the  ex-British  schooner  Charlotte,  which  had  been  captured 
ofl'  Ca]ie  Franfois,  under  Lieut.  John  Thicknesse,  earlier  in  the  year. — W.  L.  C.) 


1799-1800.]       THE  "PALLAS"  TAKEN  BY  BRITISH  SLOOPS. 


529 


until  the  four  were  becalmed  and  separated,  when  the  Solebaij 
attacked  them  in  turn  and  captured  them  all.  Between  them,  they 
mounted  fifty-eight  guns,  and  were  manned  by  431  men.  The  Eole ' 
was  purchased  for  the  Navy  and  renamed  Nimrod. 

On  December  11th,  the  French  Preneuse,  36,  Captain  L'Hermitte, 
was  chased  off  Mauritius  by  the  British  Tremendous,  74,  and 
Adamant,  50,  and  driven  ashore."  She  was  boarded  by  the  British 
boats  and  burnt. 

On  December  17th,  the  British  Glenmore,  36,  Captain  George  Duff, 
and  Aimahle,  32,  Captain  Henry  Raper,  with  a  large  convoy,  fell  in 
with  the  French  Sirene,  36,  Captain  J.  M.  Eenai;d,  Bergere,  18, 
Captain  Bourdichon,  and  the  Calcutta,  East  Indiaman,  which  the 
French  had  just  captured,  off  Madeira.*  The  Glenmore  mistook  the 
Calcutta  for  a  cut-down  ship  of  the  line  and  stood  in  chase  of  her  and 
captured  her.  Meantime  the  Aimable  pursued  the  two  French  war- 
ships, and  at  1.30  p.m.  was  out  of  sight  of  her  consort.  She  attacked 
the  Bergere,  hoping  that  the  Glenmore  would  come  up  to  her  aid  ;  but, 
when  this  did  not  happen  and  the  Sirene  wore  and  stood  towards 
her,  she  had  to  draw  off.  She  remained  watching  the  French  ships 
till  nightfall,  when  she  rejoined  the  convoy. 

In  December,  a  Danish  frigate  in  charge  of  a  convoy  resisted 
an  attempted  search  of  her  convoy  by  British  vessels,  and  was 
compelled  to  accompany  the  British  ships  to  Gibraltar,  but  was 
there  eventually  released.* 

On  February  5th,  1800,  the  British  sloops  Fairy,  16,  Commander 
Joshua  Sydney  Horton,  and  Harpy,  18,  Commander  Henry  Bazely, 
off  St.  Malo  discovered  the  French  frigate  Pallas,  38,  Captain 
Jacques  Epron.^  The  British  vessels  stood  out  to  sea  and  were 
followed  by  the  Pallas,  which  closed  and  engaged  them.     An  action 


^- 

Tuns. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

KilleJ. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Pallas      . 
(Fairy. 

[Harpy      . 

.   1     1028 

•   '       -     ) 
.367  , 

46 
40? 

Lbs. 

498 
334? 

362 

240 

12  ? 
5 

11 

12   ? 

16 

IJ  hours 

'  Called  Eolan  in  Steel,  and  Goelan  (i.e.  Ooeland)  in  Marshall,  i.  753. — W.  L.  C. 

-  Troude,  184.  ■*  Chevalier,  iii.  28. 

'  James,  416  ;  Troude,  186.  ^  James,  iii.  3  ;  Troude,  iii.  202. 

VOL.    IV.  2  M 


530 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1800. 


of  over  an  hour  followed,  in  whicli  the  Harpy  several  times  raked 
her  opponent.  Then  the  Pallas  retired,  leaving  the  Ihtrpij  and 
Fairy  too  much  damaged  to  follow  her. 

Eepairing  their  damage,  the  Fairy  and  Harpy  made  sail  in  chase 
of  the  Pallas,  when  they  sighted,  coming  up  ahead,  the  British 
Loire,  38,  Captain  James  Newman  Newman,  Dana'e,  20,  Captain 
Lord  Proby,  and  liailleur,  16,  Commander  William  Turquand. 
These  joined  in  the  chase,  and  the  Railleiir,  at  about  7.4-5  P.M., 
compelled  the  Pallas  to  tack  off-shore,  when  she  passed  the  Loire 
and  exchanged  fire.  At  11  p.m.  the  Loire  closed  her  off  the  Sept 
lies,  and  began  a  sharp  action  with  her  and  a  battery  on  shore. 
The  liailleur.  Harpy,  and  Fairy  all  joined  in,  and  the  five  ships 
fought  running  on  the  starboard  tack  till  1.30,  when  the  Harpy 
got  under  the  Pallas' s  stern  and  gave  her  several  raking  broadsides. 
On  this  she  struck  after  a  brilliant  resistance  to  an  overwhelming 
force.  The  Loire  had  on  board  one  hundred  "  volunteers  "  from 
prison-ships  who  showed  great  cowardice.  The  British  loss  in 
this  action  was  nine  killed  and  thirty-six  wounded ;  the  French 
loss  is  unknown.  The  Pallas,  a  remarkably  fine  frigate,  was  pur- 
chased for  the  Navy  and  renamed  Pique. 

On  March  20th,  the  British  Petrel,  16,  Commander  Francis 
WiUiam  Austen  (1),  off  the  Eiviera,  engaged  the  French  Cerf,  14, 
Lejoille,  6,  and  Ligurienne,  14,  in  charge  of  a  convoy.'  As  the 
British  Mermaid,  32,  was  seen  to  be  coming  up,  though  at  a  great 
distance,  the  French  vessels  made  all  sail  to  escape.  The  Ligurienne 
was  overtaken  by  the  Petrel,  and  after  a  smart  fight,  in  which  the 
French  had  the  support  of  a  coast  battery  mounting  four  heavy 
guns,  struck. 


— 

Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadside. 

Men 

Killed. 

Fetrel       .      . 

— 

20-} 

Lbs. 
96? 

8'i 

0 

Ligurienne     . 

— 

16 

85 

104 

2 

1 

li  Ikpuvs. 


On  April  5th,  the  British  ships  Leviathan,  74,  Captain  James 
Carpenter,  carrying  Eear-Admiral  John  Thomas  Duckworth's  flag, 
Swiftsure,  74,  Captain  Benjamin  Hallowell,  and  Emerald,  36,  Captain 

'  James,  iii.  10 ;  Troude,  203. 


1800.]  BOAT  ATTACKS    OFF   THE  FBENCH   COAST.  531 

Thomas  Moutray  Waller,  off  Cadiz  discovered  a  Spanish  convo)'.' 
Early  on  the  6th  they  captured  one  of  its  ships,  and  later  in  the  day 
a  second.  Then,  seeing  six  sail  in  the  north-east,  the  Leviathan 
and  Emerald  stood  towards  them,  and  early  on  the  7th  found  that 
two  of  them  were  frigates.  At  dawn  the  two  British  ships  bore 
down  upon  them,  and  being  taken  by  the  Spaniards  for  vessels  of 
the  convoy,  were  able  to  get  very  close.  The  enemies  were  hailed 
to  strike,  and,  thus  discovering  their  mistake,  attempted  to  escape, 
but  were  foiled  by  the  Emerald,  which  disabled  their  sails  and 
rigging.  They  then  struck,  and  proved  to  be  the  Carmen,  32,  and 
Florenfina,  34.  They  had  lost  between  them  twenty-two  killed 
and  twentj'-six  wounded.  The  British  ships  apparently  suffered  no 
loss.     A  third  Spanish  frigate  effected  her  escape. 

On  June  3rd,  the  French  corvette  Albanaise,  12,  was  captured 
by  the  British  Phoenix,  36,  and  Port  Mahon,  in  the  Mediterranean. - 

On  the  night  of  June  10th,  the  boats  of  Sir  John  Borlase 
Wan'en's  frigate-squadron,  cruising  off  the  Penmarcks,  captured 
three  small  French  vessels  and  eight  merchantmen  in  the  harbour  of 
St.  Croix  with  a  loss  of  four  men.^  On  the  night  of  the  23rd-24th, 
a  part)'  landed  from  the  boats  of  the  same  squadron  and  stormed 
and  destroyed  three  small  batteries  and  forts  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Quimper  river.  On  the  night  of  July  lst-2nd,  the  boats  boarded 
and  destroj^ed  the  French  armed  ship  Thercse,  20,  lying  inside 
Noirmoutier  Island,  three  other  armed  vessels,  and  fifteen  mer- 
chantmen. On  returning,  the  boats  grounded  upon  a  sandbank, 
and  ninety-two  ofi&cers  and  men  were  captured  by  the  French. 
The  remaining  one  hundred  fought  their  way  clear. 

On  July  7th,  the  sloop  Dart,  30,*  Commander  Patrick  Campbell, 
with  two  gunbrigs,^  four  fireships,"  and  the  cutters  and  boats  from 
the  Andromeda,  32,  and  Nemesis,  28,  ran  into  Dunquerque  Eoad  to 
capture  or  destroy  four  French  frigates  lying  there,  the  Poursui- 
vante,  44,  Carmagnole,  40,  Desiree,  38,  and  Incorruptible,  38.'  The 
Dart  answered  a  hail  in  French,  and  arrived  abreast  of  the  inmost 
frigate  but  one  without  a  shot  being  fired.  The  French  vessel  then 
opened  on  her,  and  she  replied  with  her  32-pr.  carronades,  passing  on 

'  James,  iii.  13.  -  Troiide,  210.  *  James,  iii.  15. 

*  32-pr.  carronades. — W.  L.  C. 

^  Biter,  Lieut.  William  Xorman,  and  Boxer,  Lieut.  Thomas  Gilbert. — W.  L.  C. 
^   Wasp,  Com.  John   Edwards   (2);   Falcon,   Com.  Hear}'    Samuel   Butt;    Comet, 
Com.  Thomas  Leef ;  and  Rosario,  Cora.  James  Carthew. — W.  L.  0. 
'  James,  iii.  17 ;  Troude,  191. 

2  M  2 


532  MINOn    OPERATIONS,    17'.i3-1802.  [ISOO. 

and  running  on  board  the  innermost  enemy-  Her  men  dashed  on  to 
the  deck  of  the  Frenchman,  and  in  a  moment  the  Desirec  was  carried. 
She  was  successfully  taken  out  by  her  captors  and  was  purchased 
for  the  Navy.  Meantime  the  fireships  ran  up  to  the  other  three 
French  frigates,  but,  though  well  handled,  could  not  destroy  them, 
and  they  escaped.  The  smaller  Bintisb  craft  cannonaded  the  French 
gunboats.  The  total  British  loss  in  this  dashing  enterprise  was 
only  six  killed  or  wounded. 

On  the  night  of  July  26th,  three  boats  from  Sir  Edward  Pellew's 
squadron,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Jeremiah  Coghlan 
(actg.)  of  the  cutter  Viper,  most  gallantly  cut  out  the  French  gmi- 
brig  Cerbere,  7,  from  Port  Loins.'  The  French  crew  was  foimd 
at  quarters,  but,  though  two  of  his  boats  failed  to  arrive  in  time, 
Coghlan  boarded.  He  was  driven  back  and  wounded  in  the 
thigh,  but,  returning  to  the  attack,  forced  his  way  in  and  carried 
her.  She  was  towed  out  successfully ;  and  Lord  St.  Vincent,  then 
in  command  of  the  Channel  Fleet,  was  so  pleased  with  Coghlan's 
conduct  that  he  presented  him  with  a  sword  and  confirmed  him 
as  Lieutenant,  in  spite  of  his  not  having  served  his  time.^ 

On  August  4th,  the  British  BeUiqiieiix,  64,  Captain  Eowley 
Bulteel,  with  six  East  Indiamen  under  her  charge,  sighted  the  French 
frigates  Concorde,  40,  Captain  J.  F.  Landolphe,  Franchise,  36,  Captain 
P.  Jurien  de  La  Graviere,  and  Medie,  36,  Captain  J.  D.  Coudin, 
vnth  a  prize  schooner,  off  the  coast  of  Brazil.'  Taking  the  Indiamen 
for  ships  of  the  hne,  the  French  scattered.  The  British  pursued,  the 
Belliqueux  captm-ing  the  Concorde  after  a  few  shots  which  hurt  no 
one,  and  the  East  Indiamen  chasing  the  Medee  and  the  Franchise 
The  Medee  was  overtaken  by,  and  after  a  very  short  resistance  stiiick 
to,  the  Indiamen  Bombay  Castle,  John  Hamilton,  master,  and 
Exeter,  Henry  Meriton,  master.     The  Franchise  alone  escaped. 

'  James,  20;  Navy  League  Journal,  i.  195  ;  Osier,  131. 

^  Coghlan,  who  was  born  in  1775,  was  made  a  Commander  in  1804,  and  a  Captain 
in  1810.  He  died  in  the  latter  rank  on  March  4,  1844.  He  had  been  given  a  C.B.  in 
1815.— W.  L  C. 

'  James,  23 ;  Troude,  193 ;  J.  de  La  Graviere, '  Souvenirs,  ii.  23.  The  names  of  the 
French  ships  were  changed  purposely  in  the  last-named  work.  Captain  Jurien  protested 
to  his  senior  ofllcer  that  the  supjjosed  ships  of  the  line  were  only  merchantmen,  but 
to  no  purpose.  The  Franchise,  after  escaping,  cruised  for  three  weeks  on  the  South 
American  coast  without  seeing  a  sail.  "Was,"  asks  the  captain,  "the  damage  which 
we  had  caused  to  commerce  worth  the  loss  of  two  frigates  with  700  men  ?  I  am  far 
from  believing  it.  ...  I  assert  that  commerce-destruction  has  only  a  secondary 
importance  in  the  general  outline  of  war." 


1800.] 


THE  "SEINE"    AND    TEE  "VENGEANCE." 


533 


On  August  '20th,  the  British  Seine,  38,  Captain  David  Mihie,  after 
a  six  hours'  chase,  came  up  with  the  French  Vengeance,  36,  Captain 
Pitot,  off  the  coast  of  Puerto  Eico.'  At  4  p.m.  the  French  ship 
opened  fire  with  her  stern-chasers.  The  Seine  was  not  able  to  use 
her  broadside  till  11.30,  when  she  opened  fire,  taking  up  a  position 
on  the  Vengeance's  quarter.  The  fire  of  the  French  directed  at  the 
Seine's  masts  caused  her  to  drop  behind ;  but  the  Vengeance,  before 
she  escaped  from  her  enemy,  lost  her  foremast  and  main  topmast. 
Early  on  the  21st  the  Seine  came  up  again,  only  to  be  once  more 
disabled,  and  once  more  to  refit.  At  about  9  a.m.  she  closed  the 
Vengeance  for  the  third  time  and  fought  the  French  ship  till  10.30, 
when  the  latter,  with  foremast,  main  topmast,  and  mizenmast  gone, 
and  fearfully  shattered  in  hull,  struck  her  flag.  She  was  quite 
unmanageable.  The  Seine  had  her  mainmast  tottering,  but  was  not 
greatly  injured. 


— 

Tons. 

Uuiis. 

Hroadside. 

Meu 

Killed. 

1  Wounded. 

Total. 

Seine  . 

1146 

48  > 

Lbs. 

498 

281 

13 

29 

42 

Vengeance 

1180 

50' 

434 

326 

35? 

70? 

105? 

!-'-',)  h.iurs. 

1  Each  ship  seems  to  have  fought  oue  extra  Rim  at  an  empty  port  on  the  engaged  broadside.     Truude  gives 
the  Vengeance  forty  carriage-guns  and  a  broadside  of  377  lbs. 

The  Vengeance  was  purchased  for  the  Navy,  but  saw  no  service. 

On  September  3rd,  eight  boats  from  the  Minotaur,  74,  and 
Niger,  flute,  under  Commander  James  Hillyar,  of  the  latter,  rowed 
in  to  cut  out  from  Barcelona  the  Spanish  corvettes  Esmeralda,  22, 
and  Paz,  22.^  The  British  boats  on  their  way  in  boarded  a  Swedish 
merchantman  bound  into  the  port,  but  quitted  as  soon  as  she  was 
within  range.  The  boats,  as  soon  as  the  Spaniards  opened  fire, 
dashed  at  the  Esmeralda,  and  carried  her,  following  up  their  success 
by  rushing  the  Paz.  Both  ships  were  carried  off  in  the  face  of 
Spanish  gunboats  and  batteries,  with  a  British  loss  of  only  three 
killed  and  six  wounded. 

On  October  9th,  the  East  Indiaman  Kent,  26,  Eobert  Eivington, 
master,  after  a  long  and  obstinate  resistance,  was  captured  in  the 
Bay   of    Bengal    by   the   French    privateer    Confiance,   26,   Eobert 

'  James,  23  ;  Troude,  215. 

-  '  Annual  Register,'  1801,  p.  87  ;  James,  iii.  27  ;  Brenton,  i.  515. 


534  MmOJi    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1800. 

Surcouf .'  The  Kent  was  not  supplied  with  sufficient  muskets  to  resist 
the  French  boarders,  who  behaved  vei7  badly— as,  indeed,  privateers- 
men  of  both  nations  only  too  often  did.    Rivington  fell  in  the  action. 

On  October  '22nd,  the  French  corvette  Vvnus,  28,  was  captured 
in  the  Atlantic  by  the  British  ships  Indefatigable,  44,  and  Fish- 
guard, as.-' 

In  the  evening  of  October  27th,  the  boats,  under  Lieutenant 
Francis  Beaufort,  of  the  British  frigate  Fhaeton,  38,  Captain  James 
Nicholl  Morris,  cut  out  from  under  the  guns  of  the  fortress  of 
Fuengirola,  near  Malaga,  the  Spanish  polacca  San  Josef,  14.^  The 
Spaniards  made  a  desperate  resistance,  but  could  not  stand  against 
the  valour  of  the  British  seamen,  whose  loss  was  only  one  killed  and 
four  wounded.  The  San  Josef  lost  nineteen  wounded.  She  was 
purchased  for  the  Navy,  and  renamed  the  Calpe. 

An  action  which  is  important  as  illustrating  the  value  of  non- 
recoil  mountings,  was  that  of  November  13th,  between  the  British 
schooner  Milhrook,  of  sixteen  18-pr.  carronades,  mounted  on  non- 
recoil  principles,^  and  a  large  French  privateer,  the  Bellone,  off 
Oporto.  The  Milhrook,  Lieutenant  Matthew  Smith  (2),  fired  eleven 
broadsides  to  the  enemy's  three.  The  Bellone  was  of  far  superior 
orce,^  and  succeeded  in  escaping. 

On  November  17th,  a  British  squadron,  under  Captain  Sir 
Richard  John  Strachan,  discovered  the  French  corvette  Beolaise,  20, 
running  along  the  Morbihan  coast,  and  attempting  to  gain  the 
shelter  of  a  battery.*  She  was  cut  off  from  it  by  the  Nile,  cutter. 
Lieutenant  George  Argles,  and  ran  aground  in  Port  Navalo,  striking 
her  colours.  The  boats  of  the  squadron  approached  to  cut  her  out, 
but  she  rehoisted  her  colours,  got  off  the  ground,  and  fired  on 
them.     This  only  postponed  her  fate,  as  the  boats  returned,  and, 

'  Norman,  '  Corsairs  of  France,'  353.  [Robert  Surcouf,  one  of  the  greatest  of  the 
French  corsair.s  was  born  at  St.  Malo  in  1773,  and  first  went  to  sea,  in  a  merchantman, 
in  1789.  He  was  engaged  in  the  slave  trade,  even  after  the  traffic  had  been  furiiially 
abolislied  by  the  Republic  in  179-1,  and  was  in  consequence  arrested,  but,  escaping, 
became  a  privateer.  In  the  East  Indies  he  was  extraordinarily  successful.  He  was 
at  length  appointed  an  unattached  enseigue  in  tlie  navy,  but  did  not  serve  as  such  ; 
and,  after  1802,  contented  himself  with  fitting  out  privateers,  until  180G,  when  he 
returned  to  the  East  Indies,  and  gained  further  successes.  After  the  peace  he  lived 
as  a  shipowner  and  shipbuilder  till  his  death  in  1827.  Laughton,  'Studies  in 
Nav.  Hist.'— W.  L.  C] 

2  Troude,  220.  ^  James,  33.  *  Ih.,  iii.  35. 

"  Mounting  twenty-four  long  8-prs.,  and  six  or  eiglit  3G-pr.  carronades. — W.  L.  C. 

"  James,  36  ;  Troude,  220. 


1801.]  THE  "MELPOMENE"    IN   THE   SENEGAL.  535 

under  a  heavy  fire,  boarded  and  destroyed  her,  with  the  loss  of  one 
killed  and  seven  wounded. 

On  the  night  of  January  3rd,  1»01,  five  boats  from  the  Melpo- 
mene, 38,  Captain  Sir  Charles  Hamilton,  crossed  the  bar  of  the  river 
Senegal,  and,  without  being  discovered,  approached  the  French  brig 
Senegal,  18,  Captain  Renou,  at  anchor  in  the  river.'  They  were 
close  to  her  when  she  fired,  and  sank  two  of  the  boats.  The  others 
pushed  alongside  her,  boarded  her,  and  carried  her  after  a  short 
struggle.  The  British  boats  then  proceeded  to  attack  a  schooner, 
which  had  run  under  the  shelter  of  a  battery,  but  were  repulsed. 
In  taking  the  Senegal  out  she  grounded  on  the  bar,  and  no  efforts 
could  get  her  off.  She  was,  therefore,  abandoned,  and  the  boats 
rowed  back  to  the  ship.  The  loss  was  heavy,  as  out  of  a  total 
of  ninety-six  ofhcers  and  men  engaged,  eleven  were  killed  -  and 
eighteen  wounded.  The  Senegal  was  totally  lost  in  the  quicksands 
on  which  she  had  struck. 

On  January  17th,  the  small  British  schooner  Garland,^  and 
some  boats,  the  whole  under  Lieutenants  Kenneth  M'Kenzie  and 
Francis  Peachey,  approached  the  French  schooner  Eclair,  at  anchor 
under  the  batteries  of  Trois  Rivieres  in  the  island  of  Guadeloupe, 
under  the  Swedish  flag,  boarded  her,  and  carried  her  off  with  the 
loss  of  five  men. 

On  January  '20th,  the  British  Mercunj,  2(5,  Captain  Thomas 
Rogers,  in  the  Mediterranean,  fell  in  with  and  captured  the  French 
Sanspareille,  20,  Lieutenant  G.  Renaud,  then  on  her  way  to  Egypt 
with  stores  and  ammunition  for  the  French  army.^  Some  days 
previously,  in  the  Gulf  of  Lions,  the  same  British  ship  had  cap- 
tured fifteen  sail  of  a  French  convoy. 

On  January  23rd,  the  late  Spanish  Nuestra  Sefiora  dc  los 
Dolores,  1,  acting  as  tender  to  the  British  Abergavenny,  .54,  cap- 
tured in  the  most  gallant  way  a  Spanish  preventive  schooner,  the 
Santa  Maria,  6,  on  the  South  American  coast. ^  The  tender  chased 
the  Spaniard  ashore,  followed  her  and  grounded,  when  a  number 
of  British  seamen,  led  by  Lieutenant  Michael  Fitton  (actg.), 
swam  off  to  her,  sword  in  mouth,  and  carried  her.  She  was  then 
destroyed. 

'  James,  118  ;  Troude,  245. 

-  lucluding  Lieut.  William  Palmer,  Lieut,  of  Marines  William  Vyvian,  ami  Mid- 
shipman Robert  Main. — W.  L.  G. 

'  Troude,  246;  James,  120.  *  James,  119;  Truude,  247.  ^  Jauies,  123. 


536 


MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802. 


[1801. 


Oil  January  •26th,  the  British  Oiseaii,  36,  Captain  Samuel  Hood 
Linzee,  off  Cape  Ortegal,  sighted  the  French  Dedaigneuse,  36, 
Captain  Lacroix,  on  her  way  from  Cayenne  to  Eochefort.'  The 
French  ship  was  in  very  had  order.  Amongst  other  defects,  the 
bolts  of  her  cut-water  had  worked  loose  and  given  the  bowsprit 
too  much  play.  Other  British  frigates,  the  Sirius,  36,  and  Aine- 
tliyst,  36,  came  into  sight,  and  the  Dedaigneuse  turned  and  headed 
for  Ferrol.  A  long  chase  followed,  but  late  in  the  night  of  the 
'27th -'28th  the  Sirius  and  Oiseau  began  a  running  fight.  Off  Ferrol 
harbour  the  French  vessel  was  becalmed,  whilst  the  British  pursuers 
were  carried  down  upon  her  by  a  breeze  from  the  sea.  After  four 
broadsides  the  Dedaigneuse  s  captain  was  wounded.  The  French 
ship  struck,  seeing  another  British  frigate,  the  Dnmortalite,  ap- 
proaching. The  British  suffered  no  loss,  and  very  little  damage. 
The  French  loss  is  unknown.-  The  Dedaigneuse  was  purchased 
for  the  Navy. 

On  January  29th  the  British  corvette  Bordelaise,  24,  Captain 
Thomas  Manby,  off  Barbados,  found  three  French  vessels  standing 
after  her.^  These  were  the  Curieux,  18,  Captain  G.  Eadelet, 
Mutine,  16,  Captain  Eeybaud,  and  Esperance,  6,  Captain  Hamon. 
The  British  ship  shortened  sail  and  waited.  The  Curieux  came 
up,  and  was  at  once  attacked,  whereupon  her  two  consorts  beat 
a  prompt  retreat.  All  but  two  of  the  Bordelaise's  guns  were 
32-pr.  carronades,  and  those  made  short  work  of  her  audacious 
assailant.  For  thirty  minutes  the  two  fought  at  the  closest  quarters, 
when  the  Curieux  struck,  after  suffering  terrible  loss.  Her  captain 
paid  for  his  gallantry  with  the  loss  of  his  life.  The  Curieux 
foundered  almost  immediately  after  the  action,  two  British  seamen 
going  down  in  her. 


;      Tons. 

Guns. 

Broadsiile.         :\lcn.           Killed. 

Wounded. 

Total. 

Bordelaise 

Cttrieux   . 

G25 

21 

18 

Lbs. 
3G1 

78 

195 
168 

1 

7 

8 

1  about 
1     50 

;>0  uiiuutes. 


'  James,  123;  Troude,  248. 

'  "  Several  killed  aud  seveuteen  wounded,"  says  the  Gazette  letter  with  the  usual 
vagueness. 

'  James,  124. 


1801.]  THE   ''PnfEBE"   AND    THE  "AESICAINE."  537 

On  February  18th,  in  the  Southern  Atlantic,  the  British  Pen- 
guin, 18,  Captain  Eobert  Mansel,'  fought  a  sharp  action  with  three 
unknown  French  ships,  one  looking  like  a  corvette,  and  the  other 
two  apparently  merchantmen.-  The  Penguin  gave  chase,  and 
compelled  one  of  them  to  strike.  On  this  she  was  assailed  by  the 
corvette,  and  was  so  damaged  in  masts  and  rigging  that  she  could 
not  pursue  her  antagonists,  who  then  sheered  off.  Her  foremast 
went  overboard,  but  her  loss  was  only  one  man  wounded. 

On  February  19th  the  British  Phoebe,  36,  Captain  Eobert  Barlow, 
to  the  east  of  Gibraltar,  discovered  the  French  frigate  Africaine,  40, 
Captain  Saunier,  steering  up  the  Mediterranean.^  The  Africaine 
was  heavily  laden,  having,  besides  her  crew,  four  hundred  troops  for 
Egypt,  six  field-guns,  and  a  quantity  of  arms  and  ammunition  on 
board.  She  had  parted  from  the  similarly  freighted  Regeneree,  36, 
some  days  previously.  The  Phabe  quickly  overhauled  her  enemy, 
and  brought  her  to  close  action,  steering  a  parallel  course.  The 
French  ship  had  her  decks  encumbered,  and  was  at  a  great  dis- 
advantage. Her  only  chance  lay  in  boarding  the  Phabe,  but  this 
Captain  Barlow  was  adroit  enough  to  prevent.  The  effect  of  the 
Phrebe's  well-directed  fire  upon  the  crowded  decks  of  the  Africaine 
was  deadly  in  the  extreme.  After  two  hours'  furious  fighting, 
Captain  Saunier  and  Commander  J.  J.  Magendie,  the  two  French 
senior  officers,  were  wounded,  the  ship  was  on  fire  in  several  places, 
and  had  five  feet  of  water  in  her  hold,  and  most  of  her  guns  were 
dismounted.     She  struck  her  flag. 




Tun,. 

t.iUUd. 

Uroa^l^i'le. 

Men. 

Killod. 

W  unniii-'d. 

l'..tal. 

Phoebe      .      . 

926 

44 

Lb?. 
407 

239 

1 

12 

13 

Africaine 

1059 

44 

?,-M 

71.V 

20i:> 

144 

.",14 

2  hours. 

1 

lucludtog  400  troop3,  etc. 

This  action  shows  clearly  the  disastrous  result  of  encumbering  a 
warship  with  soldiers  and  cargo.  The  French  troops,  as  a  point  of 
honour,  insisted  on  remaining  on  deck  during  the  action,  though  their 

1  Mansel  had  been  posted  on  February  14tli,  but  had  not  received  his  com- 
mission.— W.  L.  C. 

-  James,  125 ;  Troude,  249 ;  Log  of  Penguin. 

3  James,  127 ;  Troude,  250 ;  Chevalier,  iii.  47  ;  Xaiwleon's  Correspondence,  5514. 


538  M/XOB    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [lyOl. 

presence  was  useless,  and  even  harmful ;  and  this  contributed  to 
the  terrific  loss.  It  was  only  with  extreme  difficult}'  that  the  Phwhe 
carried  her  prize  into  Port  Mahon.  The  Africaine  was  purchased 
for  the  Navy,  and  her  name  changed  to  Amelia.  It  appears  that 
the  bad  shooting  of  the  French — who  only  put  three  shot  into  the 
Phnebc's  hull — was  due  to  Captain  Saunier  having  planed  down  the 
quoins  before  the  day  of  battle,  and  to  his  having  actually  removed 
them  when  the  Phahe  was  in  chase  of  him.  Thus  the  French 
gunners  were  compelled  to  fire  high  and  to  endeavour  to  dismast 
their  enemy.  This  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  First  Consul,  who 
warned  his  officers  that  they  were  to  fire,  "  not  to  dismast  the 
enemy,  but  to  do  him  as  much  harm  as  possible." 

On  March  •2'2nd,  the  boats  of  the  Andromache,  32,  and  Cleopatra, 
32,  captured  a  Spanish  gunboat  on  the  Cuban  coast,  but  only  with 
heav}'  loss—  nine  killed  and  twelve  wounded.' 

On  the  night  of  April  2nd-3rd,  the  boats  of  the  Trent,  36,  off  the 
islands  of  Brehat,  captured  a  French  lugger  and  her  prize  as  these 
were  making  for  Paimpol.  The  British  loss  was  two  killed  and  one 
wounded. 

Early  in  April  the  Speedy,  14,  Commander  Lord  Cochrane,  cruising 
off  the  Spanish  Mediterranean  coast,  was  decoyed  close  under  the 
guns  of  a  heavy  Spanish  xebec  disguised  as  a  merchantman.-  To 
escape  was  impossible  ;  to  fight,  taken  unprepared,  against  such 
odds,  hopeless.  Cochrane  was  sailing  under  Danish  colours.  His 
ship  was  painted  to  resemble  a  Dane  ;  and  he  placed  an  officer,  who 
Gould  speak  Danish,  in  Danish  uniform  at  the  gangway,  and  caused 
him  to  reply  in  Danish  to  the  Spaniard's  hail.  Dissatisfied,  the 
Spaniard  sent  a  boat,  which  was  told  that  the  supposed  Dane  was 
I'roni  one  of  the  Barbary  ports,  where  the  plague  was  then  raging. 
On  this  the  Spaniards  were  only  too  anxious  to  be  off'. 

On  May  6th,  the  Speedy  met  a  large  Spanish  frigate,  the  Gamo. 
Sailing  under  American  colours  till  he  was  close  to  his  enemy, 
Cochrane,  in  spite  of  two  broadsides  from  the  Spaniard,  which  did 
him  no  damage,  ran  alongside,  and  fired  his  guns  treble-shotted  into 
the  foe.  The  Spaniards  attempted  to  board,  but,  as  soon  as 
Cochrane  heard  the  order  given,  he  sheered  off,  continuing  his  fire. 
A  second  and  a  third  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Spaniards  were 
repulsed.     Then,  running  under  her  big  adversary  once  more,  the 

'  James,  130. 

-  Ih.,  132  ;  '  Autobiography  of  a  Seaman  '  (1890  od.),  43. 


1801.] 


THE  "SPEEDY"   AND    THE  "QAMO." 


539 


Speedy  emptied  her  whole  crew  upon  the  Spaniard's  deck,  and  the 
Ganio  was  carried,  though  not  without  a  strugfjle. 


45  luiiiute?. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  extraordinary'  actions  of  the  war,  and 
exhibits  in  a  brilliant  light  Lord  Cochrane's  audacity,  judgment, 
and  fertility  of  resource.  He  carried  his  big  prize  safe  into  harbour, 
but  only  with  great  difficulty. 

On  May  2.5th,  the  boats  of  the  Mercury,  28,  Captain  Thomas 
Rogers,  attempted  to  cut  out  the  ex-British  bomb  Bulldog  from  the 
harbour  of  Ancona.'  The  British  seamen,  according  to  Troude, 
disarmed  suspicion  by  answering  the  challenge  in  French,  boarded 
the  Bulldog,  and  carried  her  without  resistance  being  offered.  They 
then  cut  the  cables  which  secured  her  to  the  mole,  and  had  worked 
her  nearly  to  the  entrance  of  the  harbour  when  they  were  attacked 
by  a  number  of  French  boats,  and  forced  to  abandon  their  prize. 
Their  loss  was  two  killed  and  four  wounded. 

On  June  9th,  the  Kangaroo,  18,  Commander  George  Christopher 
Pulling,  and  Speedy,  14,  Commander  Lord  Cochrane,  attacked  a 
Spanish  convoy  off  Oropeso,  under  the  shelter  of  a  Spanish  bat- 
teiy,  sank  a  20-gun  xebec  and  three  gunboats,  and  captured  three 
merchant  brigs. ^  On  July  3rd,  Eear-Admiral  Linois'  squadron, 
of  three  French  sail  of  the  line  and  one  frigate,  captured  the  little 
Speedy,  14,  in  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar.^ 

On  the  night  of  July  20th-21st,  the  boats  of  the  British  frigates 
Beaulieu,  40,  Captain  Stephen  Poyutz,  and  Doris,  Captain  Charies 
Brisbane,  36,  made  an  attempt  to  cut  out  the  French  corvette 
Chevrette,  20,  which  was  lying  in  Camaret  Bay,  but  failed  to 
arrive  before  day  had  dawned.*  They  retired,  but  they  had  been 
seen,  and  the  Chevrette  prepared  for  another  attempt  by  embarking 
a  party  of  soldiers,  which  brought  her  crew  up  to  339,  and  by 
loading  her  guns  to  the  muzzle  with  grape.  On  the  following  night, 
the  boats  of  the  above  frigates  with  those  of  the  Uranie,  38,  Captain 

'  James,  135 ;  Troude,  254.  -  James,  135.  '  lb.,  97. 

*  11.,  137  ;  Troude,  255;  '  Xav.  Chronicle,'  7,  216. 


540  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1801. 

George  Henry  Gage,  as  well,  embarked  280  men,  and  rowed  in. 
Six  boats,  however,  proceeded  to  chase  a  French  look-out  boat,  and 
did  not  return.  The  other  boats,'  with  180  men,  grew  impatient, 
and  dashed  at  the  Chevrettc.  Thej'  were  received  with  a  heavy 
fire  of  great  guns  and  small  arms,  both  from  her  and  from  the 
shore,  but  pressed  on ;  and  the  British  seamen  forced  their  way 
on  board.  A  party  of  topmen,  appointed  for  that  purpose,  fought 
their  way  up  her  rigging  and  spread  her  topsails,  and  presently  the 
Chevrette  stood  out  of  the  bay.  Meantime,  the  party  on  deck  carried 
the  forecastle  and  quarter-deck,  and  drove  the  Frenchmen  down  the 
hatches.  As  soon  as  that  had  been  done  the  other  six  boats  rejoined. 
The  Chevrette  was  carried  off,  though  fired  upon  by  the  French 
batteries.  In  the  affair  the  British  loss  was  twelve  killed  or  missing 
and  fifty-seven  wounded,  whilst  the  French  lost  ninety-two  killed 
and  sixty-two  wounded.  The  gallantry  of  the  British  officers  and 
seamen  was  above  all  praise.  The  Beaulieu's  quartermaster,  Hemy 
Wallis,  who  had  been  ordered  to  take  the  Chevrette's  helm,  fought 
his  way  to  his  post,  and  continued  at  it,  though  badly  wounded. 

On  July  21st,  the  British  hired  brig  Pasley,  16,  Lieutenant 
Wilham  Wooldridge  (1),  fought  a  shai-p  action  with  a  Spanish 
xebec  of  twenty-two  guns.  The  xebec  escaped.  The  Pasley's  loss 
was  one  killed  and  two  wounded.^ 

On  July  31st,  the  British  brig  Sylph,  18,  Commander  Charles 
Dash  wood,  off  Santander,  was  engaged  by  a  large  ship  of  iinknown 
nationality — probably  a  French  or  Spanish  privateer — and  after 
eighty  minutes'  close  fighting  had  to  retire.^  She  was  not  pursued 
by  the  strange  ship.  On  August  1st,  the  Sylph  saw  her  enemy  at 
some  distance  with  her  foreyard  on  the  deck,  and  gave  chase,  but, 
by  reason  of  the  heavy  sea  and  her  own  injuries,  could  not  close. 
The  Sylph's  loss  was  one  killed  and  nine  wounded.  Having  re- 
paired her  damage,  the  Sylph,  cruising  off  the  coast  of  Spain  on 
September  28th,  again  encountered  an  unknown  ship,  and  fought 
her  for  over  two  hom-s,  when  the  enemy  retired.  The  Sylph  only 
had  one  man  wounded.  According  to  Dashwood,  the  stranger  was 
the  French  Artemise,  40.  We  may  be  permitted  to  feel  the  gi'avest 
doubt  as  to  this.    It  is  impossible  to  believe  that  a  large  and  powerful 

'  Under  Lieuts.  Keith  Maxwell,  James  Pasley,  Martin  Neville,  and  Walter  Burke ; 
Lieut,  of  Marines  James  Sinclair ;  and  Mi<ls.  Kubert  Warren.  Sinclair  and  Warren 
were  killed,  and  Burke  was  mortally  wouudeil. — W.  L.  C. 

'  James,  149.  ^  lb.,  145 ;  Marshall,  vol.  ii.  pt.  i.  454. 


1801.] 


THE  "SIBTLLE"   AND    TEE  "CniFFONNE." 


541 


French  frigate  would  have  failed  to  inflict  far  heavier  loss  on  a  small 
brig— if,  indeed,  she  had  not  captured  her.  The  matter  remains  a 
mystery. 

On  August  18th,'  the  British  Sibylle,  38,  Captain  Charles  Adam, 
discovered  the  French  Chiffonne,  36,  Captain  P.  Guieysse  in  Mahe 
roads  with  her  foremast  out.  The  SihijUe  prepared  for  battle, 
steered  in  through  a  narrow  intricate  passage,  and  anchored  two 
hundred  yards  off  the  Frenchman,  with  springs  on  her  cables.  An 
action  of  seventeen  minutes  followed,  during  which  the  Sibylle  had 
to  take  the  raking  fire  of  a  French  battery  on  the  island.  Then  the 
Chiffonne  cut  her  cable,  struck  her  flag,  and  drifted  on  a  reef.  The 
Sibylle  sent  a  boat  to  take  possession,  and  another  to  capture  the 
battery,  upon  which  she  turned  her  guns.  The  battery  then 
surrendered. 


— 

Tons. 

Unns. 

Broadside. 

Men. 

Sibylle     .      . 

1091 

48 

Lbs. 
503 

217  n. 

Chiffonne 

94.T 

40 

.370       ' 

190 

17  minutes. 

The  Chiffonne  was  taken  by  surprise,  and  many  of  her  men 
were  on  shore.  She  was  got  off,  and  was  afterwards  purchased  for 
the  Navy. 

On  September  '2nd,  the  British  Victor,  18,  Commander  George 
Ralph  Collier,  off  the  Seychelles,  engaged  for  ninety  minutes  the 
French  FUche,  18,  Captain  J.  B.  Bonamy.^  The  Victor  had  the 
heavier  metal  and  soon  drove  her  enemy  to  flight,  but,  having 
received  serious  injury  in  her  masts  and  rigging,  could  not  pursue 
closely.  The  Victor  followed  at  a  distance  till  the  5th,  when  the 
FUche  had  disappeared.  That  afternoon,  however,  she  saw  her 
entering  Mahe.  The  channel  was  sounded  at  night,  and  next  day 
the  Victor  stood  in  and  anchored  with  springs,  taking  a  raking  fire 
during  her  approach.  A  fight  of  two  and  a  haK  hours  followed, 
when  the  Fleche,  in  a  sinking  condition,  cut  her  cables,  drove  on 
shore,  and  was  set  on  fire  by  her  crew.  A  British  party  boarded 
her,  but  she  fell  over  and  sank. 

'  James,   131,   gives   the   date   as   April  19th.     Troude,  259,  gives   the   date   as 
August  20th.     Log  of  Sibylle. 
2  James,  143 ;  Troude,  262. 


542  MINOR    OPERATIONS,   1793-1802.  [1800. 


Killed.        WouDded. 


4  hours. 

The  Fleche  was  eventually  raised  by  the  French. 

On  September  16th,  the  ex-British  bomb  Bulldog  was  recaptured 
off  the  south  coast  of  Italy  by  the  British  frigates  Mercury,  26,  and 
Sta.  Dorotea,^  36. 

For  the  minor  actions  of  the  Eevolutionary  war  we  have  the  aid 
of  the  invaluable  Naval  Chronicle,  and  of  the  painstaking  James, 
who  appears  to  have  carefully  collated  Gazette  letters,  logs,  courts- 
martial,  and  what  French  authorities  were  accessible  in  his  day.^ 
The  ship's  logs  were  still  kept  in  a  most  unsatisfactory  way,  especi- 
ally ill  small  craft.  For  instance,  the  British  frigate  Oiseau  sights 
the  French  Dedaigneuse,  and  the  log  is  dumb.  But  towards  the 
close  of  the  century  there  is  a  very  distinct  improvement,  and,  as 
printed  forms  come  into  use,  more  care  is  exercised. 

There  is  a  great  similarity  about  all  the  minor  actions  between 
ships.  One  vessel  sights  another,  gives  chase,  maintains  a  running 
action,  closes,  rakes,  or  attempts  to  rake,  gets  the  enemy's  fire 
under,  and  brings  down  his  flag.  The  same  characteristics  which 
prevented  the  French  navy  from  achieving  anything  great  in  the 
American  war  are  exemplified  in  the  frigate  actions  of  this  war, 
where  French  ships  are  concerned.  There  is  the  same  timidity,  the 
same  straining  after  some  ulterior  object,  the  same  dislike  to 
damaging  the  French  ship  in  action,  the  same  firing  at  the  British 
masts  and  rigging.     To  this  the  loss  of  at  least  one  action  can  be 

'  Tioude,  263. 

-  The  authorities  for  this  war  are,  besides  James  and  Troude :  Brenton,  '  Naval 
History'  (2  vols.  1837);  Chevalier,  ' Marine  Francaise  sous  la  Premiere  liepuhlique,' 
and  'Sous  le  Consulat  et  I'Empire';  the  Naval  Chronicle,  which  gives  Gazette  letters, 
lives  of  eminent  officers  and  much  interesting  matter ;  Schomberg's  '  Naval  Chron- 
ology ' ;  Courts-Martial,  Logs,  List  Books,  Captains'  Letters  and  Admirals'  Dispatches ; 
the  various  biographies  of  great  seamen — Nelson  (Nicolas),  Saumarez  (Ross),  Pellew 
(Osier),  Dundonald,  St.  Vincent  (Tucker),  Keith  (Allardyce),  Durham  (Murray); 
Marshall's  'Naval  Biography';  Ralfe,  'Naval  Biography';  'Dictionary  of  National 
Biography,'  the  naval  biographies  in  which,  by  Professor  Laughton,  are  full  of  research. 
The  compiler  takes  this  opportunity  of  acknowledging  the  value  of  the  excellent 
'  Inde.x  to  James's  Naval  History,'  published  by  the  Navy  Eecords  Society,  which  will 
be  found  most  useful. 


1793-1801.]      IMPORTANCE    OF    WEIOET   OF  BROADSIDE.  543 

directly  traced  ; '  to  this  also  are  probablj'  due  in  part  the  very 
slight  losses  of  men  inflicted  on  British  ships  in  several  hotly  fought 
actions.  British  crews  invariably  fired  at  the  hulls  of  their 
opponents,  and  strove  to  kill  the  men  rather  than  to  disable  the 
ship.  Chance,  as  in  all  battles,  plays  a  considerable  part.  Israel 
Pellew  shoots  away  the  CUopatre  s  wheel,  and  greatly  contributes 
to  one  of  the  most  brilliant  victories  of  the  war.-  The  bursting 
of  a  gun  leads  not  indirectly  to  the  Ambuscade's  defeat  by  an 
inferior  ship.^ 

In  this  war  French  ships  usually  carried  large  but  undisciplined 
crews  and  unskilled  oflicers.  In  these  circumstances  they  were 
wise  to  follow  Jean  Bon  Saint  Andre's  famous  advice^— to  "disdain 
evolutions  "  and  "  attempt  to  board."  Thus  they  could  best  employ 
their  masses  of  men.  If  the  shooting  of  the  French  crews  was 
wretched — and  how  bad  it  was  these  actions  show — the  spirit  and 
fier}-  courage  of  the  French  sailors — seamen  we  cannot  call  them — 
were  above  all  reproach.  They  endured  enormous  losses  in  innumer- 
able instances  before  they  struck. 

It  is  interesting  to  develop  further  the  examination  of  the 
influence  of  weight  of  metal  upon  the  result  of  actions.  In  the 
American  war  we  have  seen  that  there  were  verj'  few  instances 
indeed  in  which  the  weaker  broadside  won.  That  is  not  the  case 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Taking  important  and  decisive  single- 
ship  actions,  the  results  can  be  tabulated  thus — 


British  sliips 
French     „ 
Spanish   „ 
Dutch 


Superior  Broadside 
Wins  against. 

Inferior  Broadside 
Wins  against. 

1 

1 

21 

7 

4 

o 

But  in  the  French  navy  the  circumstances  were  quite  abnormal, 
owing  to  indiscipline,  want  of  seamanship,  bad  gunnery,  and  possibly 

'  Forte  and  Sihylle. 

^  Cf.  also  Ross,  '  Sauraarez,'  i.  101.  The  Reunion's  wheel  was  shot  away  in  her 
action  with  the  Crescent.  The  British  gunners  seem  to  have  regularly  aimed  at  the 
wheel,  rudder  and  steering-gear. 

^  The  Court-martial  attributed  the  loss  of  the  Amhuscade  "to  a  rapid  succession 
of  the  most  unfortunate  accidents." 

*  Chevalier,  ii.  49. 


544  MINOR    OPERATIONS,    1793-1802.  [1793-1801. 

—from  a  liint  contained  in  one  of  Napoleon's  letters— bad  powder.' 
The  heavier  broadside,  even  in  these  exceptional  circumstances, 
usually  wins  the  day  ;  and  nothing  is  more  noticeable  than  the  steady 
increase  in  the  force  of  frigates,  so  as  to  ensure  having  the  heavier 
broadside.  The  '28-gun  ship  practically  disappears ;  the  3'2,  the 
standard  cruiser  of  the  American  war,  gives  way  to  the  36,  38,  40, 
or  to  the  cut-down  ship  of  the  line.  The  evolution  and  development 
which  om-  own  day  has  seen  in  the  size  of  ships,  progi-ess  steadily, 
if  slowly.  We  find,  by  the  close  of  the  war,  such  frigates  as  the 
Forte  superior  by  fifty  per  cent,  in  weight  of  metal  to  the  old 
50-gun  vessel  of  the  line. 

In  British  frigates  the  carronade  was  given  a  very  important 
place.     It  became  larger  in  calibre,  and  to  a  great  extent  replaced 
the   small   guns— 6   and   9-prs. — which   had    been    carried    on    the 
forecastle  and  quarter-deck.      In   the  smaller  classes  it  frequently 
constituted  the  entire  armament   except   only  for   a   pair   of   bow- 
chasers.     Owing  to  its  lightness,  ease  of  handling,  and  rapidity  of 
fire,   it  was   most   efficient  in  action  at  short  ranges,  when  pitted 
against    long    guns,    as    the    instances    of    the    Glutton,    Pelican, 
Wolverine,  and  Milbrook  prove.     In  the  last  case,  the  British  ship 
with  non-recoil  carronades  fired  eleven  broadsides  to  her  enemy's 
three.     In  fact  the  carronade  was  a  quick-firer  of  large  calibre  but 
very  short  range.     The  wonder  is  that  enemies  attacked  by  British 
ships   so  armed    did   not   select  a  longer  range,   for  the  carronade 
was  of  little  value  outside  four  hundred  yards.     Probably  the  strong 
objection  to  this  weapon,   which  we  find  expressed   by  many  ex- 
perienced and  able  officers,  was  that  it  limited  our  tactics  and  con- 
strained close  action.     In  French  ships  of  and  above  the  size  of 
frigates,  the  36-pr.  carronade  is  regularly  carried  during  this  war : 
in  small  French  craft,  however,  there  are  often  no  carronades.     In 
Spanish  vessels  24-pr.  carronades  are  carried. - 

The  two  conspicuous  instances  where  British  ships  were  taken 
after  a  well-contested  action,  are  those  of  the  Leander  and  Ambus- 
cade. The  first  was  overpowered  by  a  ship  of  more  than  twice  her 
strength,  on  which  she  had  inflicted  enormous  loss  ;  the  second  was 
beaten  i;nder  peculiar  circumstances  by  a  ship  of  inferior  force.  She 
had  an  indifferent  Captain  and  a  weak  crew  :  she  was  surprised  and 
she  was  boarded. 

'  Correspondence,  5476. 

"  'Autobiography  of  a  Seaman,'  Coclirane,  51.  The  Oamo  ha<l  two  24-pr. 
carronades. 


1793-1801.]  DISPROPORTIONATE   CASUALTIES.  545 

Examining  the  seven  important  instances  in  which  a  French 
vessel  hauled  down  her  flag  to  an  inferior  opponent,  we  find  that  in 
three  cases  there  were  other  British  ships  at  hand.  Even  where 
these  do  not  lire  a  shot,  the  moral  effect  must  be  great.  To  fight 
vyithout  a  chance  of  success,  when  the  sacrifice  of  life  is  productive 
of  no' result,  demands  almost  superhuman  courage.  The  other  ioux 
instances  are  those  of  the  Pique,  Tamise,  Vestale,  and  Forte.  The 
Pique  was  raked,  and  when  we  know  that  in  the  case  of  the  Reunion 
a  single  raking  shot  kiUed  or  wounded  twenty-one  men  out  of  a 
crew  of  320,'  we  see  what  that  might  mean.  She  was  entangled 
and  held  in  an  awkward  position  for  some  minutes  under  this 
raking  fixe.  The  defeat  of  the  Tamise  was  probably  due  to  the 
French  trick  of  firing  at  the  masts  of  the  enemy ;  and,  in  any  case, 
she  was  superior  to  the  British  ship  which  captiu'ed  her  by  only  ten 
per  cent,  in  weight  of  broadside.  The  advantage  of  the  Vestale  in 
weight  of  metal  was  still  smaller,  and  she  was  attacked  by  an 
exceptionally  smart  captain,  Bowen,  the  hero  of  Tenerife.  She 
inflicted  heavy  loss  upon  the  victor.  Lastly,  the  Forte  was,  if 
French  authorities  can  be  beheved,  badly  manned  and  most  in- 
differently commanded.  She  was  superior  by  twenty  per  cent,  to 
the  Sihijlle,  which  captured  her,  but  she  fired  high. 

The  Spanish  instances  need  not  be  examined.  As  a  fighting 
force  the  Spanish  navy  was  worthless,  and  it  may  be  doubted 
whether  the  hearts  of  the  Spanish  officers  were  in  the  war.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  Dutch  in  minor  actions.  The  numerous 
engagements  with  privateers — which  are  for  the  most  part  omitted 
in  these  pages — are  not  very  instructive.  From  want  of  discipline 
a  privateer,  unless  of  quite  exceptional  size,  was  not  formidable  to 
a  man-of-war. 

There  are  several  remarkable  instances  wherein  powerful  French 
ships  were  captured  after  a  brisk  engagement,  in  which  the  British 
loss  was  trivial  to  a  dega-ee.  The  Crescent,  Unicorn,  Bevolutionnaire, 
and  Indefatigable  each  captm-ed  an  enemy  without  having  a  man 
kiUed  or  even  seriously  wounded.  The  losses  they  inflicted  were 
respectively  81,  51,  20,  and  42.  The  first  case  illustrates  the  admir- 
able skill  in  manoeuvring  and  seamanship  of  the  best  of  oiu-  naval 
officers.''  The  Crescent's  opponent  was  virtually  equal  in  force,  and 
was  superior  in  size.  Other  instances  in  which  the  British  losses 
-were  insignificant  and  the  French  losses  very  heavy  are  those  of  the 
'  Ross,  'Saumarez,'  i.  HI.  ^  /''■,  i-  H-- 

VOL.    IV.  '2   N 


546  J//.Y07?    OPEIiATKiXS,    1793-1802.  [1793-1801. 

Proserpine  (9  killed  and  wounded  to  75  killed  and  wounded  in  the 
enemy),  Sealiome  (18  to  80),  Livelij  (2  to  41),  Santa  Margarita  (.5  to 
51),  Sihylle  (22  to  145),  and  PJicrhe  (13  to  344).  In  this  last  case  the 
enemj'  was  crowded  with  troops,  and  the  result  was  a  simple 
massacre.  But  to  this  result  contrihuted  the  French  practice  of 
firing  to  dismast.  A  British  officer  on  board  the  Crescent  noted 
that  "  the  enemy  (the  Beunion)  fired  so  high  that  scarcely  any  shot 
struck  the  hull  of  the  Crescent."  ^  In  the  Africaine,  which  the 
Phoebe  handled  so  severely,  the  French  captain  had  actually  removed 
the  quoins  of  his  giuis,  to  compel  his  men  to  shoot  high. 

The  skill  of  the  British  officers  and  men  is  clearly  shown  by  the 
celerity  with  which  they  refitted  their  ships  when  damaged  in  masts 
and  rigging.  The  famous  examples  of  the  Vanguard  in  1798  and 
Saumarez's  ships  after  their  action  with  Linois  belong  to  the  major 
operations.  In  the  minor  actions  the  instance  of  the  Seine  is  very 
striking.  After  some  hours'  firing  she  is  so  damaged  by  the  French 
Vengeance  in  her  masts  that  she  drops  behind.  She  refits  and  comes 
up  again,  and  again  is  more  or  less  disabled.  A  second  time  she 
refits  ;  a  third  time  she  closes  and  then  takes  her  enemy. 

There  are  several  actions  in  which  British  merchantmen  repulsed 
the  attack  of  powerful  French  frigates  or  privateers  ;  one  or  two  in 
which  they  captured  French  ships  through  mistake  on  the  part  of 
the  latter.  Such  successes  were,  however,  obtained  by  few  but  East 
Indiamen.  They  were  formidable-looking  ships,  having  at  a  distance 
the  appearance  of  frigates  or  small  vessels  of  the  line  ;  and  they 
were  usually  well  commanded,  had  disciplined  crews,  and  invariably 
carried  a  light  armament  of  such  guns  as  9-pr.  cannonades  and 
12-pr.  long  guns.  An  East  Indiaman,  the  Pigot,  repulsed  two 
French  privateers,  together  mounting  sixty  guns  ;  and  five  East 
Indiamen  captured  these  privateers  some  days  later.  Five  East 
Indiamen  were  mistaken  by  Sercey's  squadron  for  ships  of  the  line 
and  left  unmolested.  The  French  MecISe  surrendered  to  two  East 
Indiamen  which  she  mistook  for  vessels  of  the  line  In  general 
the  merchant  ship  was  too  badly  manned,  too  much  encumbered, 
too  feebly  anned,  and  too  weakly  built  to  have  any  chance  against 
the  privateer,  much  less  against  the  warship. 

Ver}'  many  of  the  minor  actions  took  place  in  the  Bay,  the  Bay 
of  Biscay,  which  was  very  thoroughly  scoured  by  British  cnaisers. 
Taking  the  year  1796  we  find  that  five  44's,  ten  38's,  five  36's,  five 

'  '  Saumaiez,'  i.  102. 


1793-1801.] 


DISPOSITION   OF  BRITISH   CBUISEBS. 


547 


3'2's,  and  eight  sloops  or  brigs  were  cruising  iu  the  Channel  and  in 
the  Bay.^  Besides  these,  eleven  small  vessels  were  employed  on 
convoy  duty.  In  the  Xorth  Sea,  off  Brest  with  the  Channel  fleet, 
and  on  the  British  coast,  were  yet  more  frigates  and  small  craft, 
whilst  the  List  Book  gives  the  strength  of  4J:'s,  frigates,  and  small 
craft  on  foreign  station  in  January,  1797,"  thus  :  44's,  seven  ;  frigates, 
sixty-four;  sloops,  etc.,  forty-four.  Of  these,  most  were  engaged  in 
convoy  diity,  commerce  protection,  and  watching  the  enemy's  ports. 
The  total  so  employed  was  even  larger  in  1798-1801  than  iu  1796, 
seeing  that  the  Navy  steadily  expanded. 


'  Schomberg,  4,  532,  533. 

:              E.  Indies. 

Jamaica. 

Leeward  Is. 

Mediterrauean. 

Nova  Scotia. 

44's        .           .           .               3 

2 

1 



1 

Frigates          .          .            14 

10 

14 

19 

7 

Small    ...              5 

10 

14 

10 

5 

■2  N  2 


(     -^48     ) 


APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTERS  XXXV.  AXD  XXXVI. 


-List   of   H.5I.   Ships   Takes,   Destroyed,   Bcrxt,   Foukdereu   ok   "Wrecked 

DURING   THE    WaR   OF   THE    FRENCH    REVOLUTION,    1793-1801,    AXU   OF    LoSSES 
TO   THE    END   OF    1802. 


Tear. 


1T93 


Date. 


May  27 

June  1 

Oct.  4 

Kov.  20 

Dec.  16 

.,  18 

„  18 

„  18 

.>  18 

.,  18 


Jan. 


Feb. 

Mar.  8 

Apr.  II 

Ma;  8 

„  10 

June  28 

July  14 

Aug.  24 


II.M.  Ship. 


fdnimauiler. 

[■  Lost  his  life  ou  the 

(Kcasiuu.j 


Itemarks. 


Nov. 

6 

26 
26 

Dec. 

22 

1795 

Mar. 

7 
14 

May 

1 

June 

Aug. 

2 

Oct. 

1 

Nov. 

12 

Dec. 

9 

„ 

11 

„ 

29 

Hyann    . 
Advice,  cutter    . 

Thames   . 

Scipion    . 

Pigmy^  cutter  . 

Vi</ilante,  cutter 
Alerte     .     .     . 
Cunflagration ,  f.s, 
yulcatit  f.s. 
Union,  gunboat 
Tiperc,  cutter    . 

MuseUe   .     .     . 

Amphitnte  . 

Spitfire^  cutter  .     , 

\0)nvert  (ex  Incon 

[     stanf) ... 

(Proselyte^ 

[     batt.     .      .      . 

Ardent    . 

Placentia     . 

Castor 

Alert.  .  .  . 
Jiose  .... 
Specly  .  .  . 
Runrfer,  cutter  . 

Hound    . 

Impttueuz  .  . 
Scout.     .     .     . 


Capt.  William  ITargood. 
hieut.  Edward  Tyrrel. 

!  Capt.  James  Cotes. 


Lieut. 


.\ bra  ham 
blank.* 


PuUi- 


(Not  in  commission.) 
Com.  Jobu  Loring. 
,,    Charles  Hare. 


{•• 


Richard  Henry  .Alex- 
ander Bennett. 


Alexander    . 

Pyl^ides  .  . 
Actif.,  brig  . 
Espion     . 

Daphne  ■ 
BerwicTc . 

Illustrious  . 

Boyne 

Mosquito,  floatg.  batt. 

Flying  Fish^  schoon 

JHowede .     . 

Censeur  .     .     . 

Pleche 

Xemesis  . 

Shark,  Dutch  hoy 
Amethyst 
iScourge  . 


Capt.  Anthony  Hunt. 
Com.  T.  W.  Kich.* 

Capt.  John  Law-ford. 

Com.  AValter  Serocold. 

f Capt.  Robert  51  a  n  n  e  r  s  | 
[  Sutton.  J 

Lieut.  Alexander  .Shippard. 

Capt.  Thomas  Troubridge. 

Com.  Charles  Smith. 
Capt.  ^latthew  Henry  Scott. 
Com.  George  Eyre.  ] 

Lieut.  Isaac  Cotgrave.  ; 

Com.  Richard  Piercy. 

(Not  in  commission.) 

Com.  Charles  Robinson. 

(■Rear-Adm.  Richard  Rwl-^ 
1    ney  liligh.  j 

Com.  J  humas  Twysden. 

,,     Juhn  Harvey  (2). 

„  William  Hugh  Kittoe. 
I'Capt.  \\illiam  Edward ( 
1  Cracraft.  j 

„    Adam  Littlejohn. 

f    „    Thomas    Lenoxi 
Frederick.  j 

„     George  Grey. 
Lieut.  William  McCarthy.* 

„  George  Seaton. 
Capt.  Matthew  Smith  (1). 

„  John  Gore  (I). 
Lieut.  Charles  Came. 
Capt.  Samuel  Hood  Linzee. 

I  ieut. Watson. 

Capt.  Thomas  Affleck. 
Com.  A\illiam  Stap. 


Taken  by  f'onrorde,  40,  in  W.  Indies. 

Wrecked  on  Key  BokeU,  Honduras. 
(Taken  by  three  French  frigates,  going 
I     to  Gibraltar.    l:.-taken,  Juue7,  1Y96. 
I  Accidentally  bunit  off  Leghorn. 

Wrecked  on  the  Motberbauk. 

T.-ikeu  l\v  the  French  at  Joulou. 
Taken  by  the  French  at  loulon. 
Burnt  on  evacuation  of  Touluu. 
Expended  at  Joiilou. 
Hlown  up  at   Toulon. 
Wrecked  in  Hyeres  Bay. 

Taken  on  eutermg  'ioulou  by  mistake. 

W'recked  in  the  ^lediterranean. 
fCapsizeil  off  San  r>omingo,   with  all 
\    hands. 


Wrecked  ou  (Jrand  Cayman. 

Sunk  by  batteries  at  Bastia. 

(■Accidentally    blown    up   I'ff  Corsica, 
I    with  all  hautb. 

Ijost  at  Newfoimdland. 
("Taken  by  Aiim.  Xielly's  squadron  off 
\    <ape  Clear. 

Taken  by  UniU^  40,  off  Ireland. 

Wrecked  on  Rocky  Point,  Jamaica. 

Taken  by  French  frigates,  off  Nic«. 

Taken  by  a  French  squadron,  off  Brest. 
(Taken  by  Seine  and  '''ilnt^e,  coming 
I,     from  W.  lud. 

Accidentally  burnt  at  Portsmouth. 
fTakeu  by  two  French  frigates,  off  Cape 
i     Bona. 

/Taken    bv    a    French    squadron    off 
\     SicUy. 

Wrecked  on  Isle  o{  Nest,  Shetlands. 

Foundered  off  Bermuda. 

Taken  by  three  French  frigates. 
|Taken    by  two  French    men-<.>f-war. 
{     Retaken,  Dec.  28,  1797. 
fTaken    by  the    French  fleet    in    the 
I     Mediterranean. 

Wrecked  near  Aveuza. 

Accidentally  burnt  at  Spithead. 

Lost  on  coast  of  France  with  all  hands, 
(iaken  in  W.  lud.  by  two  French 
I     privateers. 

Wrecked  near  Trincomole. 
(Taken  by  a  French  wiuadrou  off  C.  tl. 
\     Vincent. 

Wrecked  in  San  Fiorenzo  Bay. 
(Taken  by  two  Freuch  men-of-war  at 
I     Smyrna.     Retaken,  IMarch  9,  179G. 

(.arried  by  her  crew  into  La  Hougue. 

Lost  at  Alderuey. 

Foundered  off  the  Dutch  coast. 


BRITISrr  LOSSES,    1793-1802. 


549 


Year. 


Date. 


H.M.  Ship. 


Ci>m'uau(ler. 

[*  Lost  his  life  on  the 

occasion.] 


Feb. 
Apr. 


lugger 


May    13 
June  10 

July   15 


Aug.  27 

Sept.  22 

Oct.  2 

.>  3 

„  10 

•  t  20 

„  20 

Nov.  3 


(ex 


Pec. 


Jan. 

Feb. 
Apr. 


U'hi  .  . 
St.  i'ierrn 
Spider,  hired  1 

^'a  Ira    . 

S'lUsbury  . 
Arab . 

Tromptuse 

'  Active     .     . 

Sirene     . 
fUn  d  n  u  nted 
t     A  le'th  use) . 

Rennuda 

Ainphion 

Experiment,  brig 

yarcissiis     . 
Malabar. 
Pmdette  . 
Bdlette    .     . 

ndena    .     . 

I  Serbice,  brig 
Vannciiu,  brig 

HtfUniwi. 

Vestale    . 
CiAiraijeux  . 
Bombay  Castle 

Cormorarit  . 

ffussar   .     . 

f'urlew    . 

Viphe  .  . 
Bermes  .  . 
Amazon  . 


U 

24     BUxtm,  tender 
24     Brighton,  tender 
27     Albion,  floatg.  batt, 

;  Tartar 


May 

17 

{p  ro  V  idence,  dis- 
\     covery  ship    .     . 

iMcedeinonian  .      . 

Port  Royal ^schoon 

June 

15 

Fortune .     .     .     . 

July 

24 

Fox,  cutter  .     .     . 

„ 

31 

Artois     .     .     .     . 

„      31      Mignonne     . 

Sept.   22     Herminne     .     . 

Nov.   16  I  Tribune .     .     . 

„  \  Hope,  hired  lugger 

Dec.    27  1  Hunter   .     .     . 

,,  j  Growler  . 

j  .SV(/(      .     .     . 

Pandtiur 
I    liesulution    . 
(Marie     Antoinette, 
I     scbo<m. 
Geonje    . 

Bavan 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Apr. 

May 
June 

July 


Pallas    .  .     . 

Lively     .  .     . 

De  Braal-  .      . 

Bover 

Pique 

Ai'jle.     .  .     . 

Besistance  . 

Garland. 

(Princess  Roya 

\    cutter  .  .     . 


Jus  h  ua  Ro  wl  ey] 
\\'atsou.  J 

fCapt.  Eiiwani  Levesoui 
Guwer.  J 

Com.  Daniel  Guerin.* 

Capt.  Robert  AViuthi'op. 

Com.  I  homas  IVlaxtoue.* 
Capt.  Israel  Pellew. 

Lieut.  George  Hayes. 

Capt.  Percy  Fraser. 
„    Thomas  Parr. 
Edwards. 
Com.  John  Temple. 
„    Jermyn       John 
Sjinonds.* 
Lieut.  Johu  Tresahar, 

J»bu  (iourly. 
;Capt.  Henry  William] 
I  Hapitun.  J 

„    Heujamin  Hallowell. 
„    'J  homas  Sotheby. 

Lieut.  Thomas  Gott.* 


Capt.  John  Woodley.* 

Lieut.  James  Oswald. 

Capt.  Charles  Dudley  Pater. 

„    William  Mitchell. 
Com.  Stephen  Seymour, 


Cipsized  in  a  stiuall. 
Wrecked  offPt.  Negro. 
Collideil  witli  Bamillies. 
i.\ccideutally  burnt   in  San  Fiorenzo 
I     Pay. 

Wret-ked  near  Sau  Domingo. 
Wrecked  near  Point  Peumarck. 


Capt.  James  Coluett. 
/Com.  Frjiucis    V  e  n  t  r  i  si 
I  Field.*  j 

,,    Henry  Hardiugi 
Parker.*  j 

,.    William  Mulso.* 
/Capt.  Ri>ljert(.'aTtUewRey-i 
\    uolds.  ; 

Lieut.  Andrew  (.'ongalton. 

Capt.  Heury  Savage. 

,,    Hou  Charles  Elphin-|  I 
stuue.  ]\ 

■    „     William  Roberti 
Hroughtou.  j| 

Com.  Matthew  Wrench. 
Lieut.  Elias  Man. 
Com.  Valentine  Collard. 
Lieut.  Johu  Gibson.* 
Capt.  Sir  Edmnud  Nagle. 
:    ,,     Hon.   Philip  Wode 
I  house. 

„    Hugh  Pigot  (2).* 

„    Scory  Barker.* 

Com.  Tudor  Tucker. 


Wreckeil  near  Kiugsale. 

Wreckei.1  in  the  St.  Lawreuce. 

Wrecked  in  the  Bay  of  Honduras. 

Wrecked  on  Morant  Keys. 

Foundered  in  Gulf  of  Florida. 
Accidentally  burnt  in  Hamoaze. 
/Taken     by    the     Spaniards     in     the 
\     Me<literraneau. 
Wrecked  off  . New  Providence. 
Foundered  cumiug  from  W.  Ind. 
Burnt  at  AjacLin,  as  unserviceable. 
j  Burnt  at  Ajaccio,  as  unserviceable. 
y/Foundered  on  Dutch  coast,  with  all 
J  I    hands. 

Wrecked  at  Dominiva. 
M'retked  at  Port-..  Ferrajo. 

Wrecked  in  the  Swin. 

Retaken,  after  capture,  on  Dec.  13. 

Wrecked  beluw  Ape's  Hill. 

Wrecked  in  the  Tagus. 
fAccideutaUy  blown    up    at    Port    au 
1    Prince. 

Wrecked  near  Isle  Bas. 


Foimdered  in  the  North  Sea. 

Foundered  off  the  Shamion. 

Foundered  at  sea. 

Wrecked  near  Jsle  Bas. 

Taken  by  the  French,  off  Holyhead. 
Taken  by  the  French,  off  Holyhead. 
Wrecked  in  the  Swiu. 

\N'recked  off  San  Domingo. 

Wrecked  in  the  Pacific. 

Taken  l>ythe  French  in  the  West  Indies. 

Taken  in  the  W  est  Indies. 

Wrecked  near  Oporto. 

Destroyed  before  Santa  Cruz. 

AVrecked  on  the  French  coast. 

Burnt  as  unserviceable  at  Porto  Ferrajo. 

/CaiTied   by  mutinous   crew  into   La 
\     iiuaira. 

Wrecked  off  Halifax. 

Run  down  in  the  Cliannel. 

Wrecked  on  Bog  Island,  Virginia. 


^  .    ,   ,  ^    „  „.  ..  » (Taken  off  Dungeness  by  two  French 

Lieut.  John  Hollmgs«  orth.*  J     j-ow-boats. 


Com.  Thmuas  Haywanl.* 
Lieut.  Samuel  Ma.'Jon.* 
„      William  Huggett.* 

„     John  M-lneiiieny.* 

.,      Michael  Mackey. 
;Com.  John  WiUiamTaylori 
I     Dixon.  / 

Capt.  Hon.  Heury  Curzou. 

„    .Tames  NicoU  Morris. 
Com.  James  Drew.* 

,,    George  Irwin. 
Capt.  David  Milne. 

„     Charle->*  lyler  (I). 

,,    Edward  Pakeuham.* 
.,    James  Athcd  ^\'o^Hl. 


Foundered  in  the  China  Seis. 

Foundered  iu  the  North  Sea. 

Foimdered  at  sea. 

/Carried    by    mutinous    crew    into    a 
{    French  ^V.  I.  port. 

Takeu  by  two  Spanish  privateers. 

Wrecked  at  the  mouth  of  the  Elbe. 

^\"reckedou  Mount  Batten  Point. 

Wrecked  near  Rota  Point,  Cadiz. 

Capsized  in  the  Delaware. 

Wrecked  iu  the  <iul!  of  St.  Lawrence. 

\\recked  on  the  French  coast. 

Wrecked  off  Cape  Farina. 
/  Accideu tally  blown  up  in  the  Strait  of 
I     Banca. 

\\  recked  off  Madagascar. 

Takeu  by  a  French  privateer. 


550 


BRITISH  LOSSES,  1793-1802. 


Year. 


Sate. 


Il.M.  Ship. 


Commander. 

[•  Lo6t  bis  life  on  the 

occjisiou.] 


Remarks. 


Aug. 


Oct. 
Nov. 


Nov. 

Dec. 
Jan. 

Mar. 

»» 

May 

July 


Dec. 


Jan. 

Feb. 


Mar. 
Apr. 
M.iy 


Juue 
July 
Aug. 
Sept. 

Oct. 


ftru  SCO,  armed)   ^ 
.    transport  .     .     .  / 

Leander ....      50 


Craih     .... 

Jason      .... 

Petrd     .... 

lifcd  usa.  armed) 
I  transport  .  .  ./ 
Jiargaret,  teuder    . 

Kiiiff^sher  .     .     . 

Colossus  . 
Ambuscade  .     . 
Hamadryad 
Xepttine.lviQgeT 


Caroline,  teuder 
Apollo     .     .     . 

Weazd  .  .  . 
Pjvserpine  .  . 
Xautilus 


26 
50 

18 

I  74 
32 
36 

I     6 


Charlotte,  schooner       8 

Jtosquito,  schooner    :    6 
(Grampus^  storeship) 
I    (54)     .     .     .     .)| 


Tor  ride  .... 
Brave,  higger.  hired 

J'brtime  .... 

^Dame  de  GrCice, 

[    gunboat    .     .     . 

Deux  Amis  . 


}•• 


f  Penelope, 

t     hired    . 


cutter. ) 


M«?icAe,storeship(32)   18 


I^x   . 


Lutine    . 

Trincomale 

W'assau,     storeship)'  „~ 
(64)     .      .  '!  36 

Impreffnahle 

Amaranthe . 

Orestes    .     . 
(JSspion    (ex    Ata 
I    ?«n/«),st.  sh.(38; 

Sceptre 


5);" 


64 


I  12 

26 

i   IS 
64 

100 


Ethalion. 

Mastiff  .     . 

( Wet/mouth,     armed 
I    transport  .     . 

Brazen    .      .      . 

Repulse  .     .     . 

Que^n  charlotte 
BanaeXes.Vaillante')  20 
Trompeuse    .     .     .   !  18 

Bailleur,     .     .     .14 

(lAtdf/   Jane,   hired l 
I    cutter  .     .     .     .  / 

Cormorant  . 

Cornet^  f.s.    . 

Falcon^  f.s.  . 

Bosario,  f.s. 

Watpj  f.s.    . 


Re- 


Com.  Geoi^  Reynolds.  Foundered  coming  from  the  AVest  Iiid. 

|Capt.  Tliomas  Bon  1  deui  /Taken  by  the  Gentretii,'iA.    Retaken, 
\     Thompson.  >(     March  3,  1799. 

iLient.  Bulkley  Mackworthi  (Taken  on  the  coast  of  Holland. 
I     I*rae«l.         *  }{     taken,  August  11,  1"99. 

Capt.  Charles  Stirling.  |  Wrecked  uear  Bre^t. 

Pom  rhftrlps  Trfinff  IfTakeu  by  three  Spanish  frigates. 

Lom.  Charles  LK)ng.  j    taken,  November  13.  1798. 

\\'recked  on  the  coast  of  Portugal. 
Lost  off  the  hish  coast. 
Wrecked  ou  Lislxtn  Bar. 


Re- 


, .    Alexander  Becher. 

Lieut.  John  PoUexfen.* 
r    „      Frederick        Lewis] 
i             Maitland  (2).         j 
Capt.  George  Murray  (3). 
„     Heury  Jenkins. 
„    Thoma;*  Elphinstone. 
Gormer. 
Lieut. W  hittle.* 

Capt,  Peter  Halkett. 

Com.  Hou.  Henry  Grey.* 
'  Capt.  James  Wallis. 
Com.  Henry  Guuter. 

Lieut.  John  Thicknesse. 

,,      Thomas  White. 
Capt.  George  Hart. 


Wrecked  off  .Sicily. 
I  'lakeu  by  liiiijun noise,  28. 
\\recketi  off  the  Portuguese  coast. 
Run  down  off  Meiichy  Head. 

I  Lf>st  in  the  Ea*t  Indies. 

;f Wrecked  uu  coast  of  Holland;   crew 

I I  saved. 

jfWrecked  in  Barnstaple  Bay;   nearly 

I     all  lost. 

I  AV recked  iu  the  Elbe ;  nearly  all  saved. 

f  Wrecked  off  Flamborough  Head;  crew 

I    saved. 

(Taken  by  the  French,  off  Cape  Fran- 

l     5ois.     Retakeu,  Nov.  22. 

Taken  by  Spani^ll  frigates  off  Cuba. 

( Wrecked    on    Bark ing    Shelf i    crew 
I  i    saved. 

!|Taken  by  French,  Egypt.    Retaken 
same  da  v. 


|Lieut.  Gara^ner    H  e  «  r  y|    ^^  ^^^  j^  ,^^  ^^^^^ .  ^^^„.  ^,.^j 
,,      Lewis  Davies. 


6  I  TTiV^irtm  i'lH,  lugger     14 


,.      Heury  .Smith  Wilson. 

„      Haswell. 

Daniel  Hamline. 

,,     John  Ides  Short. 

Com.  John  Ayscoogh. 

("Lieut.     AVilliam     Woold- 

l    ridge  c?). 

Capt.  Lancelot  Skynner.* 
Com.  John  Rowe.*  ' 

Capt.  George  Tripp.  i 

„   Jonathan  Faulknor  (2). 
Com.  John  Blake.  , 

„    William  Haggitt.* 

,,    Jonas  Rose.  ' 

Capt.  Valentine  Edwards.* 
,,    John  rlarke  Searle. 

Lieut.  James  Watson  (1). 


(Taken  by  French  frigates;  coast  of 
I    Syria. 

(Taken  by  French  frigates ;  coast  of 
I    Syria. 

(Wrecked  ou  the  Lie  of  Wight;  crew 
I    saved. 

(Taken  by  Spani^^h  gunboats  ;  Jlediter- 
l     ranean. 

(Taken  by  X  .<.  del  Carmen  ;  Mediter- 
(     ranean. 

(Wrecked   ou   the  coast  of    Holland; 
I    crew  saved. 
Wrecked  in  the  Texel ;  crew  saved. 

H  Wrecked  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  crew 
saved. 
'  AV recked  off  Vlielaud ;  nearly  all  lost. 
'   Blown  up  in  actii-n  :  crew  kist. 
■/Wrecked  on  cua---t  of  Holland;  nearly 
I     all  saved. 

Wrecked  near  Langstone;  crew  saved. 
\\  recked  ou  coast  of  Florida  ;  22  lost. 
Founder&i  iu  the  East  Indies ;  crew  lost. 

Wrecked  on  the  GiHjdwiu  ;  crew  saved. 


Com,  Ambrose  Crofton. 

„    James  Hansou.* 
Capt.  James  Alms  (2). 
(Vice-Adm.  i^ord  Keith. 
iCapt.  Andrew  Todd.* 
J^n-d  I*roby. 


Wrecked  in  Table  Riy  ;  291  lost. 
Wrecked  off  Peumarch  ;  crew  saved. 
Wrecked  near   Yarmouth  j  nearly  all 
saved. 

I  Wrecked  ou  Lisbon  Bar ;  crew  saved. 

i  AVrecked  uear  Brighton ;  all  but  one  lost. 
I  AVreckeil  off  L'^haut;  nearly  all  saved. 

HAccideutallv  burnt  off  Leghorn ;  nearly 
all  lost. 
Carried  by  mutinous  crew  into  Brest. 


Com.  J- Parker  Robinson.*  {^"PP^^*"''""^'""^  iu  Channel ;  crew 

Johu  Ravnor  •  (Supposed  foundered  iu  Channel ;  crew 

"  *        "  I     lost. 

Lieut  W  Bryer*  (Supposed  foundered  in  Channel ;  crew 

Capt, Hon  Courtenay  Boyle.'  Wrecked  on  coast  of  Egypt;  crew  saved. 
~        '"'"  '     "  Expendeil  iu  Dunqueique  Koad. 

Expende4l  in  iJinuiuerque  Road. 

Expemled  in  Duut£ueri|ue  Road. 

Expended  in  Dunquerque  Road. 


Com.  Thnmas  Leef. 
„     Henry  Samuel  Butt 
„    Jameti  Carthew. 
„    John  Edwards  (2). 


BRITISH  LOSSES,   1793-1802. 


551 


Year. 


Date. 


Aug. 
Sept 


Oct. 


Nov. 


Dec. 


Feb. 


H.M.  Ship. 


Commander. 

[*  Lost  his  life  ou  the 

occasion.] 


(Dromtdary,    store- 

l    ship     .     .     .     . 

Staij 


}'  -    {' 


Hound    .... 

Diligenct     .     .     . 

9  ,  Chance  (qx  Gulgo) 

13     JiosCt  hired  cutter  . 

I  Martin   .... 

4      Marlborouyh 
9      ffavik     .... 
23     Albanaise    . 

I  Active,  cutter    .     . 

^    ( Sir  Thomas  I^asley,- 
"  ,1    brig     .     .     .     .. 

Urchin,  gun  vessel. 
1      Requin    .... 
Q    (Constitution,   hired) 
I    cutter  .     .     .     .) 

29  '  Incendiai-y ,  f.s. 


Mar.    16 

„        23 

24 

»        25 


2      Legh-e     ....    I 
10      Sprightly,  cutter    .   I 

13  Sxtccess    .     ,     .     .  i 

14  Telegraph,  hired  brig 

27     Bulldog,  bomb  .     .   ' 

f  Charming  M-illtj,  i ' 
I  cutter  .  .  .  .  j 
iurcAer,  hired  cutter  I 

Invincible 


June 


July 


Aug. 
Sept. 
Oct. 
Nov. 


Blazer 

Pulminante. 

Scout. 

Nancy,  hired  cutter 

Meteager. 

SwiftSure 

Pinte.     . 

Sptt'hj  . 
Hannibal 

Augustus,  gun-vessel 

Jason 

Ipltigenia 

Lowestoft 

Proselyte 

Bonetta  . 

Utile .     . 
(Cockchafer, 
I    lugger . 
(Friendship, 
{    vessel  . 

Babet  . 
Sensible  . 
Assistance 

Scout.     . 

Fly    .     . 


hired  1 1 
gun- 


fConi.  Bridges    \Vatkin8on| 
Taylor.  ) 

Oapt.  Robert  A\'inthrop. 
fCom.  William  Jiimes  Tur-^ 
I  (luaud.  ■  / 

f     „    Charles  Bayuellotlg-i 
[  son  Ross.  J 

[    „    George  Sam  ueli 
I  Stovin.*  ] 

Lieut. Smith. 

/Com.  Hon.    Matthew     St.)  i; 
I  Clair.*  i  [ 


>\'recked  near  Trinidad ;  crew  saved. 
Wrecked  in  Vigo  Hay  ;  crew  saved. 
Wrecked  near  Shetland  ;  crew  lost. 
Wrecked  near  Havana  ;  orew  saved. 

Foumlered  iu  W.  Indies ;  nearly  all  lost 
Taken  by  thf  Dutth  iu  the  Em.s. 
Supposed  foundered  iu  X.  Sea;  crew 

lo.st. 
Wrecked  near  Belle  Isle ;  crew  saved. 
Wrerked  off  Jersey  ;  crew  saved. 
Carried  by  mutinNiis  crew  into  ilalaga. 
fTaken  by  Frencli  and  Dutch  in  the 
I    Ems.     Retakeu,  May  IU,  ISOI. 
rTakeu    by   two    Spaiiish    K'lwlwats, 
I    JlediteiTuueau. 
Thomas    Pearson) 

Croasdaile.  ],   '■""""«"-"»"  leiuau  nay. 

„      Samuel  Fowell.  |  Wrecked  near  Quiberon  ;  crew  saved. 

,,      William  Humphreyi  fTuken  by  two  French  cutters.  Retaken 
Faulkner.  )  [    same  night. 

Com.  William   l>a  1 1  i  n  gi,|Takeu  by  the  squadron  of  M.  GaD' 
Dunn  ''*     ■' 


Capt.  Thomas  Sotheby 
Com.  Philip  Bartholomew. 
,  Lieut.  Francis  Kewcombe. 

,,     J Hamilton. 

I      „      C J Nevin. 


/jl    theaume. 
I  f  Wrecked  uear  Caitageua,  S.  America  ; 
'I    crew  saved. 

.(Taken   by  the  squadron  of  M.  Gan- 
\\     theaume. 

(Taken  by  the  sqnadr.'U  of  M.  Gan- 

l    theaume. 
Supposed  foundered  off  Cape  Urtegal. 

("Taken  by  the  F'rench  at  Ancona.    Re- 

l    taken,  Sept.  16,  1801. 

Founiiere<l  coming  from  St.  Marcou. 

Taken  by  a  French  privateer. 
Wrecked  on  Hasborough  Saud  ;  nearly 

all  lost. 
I  Taken  by  the  Swedes  at  Warberg ; 
{    restored. 
Wrecked  ou  coast  of  Egypt. 
(Lost  ou  the  Shingles,  isle  of  Wight; 
{    crew  saved. 

Taken  by  a  French  privateer. 
Capt.  Hon.  Thomas  Bladen  If  Wrecked  ou  the   Iriaugles,  GuJf  of 
Capell.  J  I    Jle.xico;  crew  saved. 


„    Cornelius  Quinton. 

Lieut.  Robert  Jump. 

Capt.  Shuldham  Peartl. 
Lieut.  Ciesar  Corsellis.* 
Com.  Barriugton  Dacres. 

D.  Sheriff,  Master. 

Lieut.  R Forbes. 

/Rear-Adm.  Thomas  'J'otty 
ICapt.  John  Rennie.* 

Lieut.  John  Tiller. 

,,     Robert  Corbett. 

Com.  Henry  Duncan  (2). 

Lieut.  J Yames, 


}r 


Benjamin  HaUoweU.  i{T»'?™  ^^  '"«  «l<'»'l>-c>n  of  M.  Gan- 

Lucius      Ferdinand  1 1 
Hardynian.  ]i 


theaume. 
Wrecked  at  Jeddah ;  crew  saved. 

Taken  by  the  squadron  of  M.  I..iuoi8. 

Taken  by  the  squadron  of  M.  Linois. 
fWrcLked  in  Plymouth  Soimd ;  crew 
{     saved. 

^VreL•ked  near  St.  Malo;  crew  saved. 
(Accidentally   bunil    at    Alexandria; 
(     crew  saved. 

(Wrecked  off  Inagua,  W.  Indies;  crew 
[    saved. 

(Wrecked  off  St.  Martin,  W.  Indies; 
\    crew  saved. 

(Wrecked  ou  the  Jardiues,  Cuba;  crew 
1    saved. 

Capsized  in  the  Mediterranean;  crew 
lost. 

Foundered  off  Guernsey  ;  crew  saved. 

Fouudered  off  Guernsey ;  crew  saved. 

fCapt.  Jemme  tt  M  a in-i  (Supposeil  ftmudeved  in  the  W.  Indies ; 
■      '  }{    eve     ■ 


Com.  T<ord  Cochrane. 
Capt.  Solomon  Ferris. 

Lieut.  James  Scott. 

Capt.  Hon.  John  ^lun'ay. 

Com.  Hassard  Stackpoole. 

Capt.  Robert  Plampin. 

„    George  Fowkc 

„    Thomas  New. 

("Com.  Edward  Jekyll 
t  Canes.* 

V Philp'it. 


}[ 


\  wariug.* 

Com.  Robert  Sause. 

Capt,  Richard  Lee. 

,,     Henry  Duncan  (2).* 
Com.  Thomas  Duvall.* 


■ew  lost. 
Wrecked  off  Ceylon;  crew  saved. 
(Wrecked    near    Dimquerque;     crew 
\     saved. 

(Foimdered  off  Kewfomiilland  j    crew 
I    lost. 
(Foimdered  off   Newfoundland;    crew 

t        Inst. 


552 


FRENCH  LOSSES,   1793-1801. 


List   of   Enkmv's   Mes-of-w.vu   Takkn,    Destroyed,   or    Burst,  and,  so   far  as 

CAN    BE    ASCERTAINED,    WRECKED    OR     FoUNDERED   DURIKG   THE    WaR   OF   THE 

Frexch   IJevolutios,  17113-1801. 

B.— FlfENCH. 


Year. 

Sate. 

1793     Fib.     15 

Apr.    IC 

Hay    -n 

„       -.iS 

June     3 

..        tJ 

9 

,.        IS 

JulV     25 

Aug.   29 

Sept. 
Ott. 


Jttu. 
Feb. 
Mar. 

Apr. 


Xov.    25 

»       27 

..       30 

Dec.     18 


Fret  cb  uational  ship.  I 

[*  Ad'leil  to  the  Royal  Kavy.] 


Leopard   .  .     . 

Veitfieur  (f-upposed). 

Goiland 


(Uukiiowii 

I'ronipU* 

Vurteux,  brig 

Vanneau 

Kd<xir* 

Cleojmtre  i^*a5  Oistau).     . 

Lutine 

Commeire  de  Mtn-seilles*  . 

Pomjtet* 

I'uissant* 

I  Hcifrion  * 

Arethuse  '*as  Undaunted) 

Tupaze* 

Ptrle  {^*  a.%  Amethyst)  .     . 

Aiirore* 

Lutine*  &s32     .... 

Alceste 

fmdette* 

iieUtte*   ... 

Frosclyte  * 

Afosetle* 

Embroye  (?) 

J/ulet 

^ncere     .      .  .      . 

Petite  Aurore     .... 

Tarleton 

Oeniveiition  Xatumale  . 

Jmpei'ieuse* 

M(xteste*  ..... 


6 
22 
36 
12 
120 
74 
74 
74 
40 
36 
40 
36 
36 
36 
26 
28 
36 


Fate. 
M  Medals  granted  in  1849.  in  pursuance  of  Gazette 

notice  of  June  1st,  1847. 
M  Flag-oflBcers'  und  Captains'  gold  medals. 

Founderod  in  Cagliari  Bay. 
Wrt-cked  near  Ajaccio. 

Taken  by  Penelope,  32.  Capt.  B.  S.  Rowley.  ^\'.  Ind. 
Destroyed  by  the  Spaniards  at  St.  Pletro. 
[Taken  by  Phaeton,  38,  Capt.  Sir  A.  S.  Douglas,  B.  of 
:     Biscay. 

:Takeu  by  Inconstant,  36,  Capt.  Aug.  Montgomery, 
^     W.  Ind. 

'I'aken  by  Colossus,  74,  Capt.  C.  M.  Pole,  B.  of  Biscav. 
Taken  by  Leda,  36,  Capt.  Geo.  Campbell,  Jledit. 
Taken  by  N>imphe,  36.  C\ipt.  E.  Pellew,  off  Start.  M 
Taken  by  Pluto,  14,  Com.  J.  N.  Morris,  NewfouutUand. 
Takpn  at  Toulon  bv  Lord  Hood. 


(Given  to  Sardinians.) 


Jtiun'on  * 36 


Inconstante  (*as  Omwrt). 

Monde 

JSsini-gU  *  .... 

Triomphant  ... 

Destin 

C'entaure 

Duffuay  Trouin .... 

j/ei'os  ....... 

Liberie  (es  Dktattur^.      . 

Suffisant 

TktmistMle 

Tricolor  (e.\  Lys^    ... 

Victorieiite 

Montreal 

Ii-is 

Avguste 

Caroline 

tktns  Culotte 

Jfcvolutionnaire      .     .     .     , 

Vengeur 

Trompeustf  * 

Vipere* 

Jdinerve  (*  as  San  Fiorenzo)  . 

ftirltinef 

Aclif* 

Espii-ftle* 

Ifienvcnttt  (•as  Undaunted)  , 

Avengtn- 

Liberti 

Pomonc* 

liabel  • 

Kngageante* 


(Given  to  Neapolitans.) 


.,  „  ,.  (Given  to  Spaniards.) 

Taken  by  Commod.  John  Ford,  San  Domingo. 

Taken  by  V.-Ad.  John  Gell,  off  Genoa. 

Taken  by /?erf/*y7-rf,  74.  Capt.  R.  Man  (3),  etc.,  off  Genoa. 
fTaken  by  Crescent,  36,  Capt.  J.  S^tumarez,  ofl"  Cher- 
l     bourg.  M 

fTaken  by  Penelojte,  32,  and  Ip'nvjenia,  32,  off  San 
\    Domingo. 

Taken  by  fxitona,  38.  and  Phaeton,  38,  ofTUshant. 

Taken  by  AVinnphf,  36,  and  Circe,  28.  <»ff  Ushant. 

Destroyed  at  the  evacuation  of  Toulon. 


I  Taken  by  Jilanch€,Z2, Capt.  Christ.  Parker  (2),  \V.  Ind. 


'I'aken  by  Sphinsr,  20,  Capt.  Rich.  Lucas,  off  C.  Clear. 

Taken  by  Flora,  36,  Capt.  Sir  J.  B.  \V'arren,  Channel. 

'i'aken  at  San  Fiorenzo. 

Dejitmyed  at  San  Fiorenzo. 

Taken  by  IphigenUt,  32,  Capt.  Pat.  Sinclair,  W.  Ind. 


28     Taken  by  V.-Ad.  Sir  J.  Jervis,  at  Martinitiue. 


M 


Taken  by  AlW/ator,  28,  Capt.  Thos.  Surr.dge,  Jamaica. 
Taken  by  Commod.  Sir  J.  B.  Warren,  off  Isle  Bjis. 

(Taken   by  Concorde^  36,   Cajit.  Sir   R.  J.   Strachan, 
t,    Choimel. 


FRENCH  LOSSES,  1793-1801. 


553 


Year.       Date.        l 


French  national  ship. 
Added  to  the  Royal  Navy.] 


1794     Apr. 
Way 


June 


Aug. 


Sept. 
Oct. 


Nov. 
Bee. 


Jan. 


Feb. 
Mar. 


Apr. 


May 


June 


Guadelo)i]}e  .... 
Duyitay  Trouin. 
Atolante  (*as  Espian^. 

Inconnue 

Fleclie* 

Jfos^e* 

Coui-ier^  cutter  . 
Bepuhlicain  .     .     .     . 

C'asto7-  * 


Juste* 

:>'aiis  Pareil  *     .     .     .     . 
Amerique  (•as  Impetveux) 

Achillt 

Northumberland 

Impttueux 

Venqeur 


29 

10 

11 
15 
lii 
23 

17 

28 
28 
30  I 
23  i 


July 


Fate. 
M  Medals  granted  in  1SJ9,  in  pursuance  of  Gazette 

notice  of  June  1st,  IS  1 7 . 
M  Flag-oflBcers*  and  Captains'  gold  medals. 


110 


Sibylle* 40 

Xardsse,  cutter 14 

Melpom'tne*  .... 

Mii/nonne* 28 

Aufjuste,  brig 

Frovidence,  brig      ....  4 

^'a  Ira,  g.b I     3 

Volontaire 36 

Alerte 12 

Sirene  * 16 

Jieprisal 16 

Quartidi 14 

Eholutionnairt  *    .      .      .      .  44 

Jacobin  \*&s  Matilda).     .     .  24 

Heveiige  (j*' &s  ffobarf)  .     .      .      18 

Carmagnole,  schooner  ...      10 

A  sloop 

Bepublicain 

A  schooner    .... 

Puquesne 36 

Pique* 36 

Eaperanctf 22 

JVeptinie 74 

S'cipion yO 

Nei'f  Thermidur SO 

Superhe .74 

Diiras 20 

Jphighlie 36 

Jiequiii* 1' 

Curieuse,  sch'-wuor  ....  1'. 

Espion  (*as  Spy)     ....  is 

TourtereUe* 2^ 

(■a/m* 80 

Censettr* 74 

Temeraire,  cutter    ....  20 
Eipublicaine      .     .     . 

Speedy* 14 

Jean  Bart  (•as  Arab)  ...      18 

Gloire* 36 

Gentille* 

Jean  Bart  (•as  Laurel)    . 

Expedition 

Gala  tee     .  ... 

Eclair,  g.v." 

f'rache  Feu,  g.v,*    . 
Frevoyante,  en  flute  (40)* 
Faison,  en  flnte  (24)*  .     . 
Courier  Rationale  . 
Frompte   .... 
Liberie      •  .... 

Tigre  * 

Alexandi-e  * 

Fn-midal'le  (_*  as  L'eUeisle) 

Minerve  * 

Ferdi-ix* 

Vesuve,  g.v  '      .     . 

Alcide 

Echoue      


Taken  by  V.-Ad.  Sir  J.  Jervis,  Guadeloupe. 
Taken  by  Orpheus,  32.  Capt.  Hen.  Newcome,  E.  Ind. 
J'aken  by  Swiftsure,  74.  Capt.  Chas.  Boyles,  near  Cork. 
Taken  and  burnt  by  Lord  Howe. 
Taken  at  Bastia  by  Lord  Hood. 

Taken  by  Aimable,  32,  Capt.  Sir  H.  Burrard.  off  Ilyeres. 
Taken  and  scuttled  by  Lurd  Howe,  Channel. 
Taken  and  burnt  by  Lord  Howe,  Channel. 
Retaken  by  Carysfrnt,  23,  Capt.   Fra-s.  Laforey,  off 
!     Land's  End.  M 
Taken  by  Lord  Howe,  Ushaut  1 50  le;igups  E.  +  N . 

M  '.',  W  "  >MM 


Sunk     „  „  „  ..  ' 

(Taken    by    Romney,    50,    Capt.    Hon.    W.    Paget,   at 
I  Micoui.  M 

Taken  by  .4  urora,  28,  Capt.  W.  Essington,  off  Shetland. 

Taken  by  Lord  Hood,  at  Calvi. 


Driven  ashore  and  destroyed,  near  Penmarck. 

Driven  ashore  and  destroyed,  off  P.  du  Raz. 

Taken  by  Intrepid,  64,  and  Chichester,  44,  San  Domingo. 

Taken  by  V.-Ad.  Sir  John  Jei  vis,  W.  Ind. 

Taken  by  Commod.  Sir  E.  Pellew,  off  Sicily. 

Taken  by  Commod.  Sir  E.  Pellew,  off  Brest. 

Tak»-n  by  Ganges,  74,  and  Montagu,  74,  W.  Ind. 
fTaken  by  Resistance,  44,  Capt.  Edw.  Pakeuham,  S. 
1     Sunda. 

Taken  by  Zebra,  16,  W.  Ind. 

Taki'uby  HeauUeu,  40,  Capt.  E.  Riou,  \\'.  Ind. 

S\' recked  near  Brest. 

Taken  by  A'^inc7(e,32.Capt.  Robt.  Faulknor(3),  W.  Ind. 

T.ikeu  by  Belloiw,  74,  Capt.  ijeo.  ^Vilson,  W.  Ind. 
{Taken    by    Blanche,  32,  Capt.   Robt.    Faulknor  (3), 
I     \V.  Ind.  M 

Taken  by  Argmiant,  64.  Capt.  A.  J.  Ball,  America. 

Wrecked  in  Audierne  Bay. 

Foundered  in  a  gale. 


Taken  by  Bellona,  74,  and  Alann,  32,  W.  Ind. 
Taken  by  the  Spaniards,  Malit. 
Taken  by  Thalia,  36,  Capt.  Rich.  Grindall,  Channel. 
Taken  by  /*o»fOne,  44,  Capt.  Sir  J.  B.  Warren,  off  Groix. 
Taken  by  Lively,  32,  Capt.  Geo.  Burlton,  off  Brest. 

offUshant.  M 
Taken  by  V.-Ad.  W.  Hotham  (l),  off  Genoa)  |^ 

Taken  by  Itido,  28,  Capt.  Geo.  Hen.  Towry,  Medit. 
1  Taken  by  R.-Ad.  J.  Colpoys,  Channel. 
/Taken  by  Inconstant,  36,  Capt.  Thos.  Fras.  Fremantle, 
:i    Medit. 

I  Taken  by  Cerbems,  32.  a.ndSta.  Margarita,  36,  Channel. 
i/Taken  by  Astra:a,  32,  Capt.  Lord  Hen.  Paulet,  Channel. 

;)     M 

I  Taken  by  IIannibt.il,  74.  Capt.  John  I^Iarkham,  Channel. 

Takeu  by  Commod.  Sir  J.  B.  Warren,  off  Rochefort. 
I  ,,  „  „  off  Belle  Isle. 

Wrecked  near  Penmarck. 

Taken  by  Capt.  Sir  K.  J.  Strachan,  coast  of  France. 

.  Taken  by  Thetis,  ZH,  and  Hussar,  28,  Chesapeake  jj^ 

Taken  hy  Thorn,  16.  Com.  Kobt.  W.  Otway,  W.  Ind. 

Sunk  by  .4/a?-m,  32.  Capt.  David  M ilne, off  Puerto  Rico. 
Taken  by  Lord  Bridport,  off  Lorient.j 

Taken  by  Lowestoft,  32,  and  Did>^,  28,  :\Iedit.  M 

'j'aken  UyVanrruard,  74,  Capt.  Simon  Miller,  off  Antigua. 

Taken  by  Mdampus,  36,  and  U''be,  3^,  off  St.  Halo. 

Struck  to  Ad.  Hotham.  but  accidentally  blew  up,  Medit. 
/Run  a>ih<»re  and  destroyed  on  Rhe  by  Fhaetun,  38.  Capt. 
jl     Hon.  R.  Stopford. 


55i 


FRENCH  LOSSES,  1793-1801. 


Year. 


French  national  ship. 
[•  Added  to  the  Koyal  Navy.] 


Fate. 
M  Mtdals  granted  in  1849,  in  purbuauce  of  GazttU 

notice  of  June  l6t,  U-17. 
M  Flag-ullicers'  am)  C'aptainb'  gold  medals. 


1795 


1796 


Aui;.  16 

.*  31 

Sept.  3 

»  3 

..  22 

Oct.  10 

>.  14 

.,  15 

Kov. 

Dec.  1 

Mar.  9 

»»  i» 

.*  10 

„  10 


Apr.  13 

..  15 

*.  20 

»  21 

„  22 


May 


„      31 
June     8 


13 


RisfAue 10 

Hepublique,  g.b 6 

Vorutitution,  galley      .     .     .  ,    5 

YiijUanU,  galley     ....  i    5 

SupsanU* 14 

VicfcricMse  • 14 

AssemWee  Nativnale  .     .22 

Rude^  g.v 12 

Yigilanie^  cutter 

Sans  Culolte .... 


.,       22 

July   12 

Aug.    19 

I.       22 

..       28 

Oct.       18 

Nov.     1 

.1       13 


Sitperbe 

Jirutus 

Jttpiiblicain* 

EveiUe 

inoits  da  I'euple     . 
Fand(/re  (*a8  Fanduur') 

Nemesis* 


Sardint*,     .     . 
Bonne  Citoyenne  * 
Aspic,  cutter  .     . 

Etourdie  ,     .     . 


Favorite 

Marsouin 

EtoUe,  amietl  storeship 

AlerUi 

Mutiney  brig  .... 


Unite  * 

R*A}nsU:.  (•  as  Scourge)  . 
Unite  (•as  Surprise)    , 

Perpante  (•as  Jamaica) 

Virginie *      .     .     .     . 
Aurore 


Ecureuil,  lugger  .      .      .    '  18 


Abeille,  cutter 


Vvlcaji 

Cygne^  cutter 

Athenienne*  . 

Genie,  ketcb  . 
No.  12,  g.b.  . 

Tribune    . 


Tamise  (*a.s  TJuimes) 
Utile 


Trois  Couleurs,  brig 
BUmdt,  brig  .     , 


Proserpine  (*as  Amelia)  . 

JUgtre* 

Renommit* 

Alerte 

Andromaque 

Elisabtth 

hliza 


Cerf  Volant  .... 

Etonnant 

Etna  (•as  Curmorant). 
Decius 

Vaillant,  brig     . 


Taken  by  Commod.  H.  Nelson,  Alassio  Bay. 


Taken  by  Ad.  l>uucan,  off  the  Texel. 

i  Driven  asliore  by  Diamond,  3S,  Capt.  Sir  \V.  S.  Smith, 
1    off  Treguier. 

(Burnt  by  Pomone^  44,  Capt.  Sir  J.  B.  Warren,  coast  of 
\     Franc*-. 

Taken  by  Clalders,  14,  Com.  Rich.  Daci-es,off  St.  Brieux. 
/Burnt  by  Aimalle,  32,  Capt.  Clias.  Sydney  Davers, 
I     W  .  lud. 

Taken  by  Vanguard,  74,  Capt.  Simon  Miller,  W.  Ind. 

'laken  by  Mermaid^  32,  and  Ztbra,  16,  \V.  lud. 

I  Taken  by  Commod.  Sir  J.  B.  \Varren,  off  Rochefort, 

Wrecked  off  Trondbjem. 

Taken  by  Ca7-oli7ie,  36,  (_'apt.  AVm.  Luke,  North  Sea. 
f  Taki-n  by  Egmond^  "4,  Capt.  John  Sutton,  and  consorts, 
\    off  Tuuis. 

(Taken  by  Phaeton,  38,  Capt.  Hon.  Robt.  Stopford,  Cape 
I    Fiuif-terre. 
Taken  by  the  Queliec,  St.  George's  Channel. 

fBurntbyi>/aH(on(/,38,Capt.SirW.S.Smith,J-J^^S!i*"*' 
I     off  Cape  Frehel.M  t^rSraf 

(Taken  by  Alfred,  74,  Capt.  Thos.  Drury,  off  Cape 
l    Fiuii'terre. 

Taken  by  Bcaulieu,  44,  Capt.  Lancelut  Skynner,  AV.  Ind. 

Taken  by  Commod.  Sir  J.  B.  WaiTen.  coast  of  France. 
I  Taken  by  Cormcrunf,  18,  Com.  Joseph  Bingham,  W.Ind. 
I  Taken  by  frigates  in. the  Bay. 

(Taken  by  Revolutionyiaire,  33,  and  consorts,  coast  of 
\     France. 

Taken  by  Commod.  Sir  J.  B.  Warren,  off  the  Salutes. 
(Takiu  by  Jnconstunt,  36,  Capt.  Ihos.  Fra^.  Fremantle, 
{     Medit. 

(Taken  by  Intrepid,  64,  Capt.  Hon.  Cbas.  Carpenter, 
I     W .  Ind. 

(Taken  by  s<iuadron  of  Sir  E.  Pellew,  off  the  Lizard.  M 
t     (Indejatiyable.) 

I  Taken  by  Cleopatra,  3_',  Capt.  Chas.  Rowley,  America. 
(Burnt  by  boats  of  yiger,  32,  Capt.  E.  J.  Foote,  off 
I    IVnmarck. 

1  luken  by  iJrycul,  36,  Com.  John  King  Pulling  (actg.), 
\     off  Lizard. 

I  Taken  by  Spencer,  18,  Com.  And.  Fitzherbert  Evans, 
i    off  Bermuda, 

j  Taken  by  Boris,  36,  Capt.  Hon.  Chas.  Jones,  off  Scilly. 
(Taken    by  AlOncore,  16,  Com.  Robt.   Wiuthrop,    off 
I     Barbados. 
I  Taken  by  Commod.  H.  Nelson,  at  Oneglia. 

IfTaken  by  Unicorn,  32,  Capt.  Thos.'uilliams  (4),i 

I  Ireland.  1^ 
i(Ex  Brit.  Thames).     Retaken  by  Sta.  Margarita. i"* 

\    36,  C.ipt.  T.  Byam  Manin,  Ireland.  ) 

(Taken  by  Southampton,  32,  Capi.  Jas.  Macnamara  (^2), 

II  off  Hyeres.  M 

I  Taken  by  Commod.  Sir  E.  Pellew,  uff  Ushant. 

I/Taken  by  Bryail,  36,  Capt.  Lord  Amelias  Beauclerk, 
\    off  C.  Clear.  M 

Taken  by  Apollo,  36,  and  Doris,  36.  off  Scilly. 
(Taken    by  Al/red,   74,   Capt.  Tbos.   Druiy,  off  San 
1     1  >omingo. 

Taken  by  Carys/ort,  28,  Capt.  Tbos.  Alexander,  E.  Ind. 

Destroyed  by  Commod.  Sir  J.  B.  W  arreii,  near  Arcachoii. 

Taken  by  V.-Ad.  Geo.  Murray  (,2\  N.  Amer. 

Taken  by  J-\iry,  16,  Com.  Hy.  Evans.  W.  Ind. 
jTakeu  by  Magiciemte,  32,  Capt.  Wm.  Hy.  Ricketts, 
\     off  San  Domingo. 

(Destroyed  by  Minerva,  44,  and  Melampus,  36,  off 
\     Bartleur. 

'  I  hkunhy  Melampus,  36,  audChihlers,  14,  coast  of  France. 
)  Taken    bv    Lainoing,   2H,    Capt.    Robt.    Barton,  j 
I     W.  Ind".  (destroyed  Nov.  28th).  (^ 

(Destroyed  by  Laj/win'f,  28,  Capt.  Robt.  Barton,'"'' 
;t    W.Ind. 


FBENCH  LOSSES,  1793-1801. 


555 


Year. 


Dec. 


Jan.      5 

1 


Feb.    13 
Mar.      9 


Apr.  17 

May  13 

»  29 

June  12 

July  17 

Aug.  11 

„  20 

t.  23 


Sept.   10 
Oct.       9 


Dec.    22 

„        28 


Jan.      5 

„        16 
Feb.    16 


Apr. 

May 


M  13 

„  31 

June  22 

»  27 

„  30 

Aug.  1 


French  national  sbip. 
[*  Added  to  the  Royal  Navy.] 


I  Fate. 

^    j  M  ilt'dals  granted  iu  1849,  iu  pursuance  of  Gazette 
=    I  notice  uf  June  1st.  1S47. 

^    ■  M  Flag-officers'  and  Captains'  gold  medals. 


18 


Africaine 


Ghil-ral  I^veau :   16 

.      .      .      .  ,  36 

....  74 

.      .             .  44 

.      .      .      .  44 


VcstiOe 

S'cduisant 

Scevola     

Imputientt     .... 

Amaranthe* .     .     .     . 

Justine,  st.  ship,  en  flute 

Tbrtue*  (later  Ariauej. 

VilU  de  Lorient,  en  flute 

Suffrtn^  St.  ship. 
Atalantc*      .... 
Allegre,  st.  sbip  .     .     . 

Droits  de  V Homme  .      . 

Surveillante  .... 
A  schooner    .... 


Resistance  (*as  Fishguard) 

Constance* 

Modeste 


Heiinione. 

Jalouse  *...., 

Mutine*  .... 

Harriette      .     .     .     , 
Calliope    .... 

J!*i-eedom,  eu  flute 

A  ship  corvette  . 
A  brig.  g.v.   .     .     . 
Gaiett*    .... 
Egalite,  chasse-maree 

Petit  Diahle,  cutter . 

Espoir  *   .     .     .     . 
Decouverte     . 


Ranger* 

Ventiirier  (tx  Ranger)*  .     . 

Ejtej-vier 

Medxise 

IferHde  * 

Daphni-  *  as  20 

Republique  Triomphante  . 
Cheri 

Desirie     

Scipioii 

down's,  chasse-maree    .     . 

Sainte  Famille,  chasse-maree. 
Arrogante,  g.v.*      .     .     .     . 

Hercuh  * 

Quatorze  Juillet 

FliUustier 


Mondovi* 


Confiante 

Corcyre    . 

Egalite     . 
Sensible    . 


Onent 

Franklin  (^  as  Canopua) 
Tonriant* 


1120 

80 


fXaken  by   Quebec,  32,  Capt.  John  Cooke  (2),  off  San 
\    Domingo. 

i  Token    by  Jftrmaid,  32,  and   Resource^  28,  off  San 
\     Domingo. 

Taken  by  Terpsichore,  32,  Capt.  Rich.  Boweu. 

Wrecked  near  Brest. 

Foimdered  off  Ireland. 

I  \\'i-ecked  near  Mizen  Head. 

(Taken  by  Diamond,  38,  Capt.  ^ir  R.  J.  Struchan.  off 
\     Aldemey. 
Lost  off  Irish  Coast. 

(Takeu  by  I'olyjthemus,  64,  Capt.  Geo.  Lumsdaine,  «.>ff 
\     Ireland. 

jjTaken  by  Doris,  36,  Unicorn,  32,  and  Druid,  32,  off 
jl     Ireland. 

(Sunk  by  Majestic,  'ii,Dcedalus,  32,  and  Incendiary,  14, 

\     off  Ushant. 
!  Taken  by  Phabe,  36,  Capt.  Robt.  Barlow,  off  Scilly. 

fTaken  by  Spitfire,  16,  Com.  Michael  iieymour  (1),  off 

I I  Ushant. 

.(Wrecked  in  action  with  Indefatigable bm^  Amazon^  of! 
\     I'enmarck.  |V1 

Scuttled  in  Bautry  Bay, 

Taken  by  Matilda,  28,  Capt.  Hy.  Jlitford,  off  Barbados. 
I/Takeu  by  .•<an  Fiorenzo,  44,  and  Xymphe,  36,  offi 
X     Brest.  ^M 

fTaken  by  Ffix,  32,  Capt.  Pulteney  Malcolm,  off  Vizaga- 

I  patam. 

(Destroyed  by  ThuncUrer,  74,  and   Valiant,  74,  off  San 

I I  Domingo. 

I  Taken  by  Vtstal,  28,  Capt.  Chas.  White,  North  Sea. 
(Cut  out  by  boats  of  JUinerve  and  Lively  (Liewt.  T.  M. 
jl     Hardy),  Santa  Cruz.  M 

I  Taken  by  Aiijle,  32,  C^pt.  Chas  Tyler,  off  Lisbon. 
I  Destroyed  by  Commod.  tiir  J.  B.  Warren,  coast  of  France. 
(Taken  and  burnt  by  Commod.  Sir  J,  B.  Warren,  coast 
{    of  France. 

I  Taken  and  bilged  ,,  ,.  ,, 

i  'J'aken  and  sunk  ,,  „  ,, 

j   Taken  by  Arethusa,  38,  Capt.  Thos.  WoUey,  Atlantic. 

Taken  by  Commod.  Sir  J.  B.  U  arren,  coast  of  France. 
ifTaken  and  bilged  by  Commwl.  Sir  J.  B.  WaiTen,  coast 
it    of  France. 
I  Taken  by  Thalia,  36,  Capt.  Lord  Hy.  Paulet,  Medit. 

I'aken  by  Unite,  36,  Capt.  Chas.  Rowley,  Channel. 
(Taken  by  Indefatigable,  44,  Capt.  Sir  Ed.  Pellew,  off 
1    Teuerife;  retaken. 

Retaken  by  Galatea,  32,  Capt.  Geo,  BjTig. 

Taken  by  <  'erberus,  32,  Capt.  .John  Drew  (2),  off  Ireland. 

Foundered  on  passage  from  Amr-rica. 

Taken  by  Fhabe,  36,  Capt.  Rubt,  Barlow,  off  Scilly.  M 

Retaken  hy  Anson,  44,  Capt.  P.  C.  Durham,  B.  of  Biscay. 

'Taken  by  <'<€vern,  44,  and  Pelican,  is,  W.  lud. 
(Taken  by  Pomone,  44,  Capt.  Robt.  Caithew  Reynolds, 
t     B.  of  Biscay,  and  founderetl. 

Taken  by  pinnace(Lt.  Sand.  Pym)of  Babet,  20,  W'.  lud. 

Taken  by  Alfred,  74,  Capt.  Tbos.  Totty,  Guadeloupe. 
(Taken    by  'liadijer,  4,  Lt.    Cbas.   Papps    Price,  and 
\     consorts,  St,  Marcou. 

Taken  by  Impi-tutiix,  78,  and  SyljJi,  16. 

Taken  by  Jason,  36,  Capt.  Chas.  Stirling  (1),  off  Brest. 

'lakeu  by  Mars,  74,  Capt.  Alex.  Hood,  off  Bee  du  Raz.  M 

Accidentally  burnt  at  Lorient. 

Taken  during  attack  on  St.  Marcou.    MlxawSv 
(Cut  out  by  boats  (Lt.  \Vm.  Russell)  of  Flora,  36,  at 
I     Cerigo. 

(Run  ashore  and  destroyed  by  Hydra,  36,  Capt.  Sir  Fras. 
1    Laforey,  near  Le  Havre, 

(Tdkeu  by  Flora,  32,  Capt.  Robt,  Gambler  Middletou. 
{    off  Sicily, 

Destroyed  by  Aurora,  28,  Capt.  Hy.  Digby,  B,  of  Biscay. 

'Taken  by  Seahorse,  36,  Capt.  K.  J.  Foote,  Medit. 
(laken  by  Jason,  36,  Capt,  Chas.  Stirling  t^l),  and  Pique, 
[     36,  Capt.  David  Milne, 

Burnt  in  action  with  R.-Ad.  Sir  H.  Nelson, 

Takeu  in  Aboukir  Bay  by  R,-Ad.  Sir  H.  Nelson,] 


lle.stroyed  by  her  crew  after  action  with  R.-Ad 
Sir  H.  Nelson. 


MM 


55fJ 


FRENCH  LOSSES,  1793-1801. 


Year, 


Dale. 


French  national  ship.         I 
[*  Added  to  the  Royal  Navy.] 


-•iug.     1  [  Ouerrier 


24 
25 


Sept.     1 

2 


..  13 

„  18 

„  20 

„  29 

Kov.  17 

»  '^0 

Dec.  28 

F.b.  9 

„  2S 

Mar.  1 

3 


Apr.     4 

..       27 

June   IS 


Aug.  20 

','.  is 

Sept.  13 

Oct.  10 

»  12 

Nov.  10 


Spartiate* ' 

Conqui-rant  * i 

.li^utfoH  (•  as  Abotikir) 

Neureux I 

Mercure 

Souverain  Peupk(_*asGuei'i-ier') 

Artemise 

Sei'ieuse 

Aventuriere 

raittante  (•  as  Danat) 

Liguria  (Genoese)  .     . 

i'^/rtune  t*  as  10)     .     . 

Neptune 

Leffirf,*  g.v 

Decade  * 

Ihrride*  ketch .     .     . 

Reunion 

Avimtme,  g.v.    , 


Fate. 
M  Medak  granted  in  1849,  in  pm-suance  of  OagetU 

notice  of  June  1st,  I8J7. 
M  Flag-otHcers'  and  Captains'  gold  uiedals. 

(Talitn  in  Aboukir  Bay  by  K.-Ad.  Su:  H.  Nelson.i 
:(     and  burnt.  1 

1  Taken  in  Aboukir  Ray  by  It.-Ad.  Sir  H.  KeLsou.) 


and  burnt, 
and  burnt. 


IM 


ffoclie  <* &s  Voneoal')    .     .     . 

Embuscade  (•  as  Avibuscade). 

Caquille 

BelUme  (*as  Piostrpiiit)  . 

Resolue  * 


Loire  * 40 

Immortalitc  .... 

Pulmi7tante,  cutter .     . 

i  fbuine,  luggT    .     .     . 

IIiro7uleUe 20 

Wildini/,  armed  transport .     .      14 

J'rudentt |  36 

I 

Forte  * 

Jfarianne      .... 

I.eander*      .... 

liruiie 

HirondeW:     .... 

Negresst*     .... 

Foudre 

r'ani,ereus:e  *      .     .     . 
Marie  Hose    .... 
Dame  de  Grace* 
Deux  Fi-eres  ... 

Torride 

Courier 


nans  (^uartier 

Jtebecca,  cbasse-maree  . 

A  corvette     

Junon  C*  as  Princess  Cha  i  Ictte) 

Aloeste* 

Courageuse* .  ....  I 

.'^a?amujc(*as  16)  .     .     .     .  ! 
AlerU  (_*as  Minm-cd)    .     .     .   j 

Vestale     | 

Hassard  {* AS  Surinam)   .     .   i 

liipuhlicaine 

St.  Jacques i 

ArHfiuse  (^* as  Raven)  . 


Iphigenie  . 
Charente  - 


Iturst  after  action  with  K.-Ad.  Sir  II.  Xelson. 

Sunk  in  action  with  U.-Ad.  Sir  H.  Nelson. 
rCut  out  by  Iwats  (Lt.  Thos.  Geo.  Shortland)  of  Mel- 
l    piimhie  and  Chiliiern,  Corlgiuu, 

riaken  by  Indefatigable,  44,  Capt.  Sir  E.  Pellew,  B.  of 
jl     Bi>cay. 

/Taken  by  Espoir,  16,  Cum.  Loftus  Otway  Bland,). - 
\     .Medit.  jM 

fXaken  by  Swiftsure,  74,  Cajit.   Benj.  Ilallowell,  coast 
(    of  Egypt;  retaken  May  .-th.  1799. 
fXaketi  by  liasard,  16,  Oom.  \^■m.  Butterfield,  coast  of 

I  Ireland. 

(Taken    by   Akmene,  32,  Capt.    Geo.    Hope    (1),    off 

I I  Alexandria. 

:  Taken  by  Magnanime,4i,  and  Ifaiod,  3P,  off  Finisterre. 

(Taken  by  Iwats  (Lt.    Wm.  Debusk)  of  doUath,  off 

I    Aboukir;  retaken  Mar.  isth,  1799. 
j  Taken  by  Oiseait,  36,  Capt.  Chas.  Brisbane,  E.  Ind. 
j  Destroyed  off  DamietUi  by  Seahorse,  38,  and  Emerald,  36. 

fTak<'U  by  Commod.  Sir  J.  B.  Warren,   coast  ofl 

L    Ireland.  I 
}M 


Taken  by  Melampus,  36,  Capt.  Graham  Moore,  coast 
of  Ireland. 

Taken  by  A7isoji,  44,  Capt.  V.  C.  Durham,  and  Kan- 
A    garoo,  18,  Cum.  Ed.  Bruce,  Ireland. 
/Taken  by  Fishguard,  3-^,  Capt.  Thus.  Byam  llartin, 
|\    off  Brest.  M 

I  Taken  by  Espair,  16,  Capt.  Loftus  Otway  Bland,  ^ledit. 
/Taken  by  Sylph,  16,  Com.  John  Chambers  White,  off 
1     Brest. 

Taken  by  Phaeton,  Ambus'caile,  and  Stag,  Channel. 
("Taken  bj'  Spitfire,  20,  Com.  Michael  Seymour,  B.  of 
I     Biscay. 

fTaken  by  Hcerialus,  32,  Capt.  Ily.  Lidgbird  Ball,  Cape 
\    of  Good  Hope. 

Taken  by  Sihylle,  44,  Capt.  Edward  Cook,  Bengal.  M 

Taken  by  lommod.  Sir  W.  S.  Smith,  coast  of  Syria. 
/Taken  by  Russians  and  Turks  at  Corfu;   restored  to 
I     Brit. 

Taken  by  Russians  and  Turks  at  Corfu. 
(Taken  by  Ttleyraph,  16,  Lt.  Jas.  And.  ^\'o^th,  off  Isle 
\     Bas.  M 

Taken  by  Commod.  Sir  W.  S.  Smith,  coast  of  Syri.i. 


I  Taken  by  Zealous,  74,  Capt.  Sanil.  Hood  (2),  Medlt. 

'/Taken    by    JtaJiac,  20,   Capt.    Lord    Proby,  coast   of 

1     France. 

fTak-^n    by    Black   Joke^  10,    Lt.    Jas.    Kicolsou,    off 

I     Ushaiit. 

'J'aken  by  l.ion,  64,  Capt.  llanley  Dixon,  Medit 
Taken  by  sijuadron  under  Capt.  John  Markham,  Medit. 


Taken  by  Clyde,  36,  Capt.  Cbas.  Cunningham,  mouth 
I     of  Garoime. 
j  Taken  by  V.-Ad.  Lord  Hugh  Seymuur,  Surinam. 

Taken  by  Tamer,  32,  Capt.  Thus.  Wesb-rn,  off  Surinam. 
I  Taken  by  Triton,  32,  Capt.  John  Gore  (2),  off  L-  rient. 
fTaken  by  Excellent,  74,  Capt.  Hon.  Kobt.  Stopford,  off 
I     Lorient. 

(Blown  up  in  action  with  Trincomale,  16,  C<  m.  John 
\     Rowe,  Red  Sea. 

Wrecked  off  Lorient. 


FRENCH  LOSSES,    1793-1801. 


557 


Mar. 

Apr. 
May 
June 


French  national  ship. 
[*  Added  to  the  Royal  Navy.] 


Kgyptiemie,  en  flilte,  44 


EijU  {,*  iS  Ximrod)  .     . 

Levrier    . 

Vent/eur  (ex  Brit.  Charlotte)  . 


Fate. 
M  Medi.ls  granted  iu  1849,  in  pursviance  of  Gazette 

notice  of  June  1st,  1847. 
M  Klag-oflicere'  and  Captains'  gold  medals. 


Preneuse  .... 
Brule  Oueule 
rallas  (*as  Pique). 

A  polacre  (Genoese) 

Vedette     .... 
Genereux ' 


16 

12 

8 

3e 

20 
38 


fTaken  by  SolOiay,  32,  Capt.  Stepli.  Poyntz,  off  San 

1    Domingo. 


July 


ville  de  Marseille,  st.  ship     ... 
No.  57,  g.v I    1 

Ligurienne 16 

Guillcume  TdH*  as  Malta)   .      SO 

Diligente 6 

Xepturu,  schooner   ....       4 

Dragon 1-t 

Prima,  galley 2 

Ligire,  lugger     .     .  .     .        3 

Cruelle  • I  16 

Insolenti 1^ 

Nochette,  g.b 2 

A  chasse-maree 10 

A  chasse-maree *> 

'  12 

4 


Aug. 


Sept. 


Oct. 


Nov. 
Jan, 


Diligente 

Revanche 

Therese 20 

A  lugger 

A  gunboat  .... 
A  gunboat  .... 
A  cutter 

Desiree     .... 


^Destroyed  by  lioats  (Lt.  Ed.  Grey)  of  Tremendous  and 
I     Adiiuiant,  off  Port  Louis. 

Wreckeil  ■■ff  Brest. 

rXaken  by  IMre,  Danae,  and  consorts,  coast  ottFairy 
\     Frame.  M  {jfarpy 

(Driven  ashore  and  destroyed  by  Pearl,  32,  Capt.  Sam. 
(    .la*.  Rdlard,  Medit. 

fTaken  by  Triton,  32,  Capt.  John  Gore  (2),  coast  of 
\     France. 

Taken  by  E.-Ad.  Lord  Nelson,  Medit. 

(Taken  by  Aristocrat,  18,  Lt.  Corbet  Jas.  d'Auvergne, 
i     C.  Fri-iiel. 

(Taken  by  Petrel,  16,  Com.  Fras.  Wm.  Au-sten  (1),  near 
\     Marseilles.  M 

(Taken  by  Li/m,  64,   Fowlroyant,  80,  and)  I'enelope. 
\     Pendvi}e,  36,  Medit.  M  f  Vincejo. 

(Taken  bv  cotter  (Master  Buckler)  of  f'alypso,  16, 
A     W.  Ind'. 

(Taken  by  Mayjlower,  privateer,  .Tas.  Le  Blair,  coast  ot 
I     France. 

Taken  by  Cambrian,  40.  and  Fishguard.  41,  Channel. 

Taken  bV  boats  nnder  Com.  Philip  Beaver,  Genoa. 

Taken  Ij'y  .\etley,  16,  l.t.  Fra-s.  Godolphin  Bond,  Medit. 
(Taken  by  .1/ermaW,  32,  Capt.  Eobt.  Dudley  Oliver,  off 
1     Toulon. 

(Bui-nt  bv  boats  (Lt.  John  Pilfold)  of  Impitueux,  78, 
i     B.  of  Biscay. 

(Taken  by  boats  of  squadron  of  Sir  J.  B.  Warren,  off 
I     Peiimarck. 


(Taken  bv   Crescent,  36,  Capt.   \\  m.  Granville  Lobb. 

'{     \V.  Inii. 

'(Taken  by  Phanix,  36,  Capt.  Laurence  Wm.  Halsted, 

\     Medit. 

(Taken  and  burnt  by  boats  (Lt.  Hy.  Buvke)  of  Betwwn, 

t    Fishguard,  and  Defence,  Rjnrgneuf  Bay. 


38 


(Taken  by  Part,  30,  Com.  Pat.  Campbell,  Dunqnerque 

t     road.  M  ^     . 

(Cut  ont  hy  boat  (Lt.  Jeremiah  Coghlan,  actg.,  of  1  tper), 

Cerbere !    '  ,\    of  Impitueux,  Port  Ix)nis.  M 

B„,  j,,,.»  . .      Destroyed  to  provide  fuel,  Valetta. 

Bouaeuse (Taken'  bv  Bclllqucvx,  64,  Capt.  Itowley  Bulteel,  and 

Concorde 40   {     consorts,  off  Rio. 

.rjj-,  36     Taken  by  Indiamen  Bombay  Castle  and  Exeter,  off  Rio. 

(Taken  by  Northumberland,  Gini-reux,  and  Success,  off 

Diane  (,*Be  If itibe)  ....     40   j     jiaita. 

(Taken    bv  Seine,  38,  Capt.   David  Milne,   in    Mona 
Vengeance ■*U  (    i>assage".  M 

(Taken    by   Termagant,   18,  Com.   Wm.   Skipsey,  off 

I     Corsica. 
Taken  at  the  smxender  of  Valetta. 


Capricieuse   . 
Athinien  *  (Maltese) 


De-go  (Maltese) 
Cartagenoise . 
Quid  pro  t^uo 

Venus .     .     . 


Jtecdaise 


Senegal  .  .  . 
Aurore*  .  .  . 
£fe;afr(*asl2)  . 
Sans  Pareille  . 
Itedaigneuse  *     . 

Curieuse  . 

Bombards,  g.v.  . 


Taken  by  (-■ya.'!/,  10,  Lt.  CoryndonBogcPiOff  Guadeloupe. 
(Taken  by  Indefatigable,  44,  and  Fishguard,  44,  off 
(     Portugal. 

(Driven  ashore  by  jVife,  16,  Lt.  Geo.  Argles.  and  burnt 
\    by  boats  (Lt.  Wm.  Hennahl  ol  squadron. 
(Cut  ont  aud  destroyed  by  boats  (Lt.  Thos.  Dick),  of 
I    Mtlji'imene,  38,  Senegal. 

Talieu  by  Thames,  32,  Capt  Wm.  Lukin,  Channel. 
'(Cut  ont  by  Garland,  tender,  Lt.  Kenneth  Mackenzie, 
1     Guadeloupe.  ,  . 

Taken  bv  .Mercury,  28,  Capt.  Thts.  Rogers,  off  t«rd(nia. 
(Tahen  by  oiseau,  36,  Sirius,  36.  and  Amethyst,  36,  off 

(Taken  by  llordelais,  24,  Capt.  Thos.  JIanby,  off  Tar- 
1    bados;  foundered. 

(Taken  by  Boadicea,  38,  Capt.  Rich.  Goodwm  heats,  off 
I    Brest. 


558 


FBENCH  AND   BUTCH  LOSSES,   lTy3-1801. 


1801  ,  Feb. 


Apr. 


Jlay    2: 

„       28 

June  23 

July    12 

„      22 


'  Aug. 


French  natioiial  ship. 
[•  Added  to  Ibe  Royal  Xavy.] 


Fttrieuse,  xebec  . 
Africa  ine  *    . 
Arc,  cutter 
tiinhal  Brunc   . 


iMurttU 

Corvesse  (')  disp.  vessel 
Egypte 

Tigre  (suspected  pirate) 
St.  Antoine  .... 
Chevrette 


A  corvette 


Carrlrt  * 


EveilU,  lugger  . 
Chiff&nne*  .  . 
4  howitzer-boats. 


Sept.  2  Succes  (* a.^  Sticcess) 

„  „  Bravoure .... 

„  ,,  Caiisse      .... 

„  ,,  Egiiptienne*.     .     . 

,,  „  Justice     .... 

i>  >>  niottieret*    . 

„  „  Unknown  (Venetian^ 

„  „  Unknown  (Venetian) 

,,  7  Fleche 


16  ■  Bulldog*. 


Fate. 
M  Medals  grantort  in  1849,  lu  pursunnce  of  Gazette 

notice  of  Juue  let,  1847. 
M  Flag-officers'  and  Captaius'  gold  medals. 

Taken  by  Minorca,  IG,  Com.  Geo.  :MilIer,  ^ledit. 
Taken  by  I'hahe,  36,  Capt.  Robt.  Barlnu.  Medit.  M 
Taken  by  hoaia  iA  ExcelUnt ,  "4,  Quiberon  Hay. 
Takeu  by  Amtthyst,  36.  Capt.  Johu  Cooke  (1),  Channel. 
(Taken   l)v  An-o^/ant,  74,  Capt.  Edw.  Oliver  Osbom, 
)     K.  Ind." 

Taken  by  Corso,  18,  Com.  Wm.  Ricketts,  lledit. 
(Taken  by  Hcureuv,  24,  Capt.  Loftus  Otway  Illand,  off 
I     Barbados. 

(Takeu  by  boats  of  Mercury,  28,  and  Curso,  18,  G.  of 
[     Venice. 

'laken  by  R.-Ad.  Sir  James  Saumarez,  off  Gibraltar.  M 
(Cut  out  by  boats  (Lt.  Keith  Ma.wvell)  of  BenuUev^ 
\     Jforis,  Vranit,  and  Bobust,  near  Brest.  M 
'  -Q    (Taken  by  Drtermitue,  24,  Capt.  John  Clarke  Searle,  off 
t     .\lexandria. 
,^    (Taken  bv  J'civone,  40,  Capt.  £d.  Leveson  Gower,  etc., 
''^    i     offKlba. 
2    (Taken  by  cutter  (Mid.  Fras.  Smith)  of  Atalante,  16, 

\    Quiberon  Bay. 

3G  '  Taken  by  sibylk,  38,  Capt.  Chas.  Adam,  off  v=eychelles. 

.    (Taken  or  destroyetl  by  boats  (Lt.  James  John  Charles 

1     Agassiz)  of  Capt.  Jonas  Rose's  squadron,  near  Etaples. 

_„    (Retaken  by  Pomone,  44,  rhanix,  36,  and  Minerve,  44, 

^-    \     offVado. 

36     Driveu  ashore       ,,  ,,  ,.  ,, 

64     Takeu  at  capitulation  of  Alexandria ;  delivered  to  'I'urkey. 
44  ,,  „  „  retained. 

40  j  „  ,,  ,.  delivered  to  Turkey. 

36  !  „  „  ,,  retained. 

.32  ,.  „  ,.  delivered  to  Turkey. 

32  ,,  ,,  ,,  retained. 

,      /Fank  alter  capture  by  Victor,  18,  Com.   Geo.   Ralph 
^^    1     Collier,  E.  lud. 

,^    /Retaken  by  ('hav^pimi,  24,  Capt.  Loni  Wm.   Stnai*t, 
t     near  Gallipoli. 


C— DUTCH. 


Year. 

Date. 

Ships  of  the  Batavian  Republic. 
[*  Added  to  the  Eoyal  ivavy.] 

s 

179.i      Aug. 

IJ 

WaiemstacH* BS  Princess)     . 
Ster,  armed  brig 

26 

14 

,, 

•20 

Brak  (' as  Be  Braak)  .     .     . 

14 

„ 

22 

Attiantie  (^  as  Alliance,  20)  . 

36 

.. 

28 

KomeeH* as  Penguin').     .     . 

18 

Oct. 

22 

Overijssel  * 

Maria  Louise 

64 

14 

1796 

Jau. 

Sarlinf.en  {^  as  Amboyna)    . 

10 

Mar. 

Zejir  {*  as  Kurus)   .... 

36 

aI^i- 

4 

22 
23 

Zetland  (*  as  Zealand) 

Brakel* 

Tholen  C* as  Thulen)     .     .     . 
3reermin  (*  a&  Miermin)    .     . 
Pijl* 

64 
64 
40 
16 
16 
12 

Theiis 

Zeemeemc 

24 
12 

May 

12 

Argo  (•  as  Janus)   .... 

£6 

>. 

Echo 

12 

„ 

„ 

Gier 

12 

1 

,. 

Mercurius  (*  as  Hermes)   .     . 

12 

June 

8 

Jason  (•  as  Proselyte)  .     .     . 

36 

July 

6 

Batacif 

12 

Fate. 


Taken  by  V.-Ad.  Sir  G.  K.  Elphinstone,  Simon's  Bay, 

(Detained  by  Fwtune,  16.  Com.  Fras.  Woold ridge. 
)     Falmouth. 

,  Taken  by  stag,  B&unxon,  Isis,  and  Vestal,  off  Norway. 
(Taken  by  Unicorn,  32,  Capt,  Thos.  "Williams  (4),  Irish 
I     station. 

(Taken  by  Polyphemus,  64,  Capt.  Geo.  Lumsdaiue, 
1      Queeustowu. 

(Taken  by  Bnttlesnake,  16,  Com.  Edw.  Ramage,  C.  of 
(     Gofjd  Hope, 

Taken  by  R.-Ad.  Peter  Ruinier  (.1),  E.  Ind. 
(Dftiinecl  by  Andromedn,  Bangtr,  and  Kite,  Firtb  of 
(     Forth. 

Taken  by  V.-Ad.  Rich.  Onslow,  at  Plymouth. 


Taken  by  Ailm.  Duncan,  coast  of  Norway, 
'laken  by  CommtMl.  '1  hos.  Parr  at  Demerara. 

(Taken  by  Phanix,  36,  Capt.  Lawrence  \Vm.  Halsted, 
|l     etc.,  N.  Sea. 

(Driven  ashore  by  Pegasus,  28,  Capt.  Ross  Donneliy, 
\    Vriesland. 

(Taken  by  Sylph,  16,  Com.  John  Chambers  A\hito,  off 
jl    theTexel. 
Brought  Into  Greenock  by  mutinous  crew. 
(Taken  by  Roebuck,  44,  Com.  Alex.  Sauudereon  Burrowed, 
1    off  Barbados. 


DUTCH   LOSSES,    1795-1800. 


559 


Year. 


Date. 


Ships  of  the  Bataviau  Republic. 
[*  Added  to  the  Roj-al  Navy.] 


Aug.    17 


Dordrecht  f* as  Dortreckt)      .      64 

Jiei'Olutie(*a»  Prince  Frederick^  61 
Maarten   Hnrpertzoon   Tromp)^    -,   i 

44 
40 
24   i 

26   j 

18  ! 
16 


Fate. 
M  Medals  granted  in  1849,  iu  pursuauce  of  Gazette 

I  notice  of  June  let,  1847. 

I     M  Flag-officers'  and  Captains'  gold  medals. 

/Surrendered  to  V.-Ad.  Sir  G.  K.  Elphinstoue,  Saldanba 
,'     Bay. 


(*as  Van  Tromji) 
Castor  (*as  Sahhinha) 
Brave  {*  ELS  firmwe) 
BeUo7ia  (*  as.  Vindictive) 
.•^irene  (*  as  Lnurel)     . 
Havik  (*  as  Ilavick") 
.    Vrouiv  Maria 


Oct.  11  ;   Vrijheid* 

,,  „      Jupiter  {*  &s  Camperdowri) 

„  ,,       Haarlem  * 

(Admiraal    Tjerk   Hidiles    J>e\ 

••  "  \     Vries  (•as  Admiral  Vevries)} 

.1  ..       Gelijkheid* 

„  „       Wassennar 

,,  ,,      f{ercides*(\&.teT  Delft).      . 

„  ,,       Delft 

,,  ,.      Alkinoar* 

„  ,,      Mo7inikend'ivi     .... 

,,  „       Emhuscade 

I  Tonge  /^aris  (?)■     ■     •     ■ 

Tonf/e  Lousier  (?)   . 

Wakker(^>) 

Limbi 

Teniate 

Resource  (?) 

,  Juno 

Oct.     24  ,  Waakzaamheid  *     .     ,     . 


f  Taken  by 


Apr.    26 


Furie(*&s  Wdhelminn^    . 

Beleiut 

Helena I  12 


I    Campeniown 


Adm.  Adam  Duncan  iu  the  battle  off' 


sank. 


MM 


by    Resistance,    44,    Capt. 


/Taken 
1     E.  Ind, 


/Taken  by  Sinus, 
\     Sea. 


lost, 
retakpu- 
Edw.    Pakeubam. 


36.   Capt.    Rich.   King  ('2\    North 


8     Taken  by  Virginie,  44,  Capt.  Geo.  Astle,  E.  lad. 


May 
Aug. 


14 

20 


Brak 

A  brig 

Crash* 

A  schuyt  C*  as  Undaunted)    . 

Weerwraak,  g.v 

Kempliaan  (*as  Camphaan)  . 

T'erwachti7uj 


12 


Taken  by  Arrogant  and  Orpheus,  E.  lud. 
'/Retaken  by  Pylades,  16,  Com.  Adam  Mackenzie,  aud 


\\    consorts,  off  Groningen.  M 
Taken  by  „  ,,  „  „ 

Burnt  by  ,,  .,  „  ,, 

Taken  by  V.-Ad,  Lord  Hugh  Seymour,  Surinam. 
Taken  by  V.-Ad.  Andrew  Mitchell,  Nieuwe 
.    Texel. 


Diep, 


I  Broederschap      ... 
I  Sector  (*  as  Fandour). 

i  Duif 

.  Expeditie 

I  Belle  Antoinette 

j  Constitutie    .... 

I  Unie 

ffeldin* 

Minerva  (*a8  Bi'aak)  . 
Venus  (*  as  Amaranthe) 

Talk 

Alarm .24 

{Washington  (*as  Princess  o/j    ^q 

\     Orange) / 

Gelderland* |  64 

(Admiraal  Ite  !iuiiter(*as  DCi    g^ 

\     Butfter) /i 

Utrecht I  64 

Cerberus  (^*  as  Texel)    .     .     .  1  64 

Leijden  * [64 

■"  56 

56 
44 
44 
32 
16 


/Surrendered  to  V.-Ad,  Andrew  Mitcbell,  in  tbe  Vlieter. 
[    Texel. 


Sept. 


Ileschej-vier  * 
Batavier*    .... 
Amphitriie*  .... 
Mars  (*a8  Vlieter')  rasle 
Embuscade*. 
Galatle* 

Talk 


Oct. 


Draalc 

ffier* 

Dolfijn  (*as  Bolfkin)  . 

Lijnx 

Perseus 


■rTakeu  by  V.-Ad.  Andrew  Mitchell,  Zuijder  Zee,  liut 
I     lost  Nov.  10th,  1799. 

/Taken  bv  Arrow,  28,  Com.  Nath.  Portlock,  andl 
I     n-o!ieriii«,  13,  Com.  Wm.  Bolton  (ll,  off  Vlie.    VM 


Surrendered  to        ,.  „ 

/Taken  by  boats  of  Circe,  28,  Capt.  Kobt.  Winthrop, 
I    River  Ems. 


5GU 


DUTCH  AND    SPANJSU  LOSSES,    1795-1801. 


\-—        !>-.„         ^liips  "f  <be  Hatavian  Eepnblic. 
■i  ear.       Datf.      |  ,.  •]^^^^^^^^  ,^  ,^^  p^^^^  j^^^.^. , 

1                                        Kate. 

1799  Oct.             4  gunboats     ....     each 

1800  Ang.  2.T  1  X  brig  {,"  DS  MmiralJtainier) 

Oct.     28     5  gmiboats 

I      ,,      30     3  guuboiits 

(Cut  out  by  boats  of  ywrf,  ffo««y,  Uj/ender,  Cracker, 
*    1     and /.<!>,  coast  of  Holland. 

...    j'lakcn   by   Dadalus,  t'ttiturion,  Sraave,  and  SibyUe, 
1«    i     E.  Iu,l. 

iHurat  by  Admiral  /lainlcr,  16.  I,t.  ^\'m.  Hugh  Dobbie 
•■    (     (1),  Carawaug  River. 
Taken     ., 

D.— SPANISH. 


Year. 


Ships  of  tbe  Spanish  Eoyal 

Navy. 

[*  Added  to  the  Royal  Savy.] 


Sept.  16 

Oct.  13 

Nov,  2 

„  23 

Dec.  2 

„  20 

Feb.  14 


5lar.    12 
Apr.    26 


I'riiKtsa  . 

Malitmesa  * 

Xan  Pio    . 
Galgo .     . 

Cor  so  * 


Santa  fabina 


i^alvador  d  I  Mundo  * 

San  Josff*  . 
SanJVicolas* 
San  Ysidro*.     . 


May 

24 

{ 

June 

21 

Kov. 

14 

Jlay 

July 
Sept. 
Nov. 

8 
15 
16 
13 

" 

15 

{ 

»J 

28 

Ji.n. 

2 

Feb. 
Mar. 

6 
22 
16 

19 

.May 
Jnne 
July 

24 
23 

Ang. 

6 

Sept. 

Oct. 

17 
18 

Bolador 


San  Vim-ente 

Arrogante      .      .  ... 

Gallnrdo .... 
Santa  Cecilia 

San  Damaso*          .... 
Los  Magellants 

Ninfa  (*  as  iramadryad)  . 

Santa  Elena 

Nuestra   Seilora  del   Jtosano'i 
(•  as  A'osario) ] 

San  Francisco 


San  Antonio,  packet     .     . 

Receviso 

Santa  Dorotea* 

Velosa  Araffone&a,  eu  flute 

Petrel 

A  brig  on  the  stocks  (*  as  Port  i 

Mahon) J 

14  guuboats 

San  Lton 

Valiente,  ■pa.ck.et 

Santa  Teresa*    .  .      .      - 

Africa,  sebec 

Guadalupe    

Urea  Cargadora      .... 

Vmcejo* 

(76U»7tdTnna,  packet. 

Pdjaro,  packet 

.5371  Antonio 

Feliz 

Sandoval  (?) 

Infanta  Amalia  (*a8  Porpoist) 

A  gunboat 

A  packet 

Thetit 

Santa  Brigida    ... 


Fate. 
M  Medals  grantet)  iu  1849.  iu  pursuance  of  Gazette 

notice  uf  June  1st,  1^47. 
M  Flag-oflBcere'  and  Captains'  gold  meiiala. 

Detaiueil  by  Seahorse,  38.  Capt.  Geo.  Oakes,  off  Corunua. 
[Taken  by  Terpsichore,  32,  Capt  Iticli.  Uuwen,  off  Cape 
I     (if  Gata.  M 

Taken  by  Reyulus,  U,  C'apt.  ^Vnl.  Cartliew,  Atlantic. 

Taken  by  Alarms  32,  Capt.  Etiw.  Fellowes,  off  Grenada. 
('Jaken  by  Southampton,  32,  Capt.  Jas.  Macnamara  (.2), 
I    off  Monaco. 

[Taken  by  Minerve^  38,  Capt.  Geo.  Cockburn,  Medit. ; 
[     retaken  Dec.  21st.  1796.  M 
[Taken  by  the  fleet  of  Adm.  Sir  John  Jervis,  K.B.,i 
I    offC.  St,  Vincent.  I 

}M  M 


r  Burnt  to  prevent  capture  by 
I    Trinidad. 


-Ad.  Hy.  Harvey  (1), 


Taken  by  R.-Ad.  Hy.  Harvey  (1),  Trinidad. 

Taken  by  Dorer,  44,  Lt.  Hy.  Kent,  coast  of  Portugal. 

'J'aken  by  Irresistible,  74,  Capt.  Geo.  .Martin  i.2),  Lisbrm 

station. 
(Destroyed  by  Irresistible,  74,  Capt.  Geo.  Martin  (2), 
I.     near  Cadiz. 

Taken  by  Romulus,  36,  and  .}fahonesa,  34,  off  Cadiz. 

fTaken  by  Santa  Margarita,  36,  Capt.  Geo.  Parker,  off 

(     Ireland. 

(Taken  by  .Vajestic,  74,  Capt,  Geo.  Illagden  Westcott, 

I    Lisbon  station. 

(TaVen  by  Endymion,  44,  Capt.  Sir  Tlios.  Williams  .4). 

\    off  Ireland. 

Taken  by  Aunn-a,  28,  Capt.  Hy.  Digby.  LislKin  station. 

'I'akenby  Aion,64,  Capt.  Mauley  Dixuu.uffC:irtagena.(vi 

'I'alien  by  Aurora,  2S,  Capt.  Hy.  I'igby,  off  the  Azores. 

Retaken  by  Anjo,  44.  Capt.  Ja?.  Bowen  (1  (,  Medit. 

Taken  at  the  capture  of  Minorca. 

fTaken  by  Sta.  Iforotea^  Stromboli,  Ferstus,  and  Hulldtg, 
\     Lisbon  station. 

(Taken  by  Cotmorant,  20,  Capt.  Lord  Mark  Eobt.  Ken-, 
I    off  Malaga. 

Taken  by  Art/o,  44,  Capt.  Jas.  Uoweu  (1),  off  Majorca. 

Taken  by  siprnr,  10,  Com.  Jae.  Sanders,  Medit. 

Driven  ashure  by  Ct-ntaur,  74,  and  Cni'momnl, 20,  Medit. 

hnmt  by  Froinpie,  20,  Capt.  1  hos.  Dundas,  W.  Ind. 
/Taken  by  Coi-morant,  20,  Capt.  Lord  Murk  Kobt.  Kerr, 
I    Medit. 

'Jaken  by  Mermaid,  32.  and  Syl^.h,  14,  off  Coninna. 

Taken  by  Alarm,  32,  Capt.  Kobt.  r.olle.'^.  G.  of  Florida. 

Taken  by  Terpsichore,  32,  Capt.  Wm.  Hall  Gage.  Medit. 

Taken  by  Alarni,  32,  Capt.  Kobt.  KoUes.  W.  Ind. 

Taken  by  Tork,  64,  and  consorts,  >V.  Ind. 
fTakrn   l\v  Aryo,  44,  Capt.  Jas.   Roweu  (1),  coafct  of 
\     Portugal. 

Taken  by  Mayflower,  privateer,  Mi-dit. 

fTaken  by  Ethalion,   38,  Capt.   Jas.  Young  (2),  and 
t     consorts,  off  Ferrol. 

(Taken  by  Naiad,  3S,  Alcmene,  32,  and  Triton,  32,  ofl 
I    C.  Finisterre. 


SPANISH  AND   DANISH  LOSSKS,    1796-1801. 


5(jl 


Year. 


Date. 


Oct.  25 

ifov.  15 

Jan.  26 

Feb. 

Apr.  1 

Juue  22 


July  27 

Aug.  20 

Sept.  3 

„  30 

Oct.  27 

Nov.  10 

Jau.  6 

May  6 

..  16 

June  8 

July  '5 

»  12 


Aug.    20 
Sept.   24 


Ships  of  the  Spanish  Royjil 

Navy. 

[*  Added  to  the  Royal  Navy.] 


fftnuione  (^*  as  Betribution,  32)   34 
Galyo* 16 

N.S.  del  Carmen      ....  is 
Cuervo     ,     .           .     .     .     .  !    4 

cvinne/i*(as36)           ...  34 

J-'lorentina  *  (as  36)      ...  34 

Curtez 4 

JV.S.  del  Carmen,  felucca  .     .  'j. 
Gibraltar,  g.b.  . 
^lv:idor.  g.b.     .      .      . 
A  guuboat     .... 

Cantabro 

Veloz 


Concepcioii  (alias  Esmeralda). 

I*az 

Vivo 


San  Josef,  polacca 


liesolucidn  . 
Jieimi  Laisa. 
Gamo,  xebec. 


Alcudia 


Haposo 
iJiiides,  cutter 


l-ate. 
M  Medals  granted  in  1849,  in  pursuauue  of  Gazette 

notice  of  Juue  1st,  1847. 
M  Flag-officers'  ana  Captains'  gold  medaK 


A  xebec   

2  gunboats     .... 
5  gunboats     .... 

Jieil  Carlos 'u2 

San  Hennenegildf)  .     . 
Perla 


Nepiuno  (pierced  for  20) 

A  gunboat     .... 
Limeno 


112 
24 


fCut  out  of  Puerto  Cabello  by  boats  of  Suvin-ise.  32,  Capt. 
I     Edw.  Hamilton.  M  M 
Taken  by    Crestent.   ini,   Capt.  Wni.  Grauvilk-   Lobb, 

Atlantic. 
Taken  by  Penektpe,  311,  Capt.  Hon.  ily.  Blackwood, 
.     Medit. 

TaKen  by  Alarm,  32,  Capt.  Robt.  Rolles,  \V.  Ind. 
Taken  by  R.-Ad.  John  Thos.  Duckworth,  oif  Cadiz. 

Taken  by  Flora,  3ti,  Capt.  Robt.  Gambier  Middleton, 

IJsbon  station. 
Destroyed  by  Boncita,  18,  Com.  Hy.  Vansitlart,  W.  hU. 
Taken  by  Anson,  44,  Capt.  Phil.  CaMerwuod  Durham 

off  Gibraltar. 

Taken  by   Rattler,   16,   Com.   John   Matliias  Spread, 

,     W.  Ind. 

Ttikeu  by  Apollo,  36,  Capt.  Peter  Halkett,  off  Havana. 

'i'akeu  by  Clyde.  38,  Capt.  Chas.  Cunningham,  Channel. 
fCut  out  by  boats  (Cora.  Jas.  Hillyarjof  Minotaur,  74, 
I    and  S'iyer,  32,  Barcelona. 

(Taken  by  Fishguard,  4i,  Capt.  Thos.  Byam  Martin. 
I     coust  of  Spain. 

(Cut  out  by  boats  (Lt.  Fras.  Beaufort)  of  Phaeton,  3S. 
\     near  Malaga.  M 

(Taken  and  destroyed  by  Ajxdlo,  36,  Capt.  Peter  Halkett, 
\    a.  of  Mexico. 

Taken  by  Hind,  28,  Capt.  Thos.  Larcom,  off  Jamaica. 
/Taken  Ijy  spteUi/,  14,  Com.  Lord  Cochrane,  near  Bar- 
(     ceL-na.  M 

("Cut  out  by  boats  of  Xaiad,  3^,  an  I  Fhaeton,  38.  near 
\    Fontevedra. 

Taken  by  Constance,  24,  Capt.  Zac'bary  Mudge.'off  Vigo. 
fSunk  in  a<-ti'>n  by  Kangaroo,  18,  and  Sptedg,  14,  under 
I    a  battery,  Oropesa. 

Sunk  in  action  by  R.-Ad.  Sir  Jas.  Saumirez,  Algeciras. 
("Burnt   in  action  with  R.-Ad.  Sir  Jas.  Saunmrez,) 
I    ti.  of  Gibraltar.  \j^ 

Sunk  after  action    ,,  ,,  „  J 

/Taken  by  boats  of  Fishguard,  44,  Diamond,  38,  and 
1    Boadicea,  38,  Corunna. 

Taken  by  Chance,  privateer,  16,  coast  of  Peni. 


DANISH. 


Year. 


Ships  of  the  Danish  Royal  Navy. 
C*  Added  to  the  Royal  Navy.j 


Apr. 


Sjailland 74 

Hohtcen* GO 

Infcedstretten 6  * 

Dannebrog k2 

Pravesteen .^U 

Valkyrien ■)« 

Jyllnnd ■^S 

Charlotte  Amalie     ....  26 

Kronhorg 2H 

Bendsborg 20 

yyborg    ^ 20 

Sra'ydjisken 20 

JIaicn 20 

Aggcrshuus 20 

Soihesttn I"^ 


Fate. 
M  Medals  granted  in  1849,  in  pursuance  of  (.ozttte 
notice  of  Juue  1st,  1847. 


Taken  and  burnt  by  V.-Ad.  Lord  Nelsou,  Copsu-\ 

Iiapen. 

Taken  by  „  ,.  „ 

Taken  and  Innnt  by 

Blew  up  lifter  actiun  with  ,.  ,. 

Takf-u  and  burnt  by        ,,  ,,  ,, 

Taken  jind  burnt  by       ,,  „  ,, 

Taken  and  Imrut  by        ,,  „  „ 

Takfu  and  burnt  by        „  ,,  ,, 

Takeu  and  burnt  by       ..  ,,  ,, 

Driven  ashore  and  bnrnt  by  „  ,, 

Sank  aftpr  action  with    ,.  „  ,, 

Taken  and  bunit  by         ,,  ,,  ,, 

Tal^en  and  1-nmt  by       „  „  „ 

Sank  alter  jRtiou  with    ,,  „  ,, 

Taken  and  burnt  by       ,,  ,,  ,, 


M 


VOL.    IV. 


2  o 


(      562     ) 


CHAPTEE  XXXVII. 

A'OYAGES  AND   DISCOVEBIES,    1793-1802. 

Sir  Clements  Markham,  K.C.B.,  F.E.S. 

Broughton  to  the  Pacific — Phillip  and  Hunter  to  Botany  Bay — Matthew  Flinders — 
George  Bass — Voyage  of  Flinders  in  the  Investigator — Wreck  of  the  Porpoise — 
French  bad  faith. 

^TTHEN   Lieutenant  William   Eobert   Broughton 
'  '       left   the    Chatham   in   1793,  and   took   home 

Vancouver's  dispatches,  crossing  Mexico  from  San 
LANTERN  CRANK.  Blas  to  Vera  Cruz,  it  was  under  consideration 
18th  cent.  whether  another  surveying  and  exploring  expedition 
should  not  be  sent  to  the  North  Pacific.  Captain  James  King 
had  observed  that  the  navigation  of  the  sea  between  Japan  and 
China  offered  the  largest  field  for  discovery ;  and  his  remark 
had  received  attention  from  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty.  The 
result  was  that  Lieutenant  Broughton^  was  appointed  to  the 
Providence  with  secret  orders,  on  October  3rd,  1793.  This  vessel 
was  a  sloop  of  war  of  400  tons,  carrying  16  guns,  with  a  complement 
of  115  men.  She  had  just  returned  from  the  service  of  conveying 
bread-fruit  plants  from  Tahiti  to  the  West  Indies,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  William  Bhgh.  Broughton  had  three  Lieu- 
tenants mider  him,  Zachary  Mudge,  George  Forbes  Freeman 
Young,  and  James  Giles  Vashon ;  Mr.  John  Crossley  shipped  as 
astronomer,  William  Chapman  was  the  Master,  and  John  Cawley, 
Master's  Mate.  On  October  21st,  1794,  the  Providence  sailed 
from  St.  Helens,  reached  Sydney  in  August,  ]795,  and  arrived 
at  Tahiti  in  the  end  of  November. 

Memories  of  Cook  were  dear  to  the  Tahitians,  who  gave  every 
assistance  to  Enghsh  ships  and  supplied  them  amply  with  fresh  pro- 
visions.    After  rating  the  chronometers  at  Point  Venus,  Broughton 

'  Broughton  was  made  a  Coinmaii(k'r  iu  Jan.  IT'JS,  and  a  Cajitain  vu  Jan.  28tli, 
17:17.— W.  L.  C. 


1796-7.]  BROVOETON  IN   THE  PACIFIC.  563 

shaped  a  course  for  the  Sandwich  Islands.  On  December  17th,  1795, 
he  discovered  a  low  island  covered  with  trees,  which  he  named 
CaroUne  after  the  daughter  of  Sir  Philip  Stephens,  Secretary  to  the 
Admiralty.  On  January  8th,  1796,  he  anchored  in  Karakakoa  Bay. 
There  the  error  and  rate  of  chronometers  was  again  ascertained, 
and  imiform  kindness  and  goodwill  were  displayed  by  the  natives. 
The  murder  of  Captain  Cook,  in  a  moment  of  bhnd  rage,  was  deeply 
deplored,  for  he  had  been  loved  and  respected  by  them.  At  that 
time  Kamehameha  I.  had  made  himself  sovereign  of  all  the  islands 
but  Kauai.  From  Hawaii  the  Providence  went  to  Lahaina  in  Maui, 
and  thence  to  Waikiki  Bay  in  Oahu,  where  Kamehameha  was 
preparing  for  the  conquest  of  Kauai.  Captain  Broughton  left  the 
Sandwich  Islands  on  February  2nd,  1796,  arriving  at  Nootka  Sound 
on  the  15th  of  March ;  and,  after  some  stay  in  the  Strait  of  Juan  de 
Fuca,  anchored  at  Monterey  in  June.  He  then,  with  the  advice  of 
his  officers,  decided  upon  a  plan  to  survey  the  coast  of  Asia  from  the 
island  of  Saghahen  to  the  Nankin  river,  with  the  Kurile  and  Japan 
islands,  thinking  that  such  survey  would  complete  a  knowledge  of 
the  North  Pacific,  and  would  be  very  acceptable  to  geographers. 

Returning  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  vessel  was  steered  thence 
to  the  westward,  and  sighted  the  Japanese  island  of  Yesso  on  the 
l'2th  of  September.  Broughton  anchored  in  Endermo  Bay,  in  the 
island  of  Yesso,  examined  the  whole  western  coast  of  Niphon,  and 
passed  through  the  Strait  of  Sangaar  into  the  Gulf  of  Tartary.  On 
November  11th,  the  Providence  was  off  the  entrance  to  the  Bay  of 
Tokio,  and  soon  afterwards  had  a  glorious  view  of  Fusi-yama, 
towering  above  the  high  land  and  covered  with  snow.  In  December 
she  arrived  at  Macao,  where  Commander  Broughton  purchased  a 
small  schooner  to  assist  him  in  the  work  of  surveying.  He  took  on 
board  fifteen  months'  provisions,  and  completed  a  thorough  refit. 
All  the  men  were  in  good  health,  and  the  work  was  recommenced 
with  the  brightest  prospects  in  April,  1797. 

But  within  a  month  the  circumstances  had  entirely  altered. 
Broughton  was  navigating  among  the  islands  to  the  east  of  Formosa. 
In  the  evening  of  May  17th  white  water  was  reported  to  Lieutenant 
Vashon,  the  officer  of  the  watch,  ahead  and  on  both  bows.  Directly 
afterwards  the  ship  struck  upon  a  coral  reef :  the  helm  having  been 
put  up,  and  the  sails  being  all  full.  When  Captain  Broughton  came 
on  deck  his  opinion  was  that,  if  the  helm  had  been  put  a-lee  on  seeing 
the  danger,  the  ship  would  have  cleared  it.     Vashon  was  tried  by 

•2  o  2 


564  VOYAGES  AXD   DISCOVERIES,   17y3-lK02.  [1797-9. 

court-martial,  and  dismissed  his  ship.*  The  wind  freshened,  the  sea 
hegan  to  hreak  with  great  force,  and  the  leak  rapidly  increased  on 
the  pumps.  There  was  no  hope  of  saving  the  vessel,  which  fell  over 
on  her  hroadside  ;  and  the  people  were  all  got  into  the  boats.  They 
made  sail,  with  the  schooner,  to  the  S.W.,  and  were  very  hospitably 
received  on  the  island  of  Typing,  or  Myako-sima,  by  the  inhabitants. 
Eeturning  to  Canton,  arrangements  were  made  for  passages  home, 
for  officers  and  men,  in  the  East  India  Company's  ships. 

Captain  Broughton  continued  the  survey  in  the  small  schooner, 
^\nth  a  select  body  of  officers  and  men.  His  operations  embraced 
an  examination  of  the  Pescadores  and  Lu-Chu  Islands,  and  of  the 
southern  and  eastern  coasts  of  Japan ;  and  in  August,  1797,  he 
was  again  off  the  island  of  Yesso.  Passing  through  the  Strait  of 
Sangaar,  the  little  schooner  was  taken  up  the  east  coast  of  Yesso 
and  Saghahen  to  latitude  52°  N.  Captain  Broughton  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  would  be  unable  to  pass  through  the  narrow 
strait  into  the  sea  beyond.  On  September  16th,  therefore,  he 
tm-ned  to  the  south,  along  the  western  side  of  the  Gulf  of  Tartary, 
a  name  given  by  Broughton  on  the  24th.  He  examined  the  coast 
of  Corea,  and  anchored  in  the  harbour  of  Chosan,  where  he 
was  able  to  learn  something  of  Corea  and  its  inhabitants.  Pro- 
ceeding southwards  in  October,  Broughton  found  himself  among 
the  cluster  of  islands  off  the  south  coast  of  Corea,  one  of  which  is 
Port  Hamilton  ;  and  he  surveyed  the  large  island  of  Quelpart.  The 
only  chart  he  had  on  board  was  that  by  Van  Kuelen,  which  was 
of  little  use  as  a  guide ;  and  his  surveys  were  laid  down  without 
aid  from  other  sources.  The  little  schooner  retm'ned  from  her 
adventurous  voyage,  and  anchored  safely  in  Macao  Eoads  on 
November  27th,  1797.  Captain  Broughton  and  his  officers  then 
took  passages  to  England,  arriving  in  February,  1799,  after  an 
absence  of  four  years.  The  narrative  of  his  voyage  was  published 
in  1804. 

The  most  important  results  of  Captain  Cook's  voyages  of  dis- 
covery, were  the  colonisation  of  Australia  and  New  Zealand,  and 
the  establishment  of  large  civilised  communities  of  Enghsh  race  in 
the  southern  hemisphere.  On  January  19th,  1788,  nine  years  after 
the  great  navigator's  death.  Captain  Arthur  Phillip  arrived  at 
Botany  Bay  in  H.M.  brig  Supplij,  followed  by  Captain  John  Hunter 

'  He  was  also  dismissed  the  service,  but  was  reinstated,  and  reached  the  lank  of 
Captain  on  May  28th,  1802.— W.  L.  C. 


1799.] 


HUNTER   AT  SYDNEY. 


565 


in  the  Sirius,  with  six  transports  and  three  store  ships.'  Soon  after- 
wards they  removed  to  Port  Jackson,  a  much  better  harbour  three 
leagues  to  the  northward,  where  the  town  of  Sydney  was  founded. 
Captain  Philhp  was  the  first  Governor  of  New  South  Wales.  Early 
in  1795,  Captain  Hunter  arrived  at  Sydney  with  H.M.S.  Reliance 
and  Supply,  to  reheve  Captain  Philhp.  On  board  the  Beliance 
there  was  a  yomig  Midshipman  whose  ardour  for  discovery  secured 


CAPT.    MATTllKW    KLINDEHS,    li.N. 

for   him  the  illustrious  position  of  the  foremost  maritime  explorer 

of  Australia. 

The  name  of  this  Midshipman  was  Matthew  Flinders.     Born  in 

1774  at  Donington,  near  Boston,  in  Lincolnshire,  where  his  father 

was  a  medical  man,  young  Plinders  was  filled  with  a  longing  to  go 

'  Phillip  flew  a  broad  pennant  as  Commodore  of  the  expedition,  and  left  England  in 
the  Sirius,  with  Hunter  as  his  Captain,  Lieut.  Henry  Lidgbird  Ball  conunanding  the 
Supply  ;  but  on  Nov.  25th,  178",  Phillip  shifted  his  broad  pennant  to  the  Supply,  and 
proceeded,  leaving  Hunter,  in  the  Sirius,  to  follow.  The  six  transports  were  the 
Scarhoroiigh,  Lady  Penrhyii,  Friendship,  Charlotte,  Frince  of  M'ales,  and  AloMiider, 
having  on  board  convicts  guarded  by  Marines.  The  three  store  ship.s  were  the  Golden 
Orove,  Fishbvrii,  and  Borrowdah-. — W.  L.  C. 


566  VOYAGES  AND   DISCOVERIES,   1793-1802.  [l795. 

to  sea  by  having  read  '  Eobinson  Crusoe.'  The  boy  succeeded  in 
learning  navigation,  and  at  length  he  was  allowed  to  join  the  Navj' 
in  1790,  on  board  the  Scijiio,  64,  Captain  Thomas  Pasley,  at  Chatham. 
He  served  in  the  Providotce  with  Bligh,  in  the  second  voyage  to 
Tahiti,  to  transport  plants  of  the  bread-fruit  to  the  West  Indies,  and 
he  was  in  the  Bellerophon  at  the  battle  of  the  1st  of  June,  1794. 
Arriving  at  Port  Jackson  in  the  Reliance  in  September,  1795,  Flinders 
soon  found  that  there  was  no  survey  of  the  coast,  beyond  Captain 
Cook's  general  chart.  He  at  once  conceived  a  project  to  supply  the 
deficiency.  In  Mr.  George  Bass,  the  surgeon  of  the  Beliance,  he 
had  the  good  fortune  to  find  a  friend  whose  ardour  for  discovery  was 
equal  to  his  own.  Flinders  and  Bass  determined  to  complete  the 
examination  of  the  coast  of  New  South  Wales,  by  all  such  oppor- 
tunities as  the  duties  of  the  ship,  and  the  means  at  their  disposal, 
would  admit. 

The  plans  of  the  young  explorers  were  discouraged  by  the 
authorities.  They,  however,  had  resolution  and  perseverance.  All 
oiScial  help  and  countenance  were  withheld.  But  they  managed, 
by  their  own  unaided  exertions,  to  equip  a  small  boat  called  the 
Tom  Thumb,^  and  they  sailed  in  her  with  a  crew  consisting  of  them- 
selves and  one  boy.  In  their  first  voyage  they  explored  for  a  con- 
siderable distance  the  George  Eiver,  which  falls  into  Botany  Bay. 
Their  second  enterprise  was  to  examine  a  large  river,  which  was 
said  to  fall  into  the  sea  to  the  south  of  Botany  Bay. 

Leaving  Port  Jackson  on  March  25th,  1795,  Fhnders  and 
Bass  sailed  along  the  coast  until,  in  the  first  watch  of  the  29th,  a 
gale  of  wind  sprang  up  from  the  south.  In  a  few  minutes  the  waves 
began  to  break.  The  danger  to  which  the  little  boat  was  exposed, 
was  increased  by  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and  the  uncertainty  of 
finding  any  place  of  shelter.  Flinders  steered  with  an  oar,  and  it 
required  the  utmost  care  to  pirevent  the  boat  from  broaching  to. 
A  single  wrong  movement,  or  a  moment's  inattention,  would  have 
sent  them  to  the  bottom.  Bass  kept  the  sheet  in  his  hand,  drawing 
in  a  few  inches  occasionally  when  he  saw  a  particularly  heavy  sea 
following.  The  boy  was  kept  constantly  at  work  baling  out.  After 
running  for  a  hour  in  this  critical  situation,  some  breakers  were 
distignuished  ahead.  The  boat's  head  was  brought  to  the  wind  at 
a  favourable  moment,  sail  and  mast  were  got  down,  and  the  oars 
were  got  out.  Pulling  towards  the  reef  during  the  intervals  of  the 
'  She  was  but  eight  feet  long.     Nav.  Chron.  xxxii.  181. — AV.  L.'C. 


1798-1800.]  VOYAGES    OF  BASS  AND   FLINDERS.  567 

heaviest  seas,  they  found  that  it  terminated  in  a  point,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  they  were  in  smooth  water,  under  its  lee.  Such  were  the 
perils  that  the  ardent  explorers  gallantly  faced  in  the  cause  of 
geographical  discovery. 

In  1798,  Bass  undertook  a  voyage  to  the  southward  of  Port 
Jackson  in  a  whale  boat,  with  a  crew  of  five  convicts.  He  explored 
six  himdred  miles  of  coast  hne.  In  this  open  boat,  exposed  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  to  very  tempestuous  weather,  Bass 
persevered  until  he  had  discovered  the  entrance  to  the  strait  which 
now  bears  his  name,  separating  Austraha  from  Tasmania.  This 
feat  has  few  equals  in  the  annals  of  maritime  enterprise.  The  zeal 
of  Flinders^  and  Bass  was  at  length  rewarded.  The  Governor  of 
New  South  Wales  gave  them  the  use  of  the  Norfolk,  a  sloop  of 
twenty-five  tons,  with  authority  to  complete  the  discovery  of  Bass's 
Strait.  They  had  a  good  crew  of  eight  naval  volunteers,  and 
twelve  weeks'  provisions.  Sailing  from  Port  Jackson  on  the  7th  of 
October,  1798,  they  thoroughly  explored  the  coasts  of  Tasmania 
and  the  adjacent  islands,  where  seals  and  birds  abounded.  Bass 
landed  on  one  islet  where  he  had  to  fight  his  way  with  the  seals  up 
the  hill  side ;  and,  when  he  arrived  at  the  top,  he  was  obhged  to 
make  a  path  with  his  club  amongst  the  albatrosses.  These  birds 
were  sitting  on  their  nests,  and  covered  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
Fhnders  made  regular  astronomical  observations  throughout  this 
very  important  voyage,  and  he  returned  to  Port  Jackson  on  the 
11th  of  January,  1799.  The  main  result  of  the  voyage  was  the 
complete  examination  of  the  strait  between  Australia  and  Tasmania. 
At  the  special  reqiaest  of  young  Flinders,  it  received,  from  Governor 
Hunter,  the  name  of  Bass's  Strait.  Fhnders  made  one  more 
exploring  voyage  to  the  northward  of  Port  Jackson,  before  re- 
turning to  England  on  board  the  Beliance  in  1800. 

"When  the  charts  based  on  the  discoveries  of  Fhnders  and  Bass 
were  published,  men  of  science  were  strongly  impressed  with  the 
great  importance  of  completing  the  work,  and  making  a  thorough 
examination  of  all  the  coasts  of  Austraha.  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  the 
President  of  the  Eoyal  Society,  submitted  a  plan  to  the  Govern- 
ment; and  it  was  decided  that  such  a  voyage  should  be  undertaken. 
The  right  man  was  selected  to  do  the  work.  Yomig  Flinders  was 
appointed  to  the  command. 

'  Flinders  was  made  a  Lieut,  in  1798,  a  Commander  un  Feb.  16th,  1801,  and  a 
Captain  on  May  7th,  1810. 


568  VOrAOES   AND    DISCOVERIES,   1793-1802.  [1801-2. 

In  January,  1801,  Flinders  took  command  of  the  Investigator,^ 
a  north  coimtrj^  built  ship  of  334  tons,  closely  resembling  the 
vessels  employed  in  Captain  Cook's  voyages.  Crowds  of  volunteers 
eagerly  came  forward  for  the  service.  The  instructions  were  to 
examine  first  the  south  coast  of  Australia  from  King  George's 
Sound  to  Bass's  Strait,  then  the  north-west  coast,  then  the  Gulf  of 
Carpentaria  and  the  coast  to  the  westward.  The  instructions  were 
signed  by  Lord  St.  Vincent,  Captain  Thomas  Troubridge,  and  Captain 
John  Markham.  They  were  accompanied  by  extracts  from  a  memoir 
by  Mr.  Alexander  Dalrymple  ^  on  the  winds  and  weather.  A  passport 
was  also  granted  by  the  French  Government,  promising  protection  to 
a  voyage  undertaken  solely  for  the  advancement  of  science.  There 
wei'e  two  lieutenants  on  board,  one  being  Samuel  William  Flinders, 
the  Commander's  brother.  The  Master  was  John  Thistle,  and  there 
were  eight  Midshipmen,  including  the  future  Sir  John  Franklin.  The 
astronomer  was  John  Crossley,  and  the  botanist  was  Bobert  Brown, 
so  well  known  afterwards,  in  the  scientific  world,  as  the  "  Princeps 
Botanicorum."  On  the  18th  of  July,  1801,  the  expedition  sailed 
from  Spithead,  and,  using  Vancouver's  chart,  the  Investigator  was 
anchored  in  King  George's  Sound  on  the  9th  of  December. 

The  voyage  was  continued  along  the  south  coast  of  Australia 
in  January,  1802,  and  a  careful  survey  was  made  from  King 
George's  Sound  to  Port  Phillip.  The  new  discoveries  included  the 
great  gulfs  of  Spencer  and  St.  Vincent ;  and  the  surrounding  coasts, 
which  were  all  laid  down  with  remarkable  accuracy.  It  was  near 
Thistle  Island,  at  the  entrance  of  Spencer  Gulf,  that  Mr.  Thistle 
the  Master,  and  a  young  Midshipman  named  Taylor,  were  lost 
by  the  capsizing  of  a  cutter.  Commander  FHnders  deplored  the 
death  of  the  Master,  who  had  served  with  him  in  his  previous 
voyage  round  Tasmania,  and  was  a  most  valuable  officer.  The 
numerous  Lincolnshire  names,  including  Doningtou  and  Spilsby  the 
birthplaces  of  Fhnders  and  Frankhn,  given  to  points  on  the  coast, 
show  from  what  county  the  Commander  hailed.  On  April  27th,  the 
Investigator  anchored  at  Port  Phillip,  which  had  been  discovered  and 
named  ten  weeks  earlier  by  Lieutenant  James  Murra}',  who  had 
come  from  Port  Jackson  in  the  Lady  Nelson,  brig.  Flinders,  how- 
ever, made  a  complete  examination  of  this  great  sheet  of  water. 

The  Investigator  arrived  at  Port  Jackson  on  the    9th  of  May, 
1802,  all  on  board  being  in  better  health  and  spirits  than  when  they 
'  Ex-Xenophon.  *  The  Hydrogiapher. 


1802-3.]  SUHVEYS    OF  FLINDERS.  569 

left  Spithead ;  for  Flinders  promoted  the  happiness  of  the  men  by 
strict  disciphne  combined  with  kindly  sympathy  and  consideration  ; 
and  health  was  preserved  by  closely  following  the  system  of  Captain 
Cook — cleanliness,  wholesome  food,  and  free  circulation  of  air  in  the 
messing  and  sleeping  place.  An  observatory  was  temporarily  estab- 
lished at  Port  Jackson,  where  young  Frankhn  was  appointed  assistant. 
The  brig,  Ladij  Nelson,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Murray,  was 
placed  under  the  orders  of  Commander  Flinders  at  Port  Jackson. 

In  July,  1802,  the  examination  of  the  coast  to  the  northward 
was  commenced,  as  well  as  of  the  Barrier  Eeef,  of  which  Flinders 
wrote  an  interesting  description.  In  October,  he  proceeded  onwards 
to  Torres  Strait  and  the  Gulf  of  Carpentaria ;  biit  the  ship  was 
in  a  most  unseaworthy  condition.  It  was  found  that  most  of 
the  timbers  were  rotten,  and  that,  even  with  fine  weather,  she 
would  not  hold  together  for  more  than  six  months.  Nevertheless 
Fhnders  continued  the  survey  for  some  time  longer,  as  far  along 
the  north  coast  of  Australia  as  Melville  Bay.  In  June,  1803,  he 
returned  to  Port  Jackson. 

The  Investigator  was  quite  unfit  for  further  use.  Old,  crazy, 
and  leaky  when  she  was  bought,  she  was  a  vessel  such  as,  in  our 
days,  would  not  be  deemed  fit  for  the  business  of  a  collier.  It  was 
a  school  of  hardship  and  rough  work,  yet  full  of  interest  for  an 
ardent  young  sailor.  It  was  in  discovering  many  a  reef  and  island, 
and  many  a  mile  of  coast  line,  that  John  Franklin's  mind  became 
imbued  with  that  sincere  love  of  geographical  discovery  which 
marked  his  career  through  life.  Fhnders  was  the  example,  and  the 
Australian  survey  was  the  nursery  which  reared  one  of  the  greatest 
of  our  Arctic  navigators,  the  discoverer  of  the  North-West  Passage. 
Able,  brave,  and  modest,  Flinders  was  exactly  the  man  to  awaken 
similar  qualities  in  his  officers. 

The  Investigator  was  condemned,  and  a  small  vessel  named 
the  Porpoise  was  hired  to  take  the  officers  and  men  to  England. 
On  the  10th  of  August,  1803,  she  sailed  from  Port  Jackson,  home- 
ward bound,  with  two  other  vessels  in  company,  the  Bridgcwater 
and  Cato.  In  the  evening  of  the  17th,  all  the  ships  being  still  in 
company,  and  going  about  eight  knots  under  double-reefed  topsails, 
breakers  were  seen  ahead  from  the  forecastle  of  the  Porpoise.  The 
helm  was  immediately  put  down,  but  she  missed  stays,  and  in 
another  minute  was  carried  among  the  breakers.  Striking  upon  a 
coral  reef,  she  took  a  fearful  heel  over  on  her  beam  ends,  the  foremast 


570  VOYAGES  ASD  DJHC0VEBIE8,   M'iZ-lWl.  [lHr)3-4. 

going  over  the  side  at  the  nfXfmA  or  third  shock.  Soon  the  hold 
waH  frail  of  water,  but  luckily  ehe  went  over  with  the  upper  deck 
away  from  the  surf.  The  Cato  struck  on  the  reef  about  two  cables' 
length  from  the  I'orpoinf;,  fell  over  towards  the  surf,  and  her  masts 
went  by  the  lx«,rd.  The  lirid/jewater  escaped,  and  her  dastardly 
inast^ir— his  name  was  Vultaei — rna^e  sail,  leaving  his  consorts  to 
their  fate. 

During  the  night  Commander  Flinders  and  his  first  Lieutenant, 
lioljert  Merrick  Fowler,  employed  the  people  in  making  a  raft  and 
securing  waUsr  and  provisions  on  it.  The  Catfj,  having  fallen  over 
U)  windward,  with  her  deck  expowid  to  the  waves,  the  decks  were 
torn  up  and  everything  was  washed  away.  The  only  safe  place  for 
the  unfortunate  crew  was  in  the  port  fore  chains,  where  they  were 
all  crowded  together.  In  this  situation,  some  clinging  to  the  chain 
plates  and  dead  eyes,  others  holding  to  one  another,  they  passed  the 
night.  With  daylight  there  appeared  a  dry  sandbank  about  half  a 
mile  distant,  sufficiently  large  to  receive  the  shipwrecked  people  and 
such  provisions  as  could  be  saved.  The  Porpoine's  boats  were 
brought  as  near  to  the  6'ato  as  possible,  the  crew  jumping  from  the 
fore  chains  and  swimming  to  them  through  the  surf.  All  got  safe  to 
the  boats  except  three  young  lads,  who  were  drowned.  All  next 
day  the  people  worked  hard,  landing  water  and  provisions  on  the 
sandbank.     The  ships  soon  broke  up,  but  two  boats  were  saved. 

Commander  Flinders  took  command  of  the  combined  ships'  com- 
panies. He  resolved  to  lay  down  two  decked  boats,  capable  of 
conveying  all  the  shipwrecked  people  to  Port  Jackson,  and  also  to 
send  the  cutter  for  assistance.  The  latter  ser\'ice  would  be  one 
of  great  danger,  and  Flinders,  therefore,  resolved  to  perform  it 
himself.  He  started  on  the  25th  of  August  with  a  crew  of  fourteen 
men,  and,  after  a  perilous  voyage  of  750  miles  in  an  open  boat, 
he  safely  reached  Port  Jackson  on  September  Bth.  The  ship 
Holla,  bound  to  China,  was  engaged  to  call  at  the  reef,  and  take 
the  shipwrecked  people  on  board.  This  was  successfully  done ;  and 
young  Franklin  was  one  of  those  who  went  home  by  Canton. 

FlinderH  was  anxious  to  return  to  England  direct,  with  his  charts 
and  notebooks.  He  was  supplied  with  a  smaller  schooner  of  twenty- 
nine  tons,  called  the  Cumberland.  Passing  through  Torres  Strait 
the  little  vessel  sprang  a  leak,  and  ConjHiander  Flinders  was  obliged 
to  put  into  Mauritius.  There  he  was  perfidiously  made  a  prisoner  of 
war  by  the  French  governor,  contrary  to  the  established  usage  of 


1793-1802.]  FLINDESS'S    WORK.  571 

civilised  nations,  and  to  the  written  promise  of  the  French  govern- 
ment. The  governor,  whose  name  was  Decaen,  used  the  quibble 
that  the  passport  was  for  the  Investigator,  not  the  Cumberland.^ 
Surveyors  and  explorers,  whose  work  is  intended  to  benefit  the 
whole  world,  are  allowed  to  pass  free  in  time  of  war,  and  this  Decaen 
disgraced  his  country  and  himself  by  detaining  Flinders.  He  was 
kept  a  prisoner  for  nearly  seven  years.  It  broke  his  heart.  Keleased 
at  length  in  June,  1810,  he  returned  to  England  in  the  following 
October.  He  was  three  years  preparing  the  narrative  of  his  voyage 
in  two  quarto  volumes  and  an  atlas,  which  were  published  in  1814. 
His  work  finished,  the  great  surveyor  died  on  July  lUth  of  the  same 
year.  Flinders  had  extraordinary  natural  gifts  as  a  surveyor.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  to  investigate  the  deviation  caused  by  the  iron 
in  ships.  He  it  was  who  first  suggested  the  name  of  Australia. 
He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  talent,  but  modest  and  unassuming, 
and  though  he  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  he  was  beloved  by  all  who 
served  imder  him, 

"With  the  voyage  of  Flinders  ended  the  long  and  glorious  labours 
of  naval  discoverers,  which  had  been  continuous  for  forty  years. 
From  1764  to  1804,  Byron,  Wallis,  Carteret,  Cook,  Phipps. 
Vancouver,  Broughton  and  Flinders  had  advanced  geographical 
science,  and  made  discoveries,  the  results  of  which  arc  incalculable. 
They  created  and  trained  a  school  of  marine  surveyors,  but  they 
also  trained  Nelson,  liiou,  Vashon,  and  others,  the  heroes  of 
Trafalgar  and  many  other  sea  fights,  and  the  saviours  of  their 
country.  After  1804  there  was  a  pause  for  some  years,  though,  even 
during  that  time  of  stress,  surveying  was  not  entirely  neglected.  In 
1818,  Great  Britain  was  once  more  aroused  to  a  sense  of  her 
duties,  as  the  leader  of  exploration  and  discovery  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth. 

'  IIo  also  cliargeil    Flinders  witli  being   an  iinpo^tl"'-.      V""    '''.. yiy     ; ',!, — 

W.  L.  C. 


PUNT  :    18TI1  CBNT. 


INDEX, 


VOLUME  IV. 


Note — British  naval  officers  in  thefoUowimj  are  described  as  of  the  rank  to  ivhich 
they  attained  upon  the  completion  of  their  active  service. 


Abeille,  498,  554 

Aberbrothick,  76,  100 

Abercromby,  General  Sir  Ralph,  292,  333, 
334,  408,'  411,  412  n.,  425,  454,  455,  456 

Aberdeen,  76 

Aberf/avenny,  535 

Aboukir,  Town,  Island,  and  Bay,  356-374, 
376,  377,  404,  406,  453  n.,  455,  456,  555, 
556 

Aboulcir,  154,   372,  373  n.,  556 

Abuses,  Naval,  158-161 

Accra,  79  and  n. 

Acbill  Head,  345 

Achille,  226,  231,  232,  233,  234,  235,  553 

Achilles,  388 

Aclimet  Djezzar,  Pasha  of  Acre,  401,  402, 
404 

Achmet,  Turkish  military  commander,  894 

Acklom,  Capt.  George,  343 

Acre  (St.  Jean  d'),  400-404 

Actxon,  109 

Adif,  65,  99,  548,  552 

Actionnaire,  81,  83,  114 

Actions  (principal)  :  Herapis  and  Bunhoin- 
me  Richard,  33-39 ;  Quebec  and  Surveil- 
lante,  40-44 ;  capture  of  Omoa,  44,  45 ; 
Nonsuch  and  Belle  Poule,  53,  54 ;  Flora 
and  Nymphe,  55,  56 ;  Miner ve  and  C'oura- 
geiix,(iO;  Xonsach  and  Actif,  65  ;  Orescent 
and  Bricl,  67,  68 ;  Iris  and  Trtimbitll, 
T2,  73 ;  Success  and  Sta.  Catalina,  77- 
79 ;  Foudroyant  and  Pegase,  80-33 ; 
Hector  with  Aigle  and  Oloire,  87 ; 
Lennder  with  an  unknown,  92,  93 ; 
Howe  and  Villaret  on  May  28th,  1704, 
21.8-221;  the  same  on  May  29tli,  222- 
225 ;  the  same  on  June  1st,  225-240 ; 
siege  of  Bastia,  244,  245  ;  siege  of  Calvi, 
245 ;  capture  of  Martinique,  248 ;  Corn- 
wallis's  retreat,  256-260;  Bridport  oif 
Groix,  260-266  ;  Hotham  off  Genoa,  268- 


273 ;  Hotham  off  Hyeres,  274-277  ;  cap- 
ture of  Cape  Colony,  280,  281;  Nelson 
near  Genoa,  264,  285  ;  Droits  de  VHomtne 
with  Indefatigable  and  Amazon,  302- 
304 :  Jervis's  victory  oft"  Cajie  St.  Vin- 
cent, 305-320;  Nelson  at  Santa  Cruz, 
321-324;  Battle  of  Camperdown,  325- 
333;  Mars  and  Hercule,  336,  337; 
defence  of  St.  Marcou,  339-341 ;  Warren 
and  Bompart,  345-348;  Kangaroo  and 
Loire,  349-350;  Fishguard  and  Immor- 
talite,  350,  351 ;  Battle  of  the  Nile,  355- 
374;  defence  of  Acre,  400-404;  cutting 
out  of  the  Prima,  417 ;  capture  of  the 
GuiUaume  Tell,  420-422;  Battle  of 
Copenhagen,  427-440;  boat  action  off 
Boulogne,  445,  446  ;  loss  of  the  Swiftsure, 
453;  capture  of  Alexandria,  etc.,  455- 
458 ;  Saumarez  oft"  Algeciras,  460-i65  ; 
Saumarez  with  Linois  and  Moreno,  466- 
470 ;  C'leopatre  and  Xymphe,  476,  477 : 
Boston  and  Emhuscade,  478,  479 ;  Cres- 
cent and  Reunion,  479,  480;  the  Jttno 
at  Toulon,  482,  4S3;  Carysfort  and 
Castor,  485;  Romney  and  Sibylle,  485, 
486;  Artois  and  Rivolutionnaire,  487; 
Blanche  and  Pi'iue,  488-490 ;  Lirvlg  and 
Tourterelle,  490,  491 ;  Astrnca  and  (iloire, 
491 ;  capture  of  the  Mincrve,  492,  4U3 ; 
Unite  and  Revolutionnaire,  495,  496  ; 
Indefatigable  and  Virginie,  496,  497 ; 
Spencer  and  Volcan,  497,  498 ;  Phoenix 
and  Argo,  498 ;  Santa  Margarita  and 
Tamise,  498 ;  Unicorn  and  Tribune,  498, 
499;  Drija'l  and  Proserpine,  499,  500; 
(rlatfon  and  French  frigates,  501 ;  Pelican 
and  Me'dee,  503  ;  Terpsichore  and  Maho- 
nesa,  504;  'Terpsichore  anA  Vestale,  50 i, 
505 ;  San  Fiorenzo  and  Xymphe  with 
Resistance  and  Constance,  506,  507 ; 
Phoebe  and  Serei  le,  508 ;  Seahorse  and 


574 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Sensible,  510;  capture  of  the  Seine,  511 ; 
BriUiaiit  with  French  frigates,  512; 
Eypoir  anil  Liyuria,  513 ;  Leander  and 
Genereux,  513-516 ;  Sirius  with  Furie 
and  Waakzaamheid,  516,  517 ;  Ambus- 
cade and  Biiyonnaise,  517-519;  Dsedalus 
and  Prudente,  519,  520 ;  Sibylh  and 
i-orte,  520-522  ;  Clyde  and  Fcste/e,  523 ; 
capture  of  the  Thetis  and  Sta.  Brigida, 
525,  526 ;  cutting  out  of  the  Ilermione, 
527,  528;  capture  of  the  Fallas,  529, 
530;  Petrel  and  Ligurienne,  530;  Seine 
and  Vengeance,  533;  Phoebe  and  ^y'ri- 
catne,  537,  538  ;  Speedy  and  Gamo,  538, 
539 ;  cutting  out  of  the  Chevrette,  539, 
540 ;  Sylph  and  an  unknown ;  Sibylle 
and  Chiffonne,  541 ;  Tjc/or  and  Fleche, 
541,  542 

^c«re,  19,  31,  110(3),  181,  326,  425,  549, 
551 

Acton,  Neapolitan  minister.  Sir  John 
Francis  Edward,  396 

Acul,  Haiti,  251 

Acute,  341  n. 

Adam,  Admiral  Sir  Charles,  405,  541,  558 

Adamant,  173,  325,  326,  340,  529,  557 

Adams,  the  mutineer,  John,  103  n.,  106 

Addaya  Creek,  Minorca,  377 

Administrative  officers  of  the  Navy,  1793- 
1802,  150-152 

Admiraal  De  Ituijler,  559 

Admiraal  Tjerk  JSiddes  De  Vries,  154,  326, 
329  and  n.,  559 

Admiral  Deiries,  559 

Admiral  Baiiiier,  560  (2) 

Admiralty,  The,  186 

Admiralty,  First  Lords  and  Secretaries  of 
the,  150 

Adriatic  Sea,  the,  375 

Advances  to  pressed  men,  172 

Adventure,  129-131 

Adventure  Bav,  Tasmania,  103,  138 

Advice,  198  n.,  548 

Adye,  Capt.  John  Jliller,  369 

JEolus,  24,  27,  443 

Affleck,  Admiral  Philip,  191 

Affleck,  Capt.  Thomas,  251,  548 

Affleck,  Capt.  William  (1),  70 

Affleck,  Capt.  AVilliam  (2),  213 

Affronteur,  298  n. 

Africa,  293,  520,  560 

Africa,  Coast  of,  58,  83,  114,  198  and  n., 
251,  405,  510,  524 

A/ricaine,  537,  538,  546,  555,  558 

Agamemnon,  174  n.,  175,  203  n.,  207, 
244,  269  n.,  270,  272,  274  and  n.,  276, 
277,  284,  285,  430,  433,  434,  435,  442, 
480 

Agassiz,  Com.  James  John  Charles,  558 

Agents  for  Prisoners  of  War,  185 

Aggershuus,  431  n.,  561 

Agincourt,  175,  326,  388 

Agnew,  Com.  Alexander,  51 


Aigle,  86,  87,  89,  112,  115  (2),  203  n.,  279, 

549,  555 
Aigrette,  24,  25 
Aiguille,  304 
Aimable,  57,  114,  203  n.,  501,  529,  553, 

554 
Airev,  Lieut.-Colonel  George,   451  n.,  452 
Aix  Road  and  Island,  343,  388,  389,  509 
Ajaccio,  288,  405,  549,  552 
Ajax;  49,  58,  326,  388,  389  n.,  414,  424  n., 

454  n. 
I  Akaroa,  125 
!  Akuriri  Cliff,  126 
^?a(m,  280,  333  and  n.,  409,  492,  553  (2), 

559,  560  (3),  561 
Alassio  Bay,  277,  554 
Alhacore,  554 
Albanaise,  180,  531,  551 
Albany,  29 
Albatross,  405 
Albatrosses,  567 
Albemarle,  95 
Albert,  210 
Albion,  155,  549 
Alceste,  268,  276,  375,  386,  400,  494,  552, 

556 
Alcide,  203  n.,  204  n.,  212  and  n.,  243,  276, 

277,  553 
Alcmene,   and   Alcmene,  31,  58,  114,  373 

and  n.,  376,  430,  432,  439,  525,  526,  556, 

560 
Alcudia,  481,  561 
Aldemey,  548,  555 
Alemtejo,  458,  471 
Alert,  8  and  n.,  9,  10,  15  and  n.,  16,  57, 

109,  113,  114,  548,  553 
Alerte,  114,  357,  359,  360,  386  and  n.,  400, 

486,  487,  548,  554  (2),  556 
Alessandria,  418 
Alexander  I.,  Tsar,  442 
Alexander,  Admiral  Thomas  (1),  554 
Alexander,  U.S.X.,  Capt.  Charles,  113 
Alexander,  Lieut.  John,  295  n. 
Alei-ander,  50,  237  n.,  241,  242,  262,  351, 

352,  355,  356,  357,  359  n.,  360,  361,  363, 

364,  366,  367,  368,  369,  370  n.,  372,  373, 

374,  390,  418,  419,  420,  450,  452,  548, 

565  n. 
Alexandre,  91,  255  n.,  262,  263,  264,  553 
Alexandria,  355,   356   and  n.,    357,    360, 

368  n.,  372,  373,  375,  376,  377,  383,  390, 

400,  401,  402,  404,  423,   452,  455-458, 

513,  551,  556,  558  (7) 
Alexandria,  458 

Alford,  agent  for  Lord  St.  Vincent,  Mr.,  166 
Alfred,  4,  7,  8,  10,  113,  226,  235,  334,  500 

501,  5.54  (2),  555 
Algeciras,  307,   308  n.,   310,  459   and  n., 

460-465,  466  and  n.,  528,  561 
Algerine  pirates,  427,  506 
Algier,  54,  55,  101,  324,  410 
Algoa  Bar,  524,  525 
Alicante,  "26 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  IV. 


575 


Alhmaar,  326,  329  n.,  559 

Alkmaar  canal,  411 
Allary,  Captain  Joseph,  226,  447  n. 
Allegiance,  71  and  n.,  72,  112 
Alleyn-,  298  n.,  304  n.,  555 
Allemand,  Admiral  Zachai'ie  Jacques  Theo- 
dore, 251,  291,  480  and  n.,  481 
Allen,  Admiral  John  Carter,  191 
Allen,  Admiral  ^^'illiam  (2),  192 
Alliance :  with  Holland,  199 ;  with  Spain, 

Portugal,  Sardinia  and  the  two   Sicilies, 

200 ;  between  France  and  Spain,  285,  28lj 
Alliance,  33-36,  38,  39,  66,  111,  387  n., 

401,  402,  493,  558 
Alliantie,  558 

Alligator,  79,  83,  112,  213,  454  n.  ,552 
Allons,  Provence,  277  n. 
Allotment  of  pay,  154 
Alniendral,  Valparaiso,  The,  148 
Almirante  Barroso,  254  n. 
Almirante  Tower,  Algeciras,  461,  462,  463 
Alms,  v.- Ad.  James  (2),  197  n.,  414,  493, 

550 
Alps,  The,  418 
Alsace,  Regiment  of,  518 
Aniager  Island,  430,  4a2  n.,  439,  440,  441 
Ainaraiithe,  409,  550,  555,  559 
Amat,  Don  Manuel,  121 
Amazon,  58,  138,  299,  300,  302,  303,  430, 

431,  432,  436,  439,  496,  497,  499  and  n., 

549,  555 
Amazone,  31,  83,  84,  110,  115 
Amboyna,  184,  294  and  n.,  472 
Amboyna,  294  n.,  558 
Ambrosian  Library,  Milan,  352 
Ambuscade,  27,  6i,  114,  517-519,  543  and 

n.,  544,  550,  556  (2) 
Amelia,  345,  346,  347,  348,  414,  424,  500, 

522,  538,  554 
A7))erica,   14,   200   n.,   202   n.,   226,    230, 

280  n.,  281,  295  n.,  408  n.,  409 
America,  Coast  of,  31,  51,  76,  83,  86,  92, 

93,  109,  115,  137,  145,  147,  148,  149, 

338,  553,  554 
American  assistance  to  British   operations, 

307,  308,  416 
American  tiag.  The,  10,  11,  538 
American  losses,  1777-82,  113 
American  Marine  Committee,  10,  39 
American  War,  the,  1-95,  97,  98,  100,  113, 

143 
Americans  in  the  Eoyal  Navy,  156 
Amerique,  553 
Amethyst,  204  n.,  411,  414,  424,  536,  548, 

552,  557,  558 
Amfitrite,  528 
Amiens,  Treaty  of,  452 
Amphion,  76,  83  n.,  94,  503,  549 
Amphitrite,  31,  66,  91  and  n.,  94,  110,  112, 

115,  203  n.,  410,  412,  548,  559 
Amsterdam,  Curacoa,  425 
Amsterdam,  Holland,  408 
Auanioca,  133 


Anatolia,  Coast  of,  355,  356  n. 
Ancaster,  Duke  of,  18 
Ancona,  375,  390,  539,  551 
Anderson,  Lieut.  Charles,  112 
Anderson,  the  naturalist,  Dr.,  138,  139 

Anderson,  Lieut.  W ,  111 

Andrea  Doria,  4,  109,  113 

Andrdossi,  General,  339 

Andrews,  Capt.  George  (1),  245 

Andromache,  386  n.,  506  and  n.,  538 

Andromaque,  81,  502,  554 

Andromeda,  58,  111,  531,  558 

Anemone,  376,  556 

Anguilla,  504 

Annesley,  Lieut,  the  Hon.  Francis  Charles 

(1),  212 
Anse  la  Eaye,  St.  Lucia,  293 
Anse  a  Canot,  Guadeloupe,  250 
Anson,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  George,  Lord, 

117,  118,  119,  121,  126 
Anson,  266  n.,   345,  346,  348,  350,   495, 

499  n.,  507,  508,  509,  555,  556,  561 
Antarctic  Circle  and  Sea,  the,  130,  131 
Antelope,  143,  482 
Antibes,  385 

Antigua,  58,  119,  250,  553 
Antigua,  111 

Antiscorbutics,  128,  130,  134 
ADtwerji,  339 
Aiiain,  79  and  n. 
Ape's  Hill,  289,  549 
Aplin,  Admiral  I'eter,  75,  111,  195 
A])odaca,  E.-Ad.  Don  S.  R.  de,  333  n. 
Apollo,  22,  23,  40,  52,  79,  114,  500,  550, 

554,  561  (2) 
Apollon,  204  n.,  205,  206 

Appleby,  Lieut.  E T ,  112 

Appledore,  76 

Apthorp,  Com.  Charles,  341  n.,  454  n.,  455 

Aquilon,  154,  197  n.,  201  n.,  203  n.,  226, 

230,   260  n.,  357,   362,   364,   365,  372, 

556 
Arab,  471,  549,  553 
Arabs,  376 
Arbuthnot,    Admiral   Harriot,   25,  47,  48, 

113,  191 
Arc,  558 
Arcachon,  554 
Archipelago,  The  Greek,  279 
Architecture,  Naval,  153  et  seq. 
Arctic  Seas,  The,  58  n.,  135,  136 
Arden,  Capt.  Samuel,  66  and  n. 
Arden,  Charles  George,  Lord,  169 
Ardent,  29,  30,  31,  87, 100, 110, 114, 174  n., 

175,  176,  203  n.,  212  and  n.,  243.  326, 

329,  331,  408  n.,  410,  430,  433,  439,  548 
Ardrigole  River,  301 
Arethusa,  14  and  n.,  15,  24,  99,  110,  252, 

266  u.,  333  and  n.,  483,  484,  486,  487, 

507,  555 
Are'thuse,  204  n.,  525,  549,  552,  556 
Argles,  Capt.  George,  337,  534,  557 
Argo,  94  and  n.,  97,  112,  115,  154,  278, 


576 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  IV. 


.STT  11.,  378  n.,  493,  498,  519,  558, 
560  (3) 

Argonaut,  490,  553 

Argonaufa,  424  n.,  466  u. 

Argus,  49,  260  n. 

Ariadne,  10,  51,  113,  274  and  n.,  277, 
341  n.,  342 

Aril  lie,  555 

Ariel,  31,  110 

Aristocrat,  495,  554,  557 

Arkeiihout,  Lieut.,  326 

Ariiiaiiieiit,  Changes  in,  155 

Armed  neutrality,  The,  426,  427 

Armistice:  with  Denmarli,  440:  at  Alex- 
andria, 458 

Arms,  Augmentation  of,  83 

"  Arms  of  Honour,"  422 

Armj''K  share  in  naval  prize-money,  165 

Arona,  418 

Arrack,  105 

Arrest  no  bar  to  prize-sharing,  162,  163 

Arrogant,  237  n.,  280,  502,  503,  558,  559 

Arrorjnnte,  304,  333  n.,  510,  555,  560 

Arrow,  154,  426  n.,  427,  430,  432,  524, 559 

Arti^inise,  278,  357,  367,  492,  540,  556 

Artesien,  77 

Articles  of  War,  The,  50,  172,  184 

Artois,  52  and  n.,  114,  266  n.,  486,  487, 
495,  507,  549 

Artois,  Comte  d',  267  n. 

Asia,  247  n.,  248,  528 

Asia,  coast  of,  563 

Asia  Minor,  454 

Asp,  341  n.,  342 

Aspic,  495 

Assemblee  Nationale,  494,  554 

Assistance,  198  n.,  551 

Assurance,  6G,  247  n. 

Astle,  K.-Ad.  George,  559 

Astrxa,  91,  113,  260  n.,  292  n.,  293,  454  n., 
491,  553 

Astrik,  71,  72,  84,  280 

Atalanta,  65,  66,  98,  111,  198  n. 

Atahmte,  298  n.,  299,  304  n.,  326,  328  n., 
482,  484,  485,  550,  553,  555,  558 

Atheaicn,  374  and  n.,  423,  450,  55 1 

Athenienne,  554 

Atkins,  Ca]it.  Christopher,  109 

Atkinson,  Lieut.  J ,  112 

Allante,  309  n. 

Atlantic  Ocean,  the,  65,  70,  103,  132,  115, 
132,  200,  386,  513,  534,  537,  560,  561 

At/as,  388 

Atooi,  139,  145 

At/ark,  154 

Auckland,  New  Zealand,  126 

Audacieux,  216,  218,  221 

Audacious,  202,  220,  221,  237,  239,  274 
and  n.,  277,  321,  357,  361,  362,  364,  369 
and  n.,  390,  416,  418,  419,  460,  461,  462, 
464  and  n.,  465,  466  n.,  468,  469,  485  n. 

Audierne  Bay,  303,  486,  507,  553 

Augusta,  109 


Augusti;  552,  553 

Augustus,  551 

Aurora,  377  n.,  416  n.,  553,  555,  560  (2) 

Aurore,  204  n.,  206,  552,  55-1,  557 

Austen,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Francis 

William  (1),  530,  557 
Australia,  104,  106,  127,  128, 133, 145,  564, 

566,  568,  571 
Austria,  200,  277,  324,  380,  386,  389,  390, 

391,  4L5,  416 
Austrian  Netherland.s,  324 
Auvergne,  Prince  de  liouillon,  V.-Ad.  Philip 

d'.  111 
Auvergne,  Cajit.  Corbet  James  d',  557 
Aux  Cayes,  251,  378 
Avenger,  247  n.,  248,  552 
Aoenturier,  513 
Arentiiriere,  556 
Avenza,  548 

Avaldi,  Capt.  Don  T.,  504 
Aylmer,  Admiral  John  (1),  295  n.,  449 
Ayscough,  Admiral  John,  415,  454  n.,  550 
Azores  Islands,  33,  88,  115,  560 

B.vb-el-Maxdeb,  Strait  of,  525 

Bahet,  154,  260  n.,  291  u.,  412,  483,  484, 

551,  552,  555 
Racalar,  379 
Back  Bay,  Ceylon,  282 
Bacon  (mil.)  Capt.,  264 
Badajos,  Treaty  of,  458,  471 
Badger,  89,  165  n.,  340,  555  (2) 
Badliam,  Mr.  F.  P.,  referred  to,  391  n. 
Badinc,  278,  279,  418,  419 
Baffin's  Bay,  137 

Bagley,  the  astronomer,  Mr.,  129,  138 
Bahama,  307,  309  n. 
Bahamas  Islands,  83 

Baillie,  Russian  military  commander,  394 
Bainbridge,  Lieut.  William,  416 

Baird,  Capt.'s  Clerk ,  369 

Baird,  Major-General,  457  n. 
Baker,  Com.  Henry  (2),  439 
Baker,  Capt.  Henry  Edward  Reginald,  309 

n.,  454  n. 
Baker,  Capt.  Joseph,  149  n.,  523 
Baker,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Thomas  (1),  426  and  n. 
Bille,  296 

Balfour,  Cajit.  George,  111 
Biilfour.  Cum.  William,  317 
Ball,  1!.-Ad.  Sir  Alexander  John,  152,  351, 

357,  3ti9.  374,  ;:'.83.  386,  390,  395,  396, 

418  n.,  423,  450,  553 
Ball,  R.-Ad.  Henrv  Lidgbird,  405,  519,  520, 

556,  565  n. 
Ballantyne,  master  in  H.  E.  I.  Co.'s  service, 

George,  483 
Ballard,  R.-Ad.   Samuel   James,  451,  510, 

557 
Ballard,  R.-Ad.  A'olant  Yashon,  149  n. 
Ballinanmck,  344 
BaJlon,  201  n. 
Baltic  Sea,  the,  35,  428,  440,  443  n. 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


577 


Bampton,  Lieut.  William,  158 

Banca,  W.  Afiica,  251 

Banca,  strait  of.  18i,  .512,  oiO 

Banda  Islands,  2'J4,  472 

Banff,  1.3.  100 

Banks,  Sir  Joseph,  124,  125,  128,  567 

Banks's  Peninsula,  126 

Bannister,  Seaman  George,  516 

Baniry   Bay,   177,   181,   300   and   n.,  301, 

304  n.,  555 
Baptismal  certificates  forged,  160 
Barbados,  10,  63,  90,  213,  214,   246,  247, 

536,  554,  555,  557,  558  (2) 
Barhados.  58,  111,  281),  292 
Barbary  Coast,  453,  473,  538 
Barbier,  Lieut.  Hermanns,  295  n. 
Barhudi,  77,  111 
Barca,  452 

Barcelona,  384,  533,  561 
Barere  de  Vieuzac,  236  n. 
Barfleur,  223,  226,  227,  231,  260  n.,  263, 

284,  309  n.,  314,  321,  382,  384  n.,  385  n. 
Bartieur,  Cape,  554 
Barham,   Admiral   Sir   Charles   Middleton, 

Lord,  191 
Rarham  Downs,  18H,  408 
Barker,  Ailmiral  George,  385 
Barker,  Capt.  James,  309  u.,  369  n. 
Barker,  Capt.  Scory,  335,  549 
Barking  She  f,  550 
Barklej',  Capt.  Andrew,  48,  61 
Barlow,   Admiral  Sir   Boliert,  226,  260  n., 

300,  508,  537,  555  (2),  558 
Barnsta|ile  Bay,  550 
Barr,  H.  E.  I.  C.  S.,  Colonel,  471 
Barracoe,  79  and  n. 
Barras,  ijuoted,  19 
Barras,  204  n.,  277,  286 
Barras,  Commod.  de,  17  and  n.,  75,  76 
Barrett,  Capt.  John,  280  and  u. 
Barrie,  K.-Ad.  Sir  Robert,  149  n. 
Barrier  Reef,  Great,  127,  128,  569 
Barringtou,  3Ir.  Daines,  135 
Barrington,  Admiral  the  Hon.  Samuel,  22, 

80,  107,  160,  181,  182,  191,  198 
Barrow,  LieLit.-Colonel  Thomas,  379 
Barrow  Hill,  186 

Barry,  U.  S.  >'.,  Capt.  John,  21,  66 
Bartliolmew,  Com.  Philip,  551 
Barton,  Adiijiral  !Mattliew,  191 
Barton,  Y.-Ad.  Kobert,  448,  449,  504,  554 
Bas,  He,  80,  513,  549,  552,  556 
Basham,  (Mar.),  Lieut.  William,  324 
Basque  Road,  388 

Bass,  Surgeon  George,  R.N.,  566,  567 
Basse  Buzce,  253 

Basse  Terro,  Guadeloupe,  249,  250,  502 
Bass's  Strait,  567,  56-i 
Basset,  Lieut.  William,  446  n. 
Bastia,  212,  243,  244,  245,  287,  288,  548, 

553 
Bataaf,  558 
Bateman,  Com.  Samuel,  430 

VOL.    IV. 


Batavia,  104,  119,  122, 128,  129 
Batavian  Republic  (.see  also  Holland) 
Batavier,  326,  410,  559 
Bath,  Order  of  the,  83,  320,  378,  412,  443, 

458,4(0 
Baticalo,  282 
Battles :  .see  Actions 
Batteries  erected  along  the  Thames,  175 
"  Baymen,"  44,  45 
Bayonnaise,  517-519,  550 
Bayntun,  Admiral  Sir  Henry  William,  247 

n.  549 
Bay 'of  Islands,  126 
Bay  of  Bulls,  291 
Bay  of  Castle.-^,  291 
Bazely,  Admiral  John  (1),  8,  76,  113,  193. 

226,  274  n. 
Bazely,  Capt.  Henrv,  341  n.,  529 
Bazely,  Capt.  John'  (2),  260  n.,  408  n. 
Beacon  Hill,  in  Kent,  186 ;  in  Hants,  186 
Bazire,  Capt.,  226 
Beachy  Head,  111,  445,  550 
Beatson,  quoted,  68,  95 
Beauclerk,  Admiral  Lord  Amelius,  203  n., 

212  n.,  278,  498,  499,  554 
Beaufort,  S.  Carolina,  110 
Beaufort,  Capt.  Sir  Francis  (1),  534,  561 
lieaulieu,  Georgia,  32 
Beaulieu,  176,  247  n.,  325,  326,  502,  539, 

540,  553,  554,  558 
Beaulieu,  Capt.,  520,  521 
Beaumont,  Capt  Vicomte  de,  20 
Beaver,  Capt.  Philip,  410,  417,  454  u.,  557 
Beaver,  7 

Beaver's  Prize,  110 
Bee  du  Raz,  336,  555 
Becher,  Cajjt.  Alexander,  550 
Bedford,  50,  176,  203  n.,  213,  269  n.,  270, 

271,  272,  274  n.,   278,   326,   329,   331, 

552 
Bedford,  V.  Ad.  William,  260  n. 
Bedout,  Capt.  J.,  298  n. 
Beens,  Capt.,  491 
Beetham,  a  seaman,  181 
Beirut,  404 
Belfast,  70,  109 

Belhonmie,  Lieut.  P.  J.  1'.,  483 
BeleUe,  204  n.,  549,  552 
Belizal,  Lieut,  de,  14 
Belize,  378 

Bell,  ilidshipman  Jaiues,  439 
Belle  Antoinette,  409,  559 
Belle   Isle,  200,  201,   256,   260,  261,  264, 

266,  415,  522.  551,  553 

Belleish,  154,  264,  553 

Belle  Poule,  13,  14,  15,  16,  53,  54,  99,  114 

Bellerophon,  200,  202,  218,  219,  220,  222, 

1      223,  226,  228,  229,  255  n.,  257,  357,  361, 

I      362,  363,  365,  368,  369  and  n.,  384,  385, 

391,  566 
Bellew,  Capt.  Henry,  109 
Belliard,  General,  457 
Bellingham,  Sir  William,  151 

2   P 


578 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Bdliqmux,  174  n.,  251,  326,  331,  408  u., 

410,  532,  557 
Bellona,  59,  110,  237  n.,  280, 295  n.,  333  n., 

384,  385,  430,  432  n.,  433,  434,  435,  438, 

439,  440,  441,  553,  559 
BeUoiie,  30,  77,  83  ii.,  85,  221,  298  n.,  344, 

346,  347,  348,  534,  556 
Bencoolen,  144,  483 
Bengal,  Bay  of,  77,  112,  520,  533,  556 
Bengasi,  452,  454 
Bennett,  Capt.  Richard   Henrv  Alexamler, 

548 
Bentham,  General,  155 
Bcntinck,  V.-Ad.  ■\Villiam,  226 
Berbice,  291,  472 
Berbice,  549 

Berehaven,  388  I 

Bere  Island,  301,  302 
Beresford,  Admiral  Sir  John  Poo,  412,  492, 

502 
Bergeau,  Capt.  J.  P.,  344  I 

Bergh-e,  529 
Bergeret,  Capt.,  497 
Bergeret,  Capt.  J.,  447  n. 
Bergevin,  Capt.  M.  C,  344 
Bering's  Strait,  139,  142 
Berkeley,   Admiral    the   Hon.    Sir    George 

Cranfield,  182,  195,  226,  380,  388 
Berkeley,    Capt.  Telteis  Cornwall,   247  n., 

319  and  n.,  507 
Berkeley  Sovmd,  119 
Bermuda,  109,  112,  497,  507,  548,  554 
Bermuda,  549 
Bernadou,  Haiti,  251 
Bernstorfl",  Count,  427 
Berrade,  Capt.,  226 
Berry,  R.-Ad.  Sir  Edward,  309  n.,  315,  351, 

357,  360  n.,  361,  372,  373,  418,  420,  515, 

516      - 

Berrv,  Midshipman ,  446  n. 

Bertiieaume  Road  and  Bay,  237,  239,  253, 

380,  447 
Bertie,  Admiral   Sir  Albemarle,  226,  260, 

266  n.,  389  n. 
Bertie,  (formerly  Hoar),  V.-Ad.  Sir  Thomas 

(2),  408  n.,  430 
Berville,  Guadclouiie,  250 
Berwick,  57,  58,  203  n.,  267,  268,  269,  270, 

277,  286,  548 
Bescheriner,  326,  410,  559 
Besemer,  Lieut.  Pieter,  295  n. 
Betsy,  499  and  n. 
Bett,  Capt.  William,  74,  111 
Bettishauger,  186 
Beuzeval,  343 

Bevians,  Com.  William,  309  n. 
Biche,  344,  347,  351 
Bickcrton,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Richard,  107 
Bickertoii,   Admiral    Sir   Richard    Hussey, 

195,  237  n.,  351,  454  n. 
Biddle,  U.  S.  N.,  Capt.  Nicholas,  10,  113 
Bien/aisant,  56 
Bienvenue,  247,  248,  552 


Biggs,  V.-Ad.  Robert,  16,  109,  193 

Bigot,  Lieut.  J.  G.,  511 

Bingham,  R.-Ad.  Joseph,  554 

Birchall,  Capt.  William,  341  n.,  430 

Birthday,  Tlie  Sovereign's,  174 

Biscay,  Bav  of,  65,  114,  115,  201,  216,  241, 

304  n.,  336,  381,  447,  475,  480,  488,  494, 

495,  508,  513,  525,  546,  547,  552,  555, 

556,  557 
Bissett.  R.-Ad.  James,  198  n. 
Biter,  341  n.,  342,  531  n. 
Bizarre,  114 

Black  Joke,  325,  381,  556 
Black  Sea,  354 
Blackdown,  186 
Blacksod  Bay,  349 
Blackwood,  V.-Ad.  the  Hon.  Sir  Henry,  260 

n.,  420,  421,  512,  561 
Blake,  Com.  John,  550 
Blanche,  27,  47,  58,  111,  114,  197  n.,  247 

n.,  280,  284,  412,  428,  430,  432,  442,  488 

-490,  505,  506,  550,  552  (2),  553 
Bland,  Cajit.  Loftus  Otway,  373  n.,  513  and 

n.,  556  (2),  558 
Blankett,  R.-Ad.  John,  194,  280  n.,  295  n., 

405,  406,  457 
Blanquet  Du  Chayla  :  see  Du  Chayla 
Blavet,  Capt.,  226 
Blazer,  341  n.,  428,  551 
Blenheim,  103  n.,  178,  274  and  n.,  276,  307, 

309  n.,  310,  313,  314,  316,  317 
Bligh,  Com.  .John  (1),  68,  69  n..  Ill 
Bligh,  R.-Ad.  John  (2),  309  n. 
Bligh,  Admiral  Sir  Richard   Rodney,  166, 

193,  237  n.,  241,  242,  548 
Bligh,   V.-Ad.  William,  102-106,  138  and 

n.,  140,  141,  144,  326,  430,  562,  566 
Blockade   (see   also   Brest,   Cadiz,   Toulon, 

etc.)  :  of  the  Thames  by  the  mutineers, 

174  ;  of  the  Dutch  coast,  279,  283  et  seq. ; 

of  Genoa,  284 ;  of  Cadiz,  320  et  se^. ;  of 

Malta,  374  and  n.  et  scq. ;  of  Naples,  390 ; 

of  Genoa,  416, 417;  of  the  French  Riviera, 

419  ;  of  Alexandria,  455 
Blockade,  Ditliculties  of,  293,  294,  377 
Blonde,  28,  48,  61,  112,  247  n.,  277,  454  n., 

499  u.,  552,  554 
Bloom,  549 
Bkmt,  Colonel,  471 
Blytlie,  Midshipman  James,  337 
Boades,  Captain  de,  65 
Bog  Island,  Virginia,  549 
Boadicea,  345,  389  n.,  557,  561 
Boatswains,  156,  188,  416  n. 
Boca  Grande,  333 
Bolabola,  131,  139 
Bodega  y  Quadra,  Don  Juan  Francisco  de 

La';  146,  147 
Bock,  Com.  D.,  410 
Boger,  Capt.  Coryndou,  557 
Bolton,  109 
Bolton,  Admiral  Lord  Harry  Powlett,  Duke 

of,  191 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  IV. 


579 


Bolton,  Capt.  William  (1),  426  n.,  430,  524, 

559 
Bomharde,  557 
Bolador,  560 
Bombardment :  of  Savannah,  32  ;  of  Pondi- 

cherry,   214 ;  of  Sierra   Leone,  251 ;   of 

Cadiz,  320,  321 ;  of  Genoa,  417 
Bombay,  85,  144,  373,  406 
Bombay  Castle,  274  and  n.,  290,  532,  549, 

557 
Bombs,  18,  135,  153,  155,  244,  293,   320, 

321,  333  n.,  341  n.,  342,  357,  359,  361  n., 

375,  388,  389  n.,  390,  400,  401,  429,  430. 

433,  434,  445 
Bompart,  Comraod.  Jean  Baptists  Franfois, 

344-351,  478 
Bon,  General,  353 
Bona,  496 

Bonamy,  Capt.  J.  B.,  541 
Bonaparte,  Jerome,  453  n. 
Bonaparte,  Louis :  see  Louis,  King  of  Hol- 
land 
Bonaparte,  Napoleon,  207,  287,  288,  289, 

331,  338  and  n.,  339  n.,  352,  353,  356  n., 

371,  373,  376,  400,  402,  404,  405,  413, 

418,  426,  444,  446,  450,  454,  455,  470, 

472,  538,  544 
Bonasa,  Capt.  Don  R.,  333  n. 
Bond,  Capt.  Francis  Godol]ihin,  557 
Bonetta,  61,  76,  89,  111,  551,  561 
Bonhomme  Richard,  33-39,  97,  110,  113, 

518 
Bonifacio,  288 
Bonne  Citoyenne,  154,  307,  308  u.,  309  u., 

319,  351,  352,  354,  373  and  n.,  454  n., 

457,  494,  554 
Booms,  210 

Boorder,  Com.  James,  412,  522 
Borda,  Capt.  Chev.  de,  90 
Bordeaux,  206,  255,  509 
Bordelaise,  154,  525,  536,  557 
Bordentown,  13 
Boreas,  31,  114 
Bornholm  Island,  441,  442 
Borrowdale,  565  n. 
Boscawen,  Admiral  the  Hon.  Edward,  31, 

181,  266 
Boston,  Lincolnshire,  565 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  3,  5,  6,  20,  66,  71, 

74 
Boston,  5,  6,  7,  48  n.,  71  n.,  109,  113,  478, 

479 
Botany  Bay,  127,  564,  566 
Boteler,  Capt.  Philip,  29,  30,  31,  110 

Botham,  Com.  J ,  109 

Boubee,  Capt.  de,  69 

Bouchetiere,  Capt  de  La,  74 

Boudeuse,  22,  110,  557 

Bouillon,  Prince  de :   see  Auvergne,  Piince 

de  Bouillon,  V.-Ad.  Philip  d' 
Boulainvilliers,  Capt.  de,  17 
Boulogne,  338,  444  and  n.,  445,  519 
Boulogne,  46  n. 


Bounties,  155,  156 

Bounty,  102-106  and  notes 

Bourchier,  Capt.  John,  8,  87,  112 

Bourde,  Capt.  G.  F.  J.,  324,  510 

Bourdiohon,  Capt.,  529 

Bourgneuf  Bay,  557 

Sourgogne,  25 

Boxinnaster,  Admiral  John,  3,  193 

Bourne,  Com.  Richard  (1),  341  and  n. 

Bouvet,  Com.,  130 

Bouvet,  Admiral   Franfois   Joseph,  Baron, 

15,  215  n.,  226,  298  n.,  300  and  n.,  301 
Bowen,  Capt.   James   (1),    231,    239,   240, 

377  n.,  519,  560  (2) 
Bowen,  Lieut.  John,  158 
Bowen,  Capt.  Richard,  81  and  n.,  247  and 

n.,  248,  250,  319, 320,  321,  322,  323,  504, 

505,  545,  555,  560 
Bowen,  Capt.  Thomas,  373  n. 
Bowen,  Admirr.l  George  (1),  195 
Bowen,  Capt.  George  (3),  454  n. 
Bowman,  Gunner  William,  159 
Bowyer,  Admiral  Sir  George,  192,  226,  228, 

239 
Boxer,  Capt.  James,  402 
Boxer,  341  n.,  531  n. 
Boyart  Shoal,  the,  389 
Boyle,  V.-Ad.  Hon.  Sir  Courtenay,  550 
Boyle,  The  Hon.  Robert :  see  Walsingham, 

Capt.  the  Hon.  Robert  Boyle 
Boyles,  V.-Ad.  Charles,  484,  553 
Bovs,  V.-Ad.  Thomas  (1),  274  n. 
Boyne,  246,  247  and  n.,  250,  491,  548 
Braak,  or  Be  Braak,  154,  409,  549,  558, 

559 
Braam,  Capt.  JE.  van,  410 
Braave,  559,  560 

Brace,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Edward,  349,  556 
Bradby,  Capt.  James  (2),  341  n.,  342 
Bradford  (mil.),  Lieut.  George,  251 
Bradley,  R.-Ad.  William  (1),  226 
Bragge,  Right  Hon.  Charles,  150 
Brak,  558,  559 

Brathwaite,  Admiral  Richard,  191 
Brakel,  558 

Brave,  255  n.,  295  n.,  296,  550,  559 
Bravoure,  298  n.,  447  n.,  448,  450,  451  and 

n.,  558 
Bray,  Com.  Josias,  456 
Brazen,  147  n.,  550 
Brazil,  305 

Bread-fruit  plants,  102,  562,  566 
Breedou  (Mar.),  Capt.  Joseph,  416 
Brehat  Islands,  538 
Breignon,  Capt.  Chevalier  de 
Brenton,  R.-Ad.  Jahleel  (1),  110,  195 
Brenton,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Jahleel  (2),  460,  465 

and  n,  466  n.,  528 
Brest,  11,  13,  14,  16,  20,  23  n.,  25,  40,  43, 

66,  80,  82,  83  n.,  84,  180,  200,  201,  202, 

206,  215,  216,   218,  241,  242,  252-254, 

255,  256,  260,  267,  273,  277,  280,  282, 

283,  289,  294,  297,   300,  301,  302,  304 

2  p  2 


580 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  IV. 


and  n.,  305,  327,  336  and  n.,  337,  338, 
339,  343,  345,  351,  380,  381,  387,  389, 
414,  444  n.,  447,  4U5,  475,  491,  495,  497, 
499,  500,  506,  510,  547,  548,  550,  553. 
555,  550,  557,  558 

Bretel,  Capt.  J.  F.  I.,  451 

Bretomiiere,  Capt.  Ln,  "24 

Brett,  Admiral  Sir  Piercy  (1),  120,  130, 
181 

Briarly,  Master  Alexander,  433,  441  and  n. 

Bricole,  113 

Bridges,  Capt.  Kichard,  418,  454  n. 

Bridgetown,  Barbados,  213,  247 

Bridgewater,  569,  570 

Bridgmau,  Jlidsiiipinan  Thomas,  416  n. 

Bridport,   Admiral    Sir   Alexander   Arthur 
Hood,  Lord,   95  n.,  107,  108,  169,  171, 
181,  191,  198,  226,  239,  240,  259,  260 
266,  267,  283,  300  n.,  302,  304.  305,  335, 
336,  345,  379.  380,  381,  388,  414,  553 

Briel,  67-09 

Briggs,  Admiral  Sir  Thomas,  449 

Briggs,  Capt.  Joseph,  518  n. 

Brigliton,  550 

Brifihton,  549 

BHUiant,  174  and  n.,  424,  512 

Brindisi,  452 

Brine,  Admiral  James,  194,  251 

Bris.ic,  Capt.  George,  111,  475 

Brisbane,  R.-Ad.  Sir  Charles,  245,  269  n., 
274  n.,  295  n.,  494,  539,  556 

Brisbane,  Capit.  Sir  James,  430 

Brisbane,  Admiral  John,  6,  109,  113,  191 

Brisbane,  Com.  John  Douglas,  77,  112 

Bristol,  10,  506 

Bristol,  y.-Ad.  the  Hon.  Augustus  John 
Hervey,  Earl  of,  182  and  n. 

Bristol,  24,  57,  58 

Bristow,  Midshipman  William,  446  n. 

Britannia,  112,  203  n.,  246,  209  n.,  272, 
274  n.,  309  n.,  310,  483  n. 

Britaimy,  22,  494,  495 

British  losses,  1775-83,  109-112 

British  ofticers  in  I'oreigu  services,  378  and 
n. 

Briton,  106 

"  Britons,  strike  home,"  460 

Broadside  weight  of  metal  thrown  by  British 
and  French  ships  of  the  line  in  1703, 
200 ;  in  Hotham's  action  off  Genoa,  272 ; 
at  the  Nile,  370. 

Brock,  Colonel  Isaac,  428 

Brodie,  Com.  Joseph,  326 

Broederschap,  409,  559 

Bromedge,  Capt.  Hugh,  109 

Bronte,  The  Duchy  of,  400 

Brougbton,  C.ipt.  William  Robert,  145  and 
n.,  146,  147,  549,  502-564,  571 

Brougbton  .Vrchipelago,  146 

Browell,  Capt.  William,  260  n.,  389  n. 

Brown,  Lieut.  Alexander,  158 

Brown,  V.  S.  N.,  Capt. ,  113 

Brown  (Russian  Navy),  Capt.,  279  n. 


Brown,  Admiral  John,  32, 110,  193,  247  n. 

Brown,  Jlidshipman  Andrew,  369 

Brown,  Master  of  the  Anihuscwh,  Mr.,  51& 

n. 
Brown,  Com.  William  (2),  341  n. 
Brown,  the  botanist,  Robert,  568 
Brown,  Major,  282 
Brown,  Capt.  William  (1),  198  n.,  217,  226, 

391 
Browne,  Capt.  Edward,  203  n.,  247  n. 
Browne.  Com.  Joseph,  01,  111 
Bruce,  Major-General,  214 
Brueys,  V.-Ad.  F.  P.,  324,   353,   356-370- 

and  n.,  371 
Bruges  Can.al,  341,  342 
Bruillac,  Capt.  A.  A.  M.,  509 
Bruis,  V.-Ad.  Eustache  de,  256,  380  and  n.,. 

381-388,  389,  390 
Brule  Gtieule,  557 
Brune,  114,  375,  390,  494,  556 
Brune,  General,  411,  412 
Brunswic/c,  226,  232,  233,  234,  235,  255  n., 

257 
Brutality  in  the  Navy,  102,  103,  104,  105, 

145, 159 
Brutus,  326,  328  n.,  485,  494,  501  and  n., 

554 
Bryer,  Com.  Wyndham,  247  n. 

Bryer,  Lieut.  W ,  550 

Bryne,  Capt.  Henry,  111 
Buchanan,  Capt.  John  (1),  519 
Buchanan,  Capt.  William,  454  n. 

Buckley,  l\Iaster ,  557 

Buckner,  Admiral   Charles,  172,  173,  176, 

192 
Buffalo,  47  n. 
Buget,  General,  416 
liuUdog,  197  n.,  203  n.,  247  n.,  293,  390, 

391,  400,  401,  402,  539,  542,  551,  558, 

560 
Bullen,  Admiral  Joseph,  245 
Bullen,  Admiral  Sir  Charles,  330  n. 
Buller,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Edward,  295  n. 
Bulteel,  V.-Ad.  Rowley,  408  n.,  532,  557 
Bunker's  Hill,  Buttle  of,  3 
Burdett,  Capt.  George,  309  n. 
Burdon,  Com.  George,  11,  12,  109 
Burdwood,  Lieut.  Daniel,  335 
Burges,   Capt.   Richard   Rmidle,   240,  278, 

326,  331 

Burgess,  Lieut.  D ,  341  n. 

Buritou,  R.-Ad.  Sir  George,  390,  449,  490, 

553  (2) 
Burke,  Cora.  Henr.v,  557 
Burke,  Lieut.  Walter,  540  n. 
Burn,  Com.  John  (1),  454  n.,  455 
Burnabv,  V.-Ad.  Sir  William,  14 
Burney^  Capt.  James  (1),  122,  130  and  n., 

138  and  n. 
Bvu'idiam  Thorpe,  373 
Buoys,  175,  409,  429 
Burr,  Capt.  John,  4 
Bursledon,  154 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


581 


Tiurrowes,  Capt.  Alexander  Saunderson,  558 

Burrows,  Lieut.  John,  289 

T^ury  {formerly  Incledou),  V.-Ad.  liichard 

Incledou,  247  n.,  249 
Bushby,  Capt.  John,  -102 
Butchart,  Capt.  John,  94,  112,  115 
Butt,  Com.  Henry  Samuel,  531  n.,  550 
Butterfield,  R.-Ad.  William,  337,  513,  556 
Byard,  Cajit.  Sir  Thomas,  203  n.,  326,  346 
Bylandt,  E.-Ad.  van,  47 
Byng  {later  A'iscount   Toirington),  V.-Ad. 

George  (2),  555 
Byron,  Capt.  Georae  Anson  (1),  114 
Byron,  V.-Ad.  the  Hon.  John,  1,  118,  119, 

129,  138,  571 
Byron,  the  poet.  Lord,  119 

€abareta  Point,  459,  461,  462,  466,  467 

Cabbase  Hill,  186 
Cabot,  4  and  n.,  25,  113 

Cacho]io  phoal,  305 

Cadir  Be}',  Admiral,  375 

€adiz,  68,  278,  283,  286,  290,  305,  306, 
311,  320,  351,  354,  356  n.,  373,  377,  381, 
382  and  n.,  383,  384,  387,  415,  425,  447, 
448  n.,  449,  454,  458,  459,  460,  465,  466, 
468,  -569,  504,  505,  507,  531,  560,  561 

Cadman,  Capt.  George,  116 

■Cadogan,  C!apt.  the  Hon.  Thomas,  53,  112 

Caen  Road,  340 

Cxsar,  167  n.,  222,  224  and  n.,  22G,  228, 
229,  240,  351,  387  n.,  460,  461,  462,  463, 
464  and  n.,  4G5,  466  and  n.,  467,  468, 
469 

•Cffisarea,  404 

Cagliari,  353,  389,  552 

Ca  Ira,  204  n.  270,  271,  272  and  n.,  549, 
553  (2) 

Caird,  Master  David,  228 

Oairo,  400,  404,  456,  457,  458 

Calais,  47,  112 

Calcutta,  377  n.,  529 

Calcutta,  551  n. 

Calder,  Admiral  Sir  Robert,  194,  237  n., 
309  n.,  320,  449 

Caldwell,  Lieut.  John,  417 

Caldwell,  Admiral  Benjamin,  166,  192,  226, 
250,  291 

Calicut,  58 

California,  147,  148,  149 

Calliope,  507,  555 

Calmady  {formerly  Everitt),  Admiral 
Charles  Holmes  Everitt,  24, 110,  112, 11,4, 
193 

Calpe,  459,  464  and  n.,  466  n.,  468,  534 

Galium  Hill,  186 

Calvi,  212,  245,  246,  553 

Calypso,  176,  528,  557 

Camaret  Bay,  253,  539 

Cambaceres,  Jean  Jacques  Regis  de,  413 

Cambrian,  557 

Cambon,  Capt.,  357 

Came,  Lieut.  Charles,  548 


Camel,  7,  8,  47  n.,  203  n.,  290,  524 
Cameleo/i,  58,  73,  74,  111,  116,  416,  454  n., 

455 
Camelford,  Com.  Thomas  Pitt,  Lord,  145 

and  n. 
Camilla,  28,  48 
Cami)bell,  Admiral   Sir   George,   181,  195, 

^  203  n.,  269  n.,  274  n.,  381,  552 
Campbell,  Mr.  John.  Nelson's  secrctarv,  369 
:  Campbell,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Patrick  (1),  53l",  557 
Campbell,  Capt.  Robert  (1),  178  and  n.,  179, 

209  n. 
Campeohe,  379 
Camperdown,  Battle  of,  176,  183,  325-333, 

378,  559 
Camperdown,  330,  559 
Campliaan,  413,  559 

Campo  Foi-mio,  Treaty  of,  324  and  n.,  352 
Canada,  64  and  n.,  72, 86,  88,  115,  241,  242, 
346,  347  and  n.,  348,  349,  387  n.,  414. 
509 
Canary  Islands,  508 
Cancaie  Bay,  25,  114,  201,  225,  23S 
Candia,  355,  356,  514 
Canes,  Cora.  Edward  Jekyll,  404  n.,  551 
Canete,  Mendoza,  Marquis  de,  132 
Canon,  Ca|it.  A.,  491,  508 
Canopus,  Battle  of,  456 
Canopan,  154,  372,  373  n.,  555 
Cdntahro,  561 
Canton,  563,  570 
Cape  Bon,  405 
Cape  Bona,  548 
Cape  Brelon  Island,  71 
Cai:ie  Carbonara,  356  n. 
Cape  Circumcision,  130 
Cape  Clear,  381,  499,  548,  552,  554 
Cape  Coast  Castle,  79  n. 
Cape  Cod,  110 
Cape  Corrientes,  148 

Cape  Corse,  268,  274,  287,  353,  354,  356  n. 
Cape  de  Creus,  384 
Cape  de  Gata,  286,  448,  560 
Cape  del  Melle,  274 
Cajie  Donna  Maria,  251 
Cape  Durazzo,  356  and  n. 
Cape  Farina,  549 
Cape  Fear  River,  61 
Cape  Finisterre,  216,  387,  448,  476,  483  n., 

526,  554,  560 
Cape  Franfois,  249,  294,  334,  378,  528  n., 

550 
Cape  Frehel,  554,  557 
Cape  Gallo,  355 

Cape  Henry,  72,  109,  115,  492,  502 
Cape  Horn,  125,  127.  131,  132,  133 
Cape  Matapan,  279 
Cape  Mola,  273,  385 
Cape  Nicolas  Mole,  251,  378 
Cape  Noli,  269 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  76,  103, 105,  106,  107, 

109,  114,   118,  119,  121,  129,  130,  131, 

137,  138,  143,  145,  165,  179,  280,  281, 


582 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


283  n.,  29-1,  2!i5,  296,  335,  336,  352,  379, 

405,  -114,  472,  556,  558 
Cape  Ortegal,  53,  387,  526,  536,  551 
Cape  Passaro,  355,  356  n. 
Cape  Pilar,  119,  120 
Cape  Roxo,  335 
Cape  Koux,  27G  and  n. 
Cape  Sau  Lucas,  148 
Cape  Sicie,  352,  356  n.,  385 
Cape  Spartel,  319,  448 
Cape  St,  Vincent,  51,  278, 288,  304  n.,  305- 

319,  388,  548,  560 
Cape  Three  Points,  69 
Cape  Town,  281 
Caije  Virgins,  118,  120 
Capell  ((//•   Capel),    Admiral   the   Hon.  Sir 

Thomas  Bladen,   372   and  n.,  373,  516, 

551 
Capellen,  R.-Ad.  T.  F.  van,  410  and  n. 
Capitol,  at  Rome,  The,  399 
Capraia,  244,  415,  416 
Capri,  390 

Capricieuse,  53,  99,  114,  557 
Captain,  203  n.,  213,  269  n.,  270,  271,  272, 

274  n.,  276,  285,  287,  288,  290,  309  n., 

311-317,  384,  385,  414,  415,  424 
Captains,  157,  182,  183,  186,  187,  188 
Captains  of  the  Fleet,  or   First  Captains, 

203  n.,  429,  431,  435,  454  n. 
Captains'  letters,  Untrustworthiness  of,  95 
Captures,  109-116,  548-561 
Capua,  389,  399  and  n. 
Caracciolo,  Commod.  Prince  Francesco,  269 

n.,  396  and  n.,  397  and  n.,  398 
Carawang  River,  560 
Carcass,  13(> 

Carden,  R.-Ad.  John  Surman,  351  and  n. 
Carew  {formerly  Hallowell),  Admiral    Sir 

Benjamin    Hallowell,   203   n.,  210,   244, 

245,  269  n.,  271,  274  n.,  289,  321  n.,  357, 

363,  377,  390,  401,  453,  454  u.,  530,  549, 

551,  556 
Cariacou,  47,  333 
Carical,  214 
Caribe  River,  517 
Caribs,  The,  494 
Carkett,  Capt.  Robert,  111 
Carlisle  Bay,  Barbados,  292 
Garlotta,  466  n.,  468 
Carlyon,  Capt.  William,  109 
Carmagnole,  480  n.,  481,  531,  553 
Carmen,  531,  561 
Carnatic,  165 
Carolina,  110 
Caroline,  550,  552,  554 
Caroline  Island,  563 
Carpentaria,  Gulf  of,  568,  569 
Carpenter,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Charles,  203  n., 

492  n.i  554 
Carpenter,  Admiral  James,  247  n.,  280,  530 
Carpenters,  15(!,  188 
Carpentier,  Lieut.  J.  M.  M.,  498 
Carrington,  Boatswain ,  317 


Carrh-e,  375,  404,  450,  451,  558 

Carrickfergus,  11,  12 

Carronades,  23,  55  and  n.,  69,  71,  73,  80, 

85,  96  and  n.,  98,  154,  178,  341  n.,  440,. 

497,  498,  501  and  n.,  503,  534,  536,  544 
Cartagena,  South  America,  551 
Cartagena,  Spain,  283,  286,  289,  305,  306, 

384,  385,  386,  415,  449,  504,  505,  511, 

560 
Cartaus,  General,  205,  206 
Carteret,  Com.  Peter,  7,  8  ■ 
Carteret,  R.-Ad.  Philip  (2),  120-122,  571 
Carteret  Bay,  492 

Carthngenaise,  374  and  n.,  423,  557 
Carthew,  Admiral  James,  531  n.,  550 
Carthew,  Captain  William,  335,  560 
Carysfort,  161,  485,  553,  554 
Casa  Bianca,  Capt.  Lucien,  Comte  de,  339  , 

357,  366,  370  and  n. 
Casalta,  General,  288 
Cassard,  298  n. 
Casteggio,  418 

Castel  del'  Uovo,  391,  392,  39.3,  396,  398 
Castel  Kuovo,  391,  393,  394,  396,  39S 
Castel  St.  Elmo,  391,  393,  394,  399 
Castellamare,  391 
Castillo  Viejo,  49 
Castor,  67  and  n.,  68,  69,  111,  116,  161, 

203  u.,  217,  277,  281,  295  n.,  485,  548, 

553,  559 

Cathcart  (Mass.  Navy),  Capt. ;  113 

Cathcart,  Capt.  Robert,  370  n. 

Cato,  112,  569, 570 

Caton,  87,  88,  114 

Caulfeild,  Capt.  Thomas  Gordon,  377  n. 

Causse,  356  n.,  375,  458,  558 

Cavalr\-  captures  a  squadron,  279  n. 

Cavan,  Major-General  Richard,  7th  Earl  of, 

455 
Cawley,  Com.  John,  562 
Cawsand  Bav,  239,  345 
Cayenne,  509,  513,  516,  536 
Caylev,  Capt.  George  William,  333  n.,  412 
Celery,  Wild,  128 
Censeur,  204  n.,  270,  271,  272,  278,  286, 

291,  382  n.,  387  n.,  548,  553 
Centaur,  47  n.,  86,  88,  89,  112,  177,  377  n., 

384,  385,  560 
Centaure,  203  n.,  552 
Central  America,  49 
Centurion,  93, 197  n.,  281,  282,  294  n.,  405, 

424  n.,  484,  487,  488,  560 
Cephalonia,  324 
Cerbere,  532,  557 
Cerberxis,  62  and  n.,  79,  99,  109,  112,  115, 

326,  410,  491,  526.  527,  553,  555,  559 
Ceres,  10,  22,  110,  113,  247  n.,  248,  293. 

505,  506,  526 
Ceres,  114 
Cerf,  34,  35,  530 
Cerf  Volant,  554 
Cerigo,  510,  555 
Certificates,  false,  160-161 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  IV. 


583 


Cesar,  17  and  n.,  18,  911,  109,  11-i 

Ceuta,  67,  116 

Ceylon,  85,  282,  29-1,  472,  551 

Chabot,  General,  375  and  n. 

Chalnour,  83  n. 

Chamberlayne,  Admiral  Charles,  193,  274  n. 

Champain,  Capt.  AVilliam,  517 

Champion,  69  and  n.,  174  n.,  341  n.,  449, 
558 

Chance,  551,  5C)1 

Cbandernagore,  214,  472 

Channel,  The,  4,  8,  9,  10,  27,29,  31,  39,  52, 
59,  60,  63,  70,  72,  110,  HI,  112,  113, 
114,  115,  143,  198,  215,  239,  255,  267, 
278,  305,  337,  339,  344,  447,  477,  490, 
498,  547,  549,  550,  552,  553,  556,  557, 
558  561 

Channel  Fleet,  The,  168-172,  200,  215-240, 
252,  260,  2f3,  304,  305,  335,  336,  345, 
379,  380,  386,  387,  414,  447,  449 

Channel  Islands,  The,  479,  483,  485 

Cha])lams,  188 

Chapman,  Swedish  naval  architect,  Frede- 
rick af,  339 

Chapman,  Com.  Patrick,  331 

Chapman,  Master  William,  562 

Charente,  298  n.,  509,  556 

Charles  Emmanuel,  King  of  Sardinia,  375, 
389 

Charhston,  48  n.  66,  71  and  n.,  72,  113  n. 

Charleston,  S.  Carolina,  48  and  n.,  49,  61, 
74,  75,  109,  110,  113,  482 

Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  3 

Charleton,  Capt.  William,  198  n. 

Charlotte,  528  n.,  550,  557,  565  n. 

Charlotte  Amalie,  431  u.,  561 

Chnrmante,  19,  49,  50 

Charmiitij  Molly,  551 

Charnock,  quoted,  7  n.,  15 

Charon,  44,  45,  56,  75,  111,  198  n.,  226,  200 
n.,  418,  454  n. 

Charts,  361 

Chase,  a  general,  219,  227,  231,  201,  270, 
275,  346 

Chaser,  11,  112 

Chasseur,  115 

Chatham,  151,  152,  154,  185  n.,  566 

Chatham,  46,  61,  74,  114,  145-149,  562  ^ 

Chatham  Island,  145 

Chatham,  John,  Earl  of,  150 

Cheese,  170 

Cheeseman,  Lieut.  Richard,  464 

Chelsea,  186 

Cherbourg,  338,  339,  340,  343,  479,  483  n., 
552 

Cheri,  555 

C'nesapeake  Eiver  and  Bay,  61,  02,  72,  75, 
93,  111,  113,  490,  553 

Chesapeake,  20 

Chevrette,  539,  540,  558 

Chichester,  553 

Chiffonne,  541,  558 

Child,  Admiral  Smith,  194 


Childers,  381, 383, 388  n.,  475,  512,  554  (2), 

556 
Chile,  Coast  of,  118, 148 
Chilleau,  Captain  Yicomte  Du,  50 
China,  549,  562,  570 
Choc  Bay,  St.  Lucia,  293 
Chosan  (or  Chusan),  564 
Christian,  Capt.  Brabazon,  32 
Christian,  Lieut,  (actg.)  Fletcher,  102,  103, 

104,  106 
Christian,  R.-Ad.  Sir  Hugh  Cloberry,  152, 

193,  267,  291-293,  335,  336 
Christie,    Capt.    Alexander,    76,    77,    112, 

247  n. 
Christi-Pailliere,  Capt.  J.  A.  C,  447  n.,  459 

and  n.,  460  n. 
Christmas  Harbour,  138 
Christmas  Sound,  133 
Christ's  Hospital,  144 
Chronometers,  124,  130,  133,  138,  502,  563 
Church,  Capt.  Stephen  George,  502 
Church,  Lieut.  Thomas,  468 
Cigogne,  495 

Cillart,  Capt.  de  Villeneuve,  69 
Circe,  325,  326,  341  n.,  408  n.,  409,  479, 

482,  552,  559 
Circumnavigation,  Byron's,  117 
Cisalpine  Republic,  418 
Citoyenne  Frangaise,  475,  476 
Ciudadella,  378 

Civil  History  of  the  Royal  Navy,  150 
Civita  A'ecchia,  353,  354,  350  n.,  399 
Clarence,   Duke  of  (later  William  IV.),  see 

William     Heury,     Duke     of     Clarence, 

Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Priuce 
Claris,  Captain  Jacob,  295  n. 
Clark,  Capf,  Charles,  129,  138-143 
Clark,  Capt.  James,  112 
Clark,  Capt.  William  (1),  280  n.,  502 
Clarke,  General  Aimed,  281 
Clarke,  Capt.  George,  373  n. 
Clarke,  Lieut.  Thomas,  248 
Clav,  R.-Ad.  Edward  Sneyd,  331,  430 
Cle^liness,  128,  129,  134 
Cleopatra,  538,  554 
Cleoputre,  470,  477,  478,  543,  552 
Clerks  of  the  Acts,  15 1 
Clermont,  Colonel  Prosper  de,  214 
Clesmeur,  Capt.  de,  94 
Clinton,  Colonel,  470 
Clinton,  General  Sir  H.,  48 
Clothing  for  prisoners  of  war,  185 
Clyde,  523,  556,  561 
Coastguard,  Tne,  186 
Cobb,  R.-Ad.  Charles,  408  n. 
Coburg,  408  and  n. 
Cocarde,  255  n.,  298  n.,  300,  301 
Cochin,  282 
Cochrane,   Lord:   see  Dundonald,  Admiral 

Lonl 
Cochrane,  Admiral  the  Hon.  Sir  Alexander 

Forester  Inglis,  389  n.,  414,  424  n.,  454 

n.,  455,  457,  492 


584 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  JV. 


Cochrane,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Thoiiias 

John,  IGO  n. 
Cockbum,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  George, 

2G0  11.,  274  n.,  284,  aOT,  aOO  n.,  311),  321 

n.,  450,  451,  505 
Cock-cha/er,  551 
Cocos  Island,  148 

C'odrington,  Admiral  Sir  Edward,  260  n. 
Codringtoii,  quoted,  224  n.,  225  n. 
Coffin,  K.-Ad.  Francis  Holmes,  296 
Coffin,  Admiral  Sir  Isaac,  152 
Coahlan,  Capt.  Jeremiah,  532  and  n.,  557 
Colby,  Capt.  David,  348,  349,  454  n. 
Cole,  Capt.  Sir  Christopher,  413 
Cole,  Ca;it.  Francis,  260  n.,  299,  485,  495 
Colins,  Capt.  Henrv,  110 
Collard,  H.-Ad.  Valentine,  309  n.,  453,  454 

n.,  549 
Collier,  Midshipman  John,  321 
Collier,  A'.-Ad.  Sir  George,  6,  26,  28,  29,  64, 

113,  115,  192 
Collier,  Capt.  Sir  George  Ralph,  541,  558 
Colliers,  used  In-  Cook,  124,  129 
Collingwood,  Capt.  Fiancis,  293 
Collingwood,  Y.-Ad.   Cuthbert,  Lord,  111, 

194,  226,  309  n.,  313,  314  and  n..  318. 

387  n. 
Collins,  Lieut.  Francis  (1),  456 
Collins,  Capt.  Sir  John  (1),  48,  90,  115,  203 

n. 
Collins,  Lieut.  John  (2),  321,  369 
Collis,  Corn.  William,  309  u. 
Collot,  General,  249 
Colnett,  Capt.  James,  549 
Colombo,  294 

Colonels  of  Marines,  181,  182 
Colonial  Navies,   Losses  of  the  American, 

113 
Colossus.  203  n.,  237  n.,  260  n.,   261,  262, 

263,  264,  304  n.,  307,  309  n.,  311,  317, 

374,  550,  552 
Colpoys    ( formerly    Griffith),   V.-Ad.    Sir 

Edward  Griffith,  260  n.,  415 
Colpoys,  Admiral  Sir  John,  63,  169,  171, 

192",  240,  2(;0  n.,  265,  283,  297  and  n., 

300,  491,  553 
Columbia  Eiver,  147,  149 
Columbus,  4 

"  Come,  cheer  up,  my  lads,"  466 
Comet,  174  n.,  226,  274  n.,  531  n.,  550 
Comino,  353,  471 
Commanders,  157,  182,  186,  188 
Commands  of  Flag-officers,  288  n.,  379,  413 
Commendah,  69,  79  and  n. 
Commerce  of  Great  Britain,  198,  472,  473 
Commerce  de  Bordeaua;  204  n. 
Cotnmejxe  de  Marseille,  154,  204  n.,  552 
Commission  des  Cotes  de  La  Manche,  338 

339 
Commissioners  of  the  Navy,  150-152,  160 
Commissioners  of  Transpoit,  152 
Committees,  Kavy  Board,  151  n. 
Compas,  31,  114 


Comptou,  Com.  Henry,  284 

Comte  d'Artois,  56 
,  Concepciun,  309  n.,  561 

Concorde,  IS  and  n..  19,  23  n.,  27,  61,  94, 
115,  237  n.,  266  n.,  343,  351,  448,  449, 
476,  483,  484,  496,  497,  532,  .548,  552, 
557 

Conde  de  Henrique,  255  n. 

Conde  de  Beffla,  309  n  ,  310  n. 

Conduct  money,  157 

Confederacy,  63,  113 

Confederate,  63  and  n.,  65 

Confiance,  533 

Confiante,  843,  555 

Conflagration,  111,  203  n.,  210,  548 

Congalton,  Lieut.  Andrew,  549 

Congrejos  Piint,  Puerto  Rico,  334 

Congress  of  the  United  States,  10 

Congress,  23  n.,  24  n.,  75,  111,  113 

Conil  Bay,  507 

Conn,  Capt.  John,  430,  445 

Con'jnerant,  204  n.,  357,  361,  362,  364  and 
n.,  373  n.,  556 

Conrjuistador,  309  n. 

Conseil,  Cajit.,  488 

'  'onstancc,  506,  507,  555,  561 

Constantinople,  401  n.,  404,  406 

Cmistitutie,  409,  559 

Constitution,  298  n.,  377  n.,  447  n.,  452, 
453,  551,  554 

Consulate,  in  France,  The,  413 

Contest,  412,  550 
j  Contraband  of  war,  47,  166,  509 

Controllers  of  the  Navy,  150 
I  Controllers   of    the    Treasurer's    Accounts, 
!      151 

Controllers  of  the  Victualling  Accounts, 
151 

Controllers  of  the  Storekeeper's  Accounts, 
151 

Convention,  226,  254 

Convention  Xationale,  552 

Convention  Redoubt,  Corsica,  243 

Convert,  114.  548,  552 

Convoys,  7,  8.  11,  22,  25,  27,  29,  32,  35, 
46,  47,  49,  54,  55,  56,  61,  62,  66,  68,  76, 
81,  83,  86,  87,  91.  92,  101,  200,  202,  215, 
21i;,  217,  237,  239,  241,  2.55,  267,  278, 
280,  281,  284,  305,  377,  380,  387  n.,  419, 
426,  427,  451.  453,  459,  484,  486,  492, 
494,  495,  508,  509,  513,  526,  528,  529, 
530,  531,  535,  539,  547 

Conway,  Hon.  Hugh  Seymour:  see  Seymour, 
Lord  Hugh 

Conynscliam,  U.  S.  N.,  Master  Gustavus,  4, 
113^ 

Cook,  Capt.  Edward,  205,  509,  520,  521  and 
n.,  556 

Cook.  Capt.  James  (1),  123-135,  137-14.3, 
145,  562,  563,  564.  566,  568,  571 

Cook's  liay,  126 

Cook's  River,  139,  148 

CooktowTi,  1 28 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  1\ 


585 


€noke,  Capt.  John  (1),  226,  411,  415,  424, 

558 
€ooke,  Capt.  John  (2J,  334,  oOG,  555 
Cooper  Hiver,  49 
Coote,  General  Sir  Eyre,  341  and  n.,  455, 

457 
Copenhagen,  103  ii.,  107,  138,  184  n.,  427- 

440,  442,  561 
Coppering  ships,  52 
Coquette,  95.  115 

Vnquilh,  344,  346,  347,  348,  495,  556 
Corbett,  Capt.  Robert,  551 
Corcyre,  510,  555 

Cordova,  Adniiral  Don  Jose  de,  305-320 
Corea,  564 

Corfu,  324,  355,  375,  390,  516,  556 
Corio,  418 
Cork,  301  and  n.,   335,  379,  381,  413,  484, 

553 
Cormack,  Lieut.  Richard,  439 
Cormantyne,  79  n. 
Cormorant,  74,  84,  110,  111,  115,  293,  377 

n.,  549,  550,  554  (2),  560  (3) 
Curnelie,  522 
•Corueto,  399 

Cornic,  B.-Ad.,  238  and  n.,  239 
■Cornish,     {formerly     I'itchlbrd),    Admiral 

Samuel  I'itchlbrd,  107,  191,  198 
CornwaU,  111 
Cornwallis,  Admiral  the  Hon.  Sir  William, 

88,  182,  192,  198  and  n.,  214,  240,  241, 

255  and  n.,  256-200,  291  n. 
•Cornwallis,  General  Lord,  61 
CvrrnuaUis,  26,  112 
Coromundel,  377  n. 
Coron,  Gulf  of,  279,  355 
•Correjou,  513,  550 
(Jorsellis,  Lieut.  Ciesar,  551 
Corsica,  152,  212,  243-245,  268,  285,  286, 

287,  288,  307,  353,  354,  548,  557 
Curso,  558  (2),  560 
Cortez,  561 
Corunna,  560,  561 
Corvesse,  558 
Cosbv,  Admiral  Phillips,  48,  108,  191,  202, 

203  n. 
Cole  d'Ur,  215 

•Cotes,  Captain  James,  185,  480,  481,  548 
Cotijrave,  Capt.  Isaac,  226,  445,  440,  548 
Cottle  (Jlar.),  Lieut.  William,  348 
■Cotton,  Admiral  Sir  Charles,  194,  226,  255 

n.,  387  n. 
Cotton,  V.-Ad.  Rowland,  192 
Coude,  Capt.,  272  n. 
Coudin,  Capt.  J.  D.,  343,  532 
Councils  of  War,  208,  264,  287,  429 
Countess,  R.-Ad.  George,  226,  345,  346 
Countess  of  Scarborough,  35-39,  110 
Courageuse,  375,  386,  400,  556 
Courageux,  47  n.,  60,  114,  154,  160  n.,  203 

n.,  210,  212  and  n.,   269  n.,  271,  272, 

274  n.,  289,  424,  449,  549 
•Courand,  Capt.  Jean  Fran9ois,  226 


Coureur,  13,  15,  110,  114 
Coureuse,  491 

Courier,  488,  522,  553,  556 
Courier  National,  492,  553 

Couronne,  82  n.,  92  n.,  93,  204  n. 

Couitenav,  Capt.  George  William  Augustus, 
89,  478 

Courts-Martial,  7,  12  n.,  10  n.,  18  n.,  19  n., 
20  n.,  22  n.,  24  n.,  25  n.,  20  n.,  29  and  n., 
31  n.,  32  n.,  33  n.,  44  n.,  50  n.,  51  and  n., 
55  and  n.,  57  n.,  59  and  n.,  65  n.,  66  and 
n.,  08,  71  n.,  77  n.,  81  n.,  82,  83  n.,  80, 
89  n.,  95  and  n.,  90  and  n.,  102  n.,  105, 
100,  158,  159  and  n.,  107  and  n.,  172  n., 
176,  177,  180  and  n.,  181,  229,  240,  241, 
242,  246,  26:,  268,  291  n.,  292  n.,  303  n., 
319,  330  n.,  331  n.,  414  and  n.,  415  and 
n.,  453  and  n.,  465  and  n.,  486  n.,  488, 
491,  510,  510,  519,  543  n.,  563,  504 

Courts  of  Inquiry,  90 

Coutances,  25 
I  Coventry,  19,  77,  85,  112 

Cowley,  the  navigator,  118 

Cox,  Lieut.  Francis,  210 

Crache  Feu,  553 

Cracker,  560 

Cracraft,  Capt.  William  Edward,  233,  254, 
488,  548 

Cradoek,  Major-General,  455 

Craig,  Major,  01 

Craig,  Major-General,  281,  400 

(Ji^anstoun,  Capt.  James,  Lord,  255  n. 

Crash,  341  n.,  522,  550,  559 

Craven,  Capt.  Charles,  112 

Crawford,  Capt.  James  Coutts,  381 

Crawlev,  Admiral  Ednumd,  334  n. 

Creole,' Wi  n.,  448,  452,  453 

Crescent,  40,  66-69,  111,  295  and  n.,  295  n., 
296,  479,  485,  528,  543  n.,  545,  546,  552, 
557,  561 

Cresswell,  (Mar.)  Capt.  John,  369,  374 

Creyke,  Capt.  Richard  (1),  61 

Crillon,  Due  de,  74 

Criminals  in  the  Navy,  156,  530 

Criminals  landed  in  AVales,  French,  500 

Crispo,  Capt.  John,  454  n. 

Ci^oasdaile,  Lieut.  Thomas  Pearson,  551 

Crofton,  Com.  Ambrose,  550 

Croisic,  53 

Cromwell,  Henry  :  see  Frankland,  H.  C. 

Cronstadt,  442  " 

Crookhaven,  304  n. 

Crossley,  the  astronomer,  Mr.  John,  562, 
568  " 

Crown  Prince  of  Denmark,  The,  437,  438 

Crozet,  Capt.,  134 

Cruelle,  452,  454  n.,  455,  557 

Cruiser,  109,  430 

Cruisers  in  1796-97,  Stations  of,  546,  547 

Crul,  R.-Ad.  WiUem,  61 

Cuba,  58,  538,  550,  551 

Cuddalore,  94 

Cuervo,  561 


586 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Culhdcn,  111,  167,  168,  226,  231,  235,  240, 
241,  274  and  n.,  275,  276,  277,  279,  289, 
307,  309  n.,  310,  312,  313,  317,  322,  355, 
357,  361,  363  ami  n.,  370  and  n.,  371, 372, 
373,  374,  390,  400,  402,  420 

Culverlu'use,  Capt  John,  284,  454  n.,  505 

Cumherlauil,  274  and  u.,  275,  276,  277,  449, 
570,  571 

Cuming,  K.-Ad.  AVilliani,  430 

Gumming,  Admiral  James,  118,  192 

Cunningham,  Capt.  Charles,  203  n.,  213, 
523,  556,  561 

Cupid,  109 

Curacoa,  425,  472 

Curieuse,  IC,  553,  557 

Curieux,  149  n.,  536,  552 

Curlew,  549 

Curry,  Y.-Ad.  Richard,  454  n.,  457 

Curtis,  Admiral  Sir  Roger,  182,  193,  226, 
228  n.,  239,  283,  297,  304,  336,  354,  379, 
414. 

Curzon,  Admiral  the  Hon.  Heurv,  197  n., 
237  n.,  388  n.,  424,  549 

Cuthhert,  Capt.  Rohert,  369,  370  n.,  381 

Ciittin^-out  Expedition.s,  321  n.,  334  n.,  335, 
376,"  406,  417,  44.5,  446,  488,  492,  496, 
510,  513,  522,  527,  528,  531,  532,  533, 
534,  535,  538,  539,  540,  555,  556,  557, 
558,  561 

C7jhele,  214,  487,  488,  502 

Cyclops,  92,  115,  274  n.,  279,  415,  454  n. 

Ci/gne,  554 

Cynthia,  415,  424,  454  n.,  457 

Cyprus,  404  n.,  455 

Dacres,  Capt.  Barrington,  551 

Dacres,  V.-Ad.  James  Richard  (1),  10,  22, 

110,  195,  251,  260  n.,  309  n. 
Dacres,  Y.-Ad.  Richard,  554 
Da-dahis,  146,  147,  304  n.,  405,  406,  519, 

520,  555,  556,  560 
Dacndels,  Lieut.-Geiieral,  409 
Dalbarade,  Capt.  S.  (2),  357,  370 
Dale,  U.S.N.,  Lieut,  Richard,  73 
Dallia,  John,  51 
Dalrvmple,  the   Hydrographer,  Alexander, 

128,  130,  134,  152,  186,  187,  568 
Dalryraple,  Capt.  Hugh,  109 
Dalrvmple,  Capt.  James,  454  n. 
Dalrymiile,  Admiral  John,  191 
Dame  de  Grace,  402  n.,  522,  550,  556 
Dauierell,  Master  Heurv,  422  u. 
Damietta,  400,  402,  406,  556 
Dampier,  the  navigator,  122 
Dana'e,  180,  513,  530,  550,  556  (2),  557 
Danae,  25,  114 

Dangereuse,  402  n.,  454  n.,  455,  556 
Dangerous  Archipelago,  119 
Daniel,  Lieut.  Robert  Savage,  369,  370  n. 
Danish  losses,  561 
Dankbuarheid,  70 
Danmark,  431  n. 
Danuehrog,  431  n.,  433  n.,  436  n.,  439,  561 


Daphne,  254,  412,  488,  548 
Daphne,  326,  328  and  n.,  509,  554 
Darby,  Admiral  Sir  Henry  d'Esterre,  357, 

368,  369,  391,  460,  466  n. 
Darby,  Y.-Ad.  tieorge,  64,  65,  66 
Dardanelles,  The,  279 
D^rt,  341  n.,  342,  430,  432,  439,  531,  557, 

560 
Hart  mouth,  88 

Daslnvood,  Y.-Ad.  Sir  Charles,  510 
Daujjhiii,  115 
Dauphin  lioyul,  204  n. 
Davers,  Capt.  Charles  Sydney,  333  n.,  554 
Davies,  the  mutineer,  176 
Davies,  Capt.  Henry,  109 
Davies,  Master's  Mate  William,  369 
Davis,  Lieut.  Lewis,  522,  550 
Davis,  Com.  Matthew,  112 
Davis,  the  buccaneer,  Edward,  122 
Davis  Strait,  137 
Davis's  Laud,  122,  127,  132 
Davison,  Nelson's  agent,  Mr.  Alexander,  183 
Dawes,  Lieut.  Richard,  228 
Dawson,  Capt.  George,  17,  48,  72,  75,  111 

Dawson,  Lieut.  T ,  326 

Deal,  186,  446 

Deal  Castle,  58,  111 

Deal  Hospital,  187 

Deane,  80,  112 

Deans,  Admiral  Robert  (1),  111,  194 

Deatli  Penaltv.  the.  50  and  n.,  106,   167, 

17(i,  177-n9,  ISO,  241,  287 
Debusk,  Lieut.  William,  376,  556 
Decade,  516,  556 

Decaen,  governor  of  Mauritius,  571  and  n. 
Decasse,  Capt.,  492 
De  Cerf,  Com.  C,  295  n. 
Dedus,  504,  554 
De  Courcy,  Admiral  Hon.  Michael  (1),  346, 

414,  516 
Decouverte,  555 
Decres,  R.-Ad.  Denis,  339,  357,  372,  374, 

419,  420-422 
Dedaigneuse,  19,  536,  542,  557 
De  Falck,  Com.  G.  A.,  295  n. 
Defence,  29,  168   u.,   180,  202,   226,   227, 

228,  230,  231,  274  and  n.,  276,  27.',  357, 

361,  364,  365,  367,  369  n.,  384  n.,  431, 

435  n.,  437,  557 
Defender,  560 
Defiance,  48,  110,   116,  168  n.,  384,   428,. 

430,  432  n.,  433,  435,  436,  437,  438,  439, 

440 
Diiyo,  374  and  n.,  423,  557 
De  Jong,  Capt  C,  410 
De  Jonge,  quoted,  61  n. 
Delafons,  Com.  John,  430 
Dehmoe,  Com.  George  Augustus,  175  n. 
Delaware,  113 
Delaware,  River  and  Bay,  13,  16,  72,  80, 

89,  91,  113,  115,  549 
Delegates  of  the   lleet ;  at   Spithead,   168- 

171;  at  the  Nore,  172-176 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  IV. 


587 


Delft,  326,  .3L'9  c,  330,  331,  u5il  (2) 

Delight,  01,  111 

Delorme,  Captain,  49'2 

Demerara,  62,  63,  112,  2!>1,  472,  558 

Deniau,  Captain  Fran9ois  A.,  479 

Denmark,  200,  426  et  sea.,  470,  472,  529, 

538 
Deptford,  124,  154,  187 
Deputy  Controllers  of  the  Navy,  151 
De  Ruijter,  410,  559 
Desaix,  General,  353,  406 
Desaix,  447  n.,  450,  459  and  n.,  462,  463, 

466  n. 
Deserters,  73,  103,  157,  172 
Desgarceaux,  Commod.,  483 
Desirade,  280,  488 
Desiree,  430,  433,  434,  438,  439,  440,  531, 

532,  555,  557 
Desmartis,  Capt.,  226 
Destin,  203  n.,  552 
Determinee,  558 
Deux  Amis,  550 
Deux  Freres,  402  n.,  556 
Devaux,  Brigadier-General,  459 
Deviation  caused  by  iron  in  ships,  571 
Devonsliire,  Capt.  Sir  John  Ferris,  430 
De    Winter,    V.-Ad.    J.    W.,  (Graaf    van 

Huessen),  326-331 
Diadem,  203  n.,  269  n.,  272,  274  n.,  279, 

284,  309  n.,  311,  314,  321,  415 
Diamond,  252-254,  340,  415,  454  n.,  486, 

487,  492,  493,  495,  496,  554  (2),  555, 
561 

Diana,  3,  422,  486,  526 

Diane,  25,  357,  368  and  n.,  374,  422,  557 

Dick,  Capt.  Thomas,  557 

Dick,  Admiral  John,  454  n. 

Dickinson,  Com.  Francis,  446  u. 

Dickson,  Admiral  Sir  Archibald  (1),  192, 

203  n.,  243,  427 
Dickson,  E.-Ad.  Sir  Archibald  CoUins^wood, 

408  n.,  431 
Dickson,  Midshijmian  Charles,  416  n. 
Dickson,  V.-Ad.  Edward   Stirling,  333   n., 

517 
Dickson,  Admiral  William,  192 
Didateur,  204  n.,  552 
Dictator,  454  n. 

Dido,  203  n.,  246,  454  n.,  492,  493,  553  (2) 
Dieppe,  114 
Digbv,  Admii-al  Sir  Henry,  377  n.,  391,  525, 

555,  560 
Digby,  Admiral  the  Hon.  Robert,  49,  72, 

114,  191 
Diligence,  551 

Diligent,  3,  26  and  n.,  109,  110,  113,  326 
Diligente,  57,  72,  115,  213,  557  (2) 
Dilkes,  Admiral  John,  431 
Diomede,  91  and  n.,  113,  154,  282,  487, 

488,  548 

Director,  174  n.,  175,  326 
Directory,  The  French,  343,  352,  404,  413, 
510 


Discipline,  naval,  167-181,  184,  199 

Discovery,   137-143,  145-149,  175  n.,  430 

Disease,  49,  129 

Disjxitch,  109 

Dives  Eiver,  343 

Dix  Aout,  447  n.,  452,  453 

Dixon,  Capt.  Charles,  95 

Dixon,  Capt.  John  William   Taylor,  431, 

549 
Dixon,  Admiral  Sir  Manley,  177  n.,  376, 

390,  418,  420,  421,  4v:2,  449,  450,  oil, 

556,  500 
Dobbie,  Capt.  William  Hugh  (1)  294  n.,  560 
Dobree,  Capt.  Daniel,  89  n.,  110 
Dockyards,  Commissioners  at  H.  M.,  151, 

152 
Dockyards,  The  Royal,  187 
Dod,  Admiral  Edmund,  115,  194,  198  n. 
Doggersbank,  Battle  of  the,  116 
Dolce,  Gulf  of,  45 
Dolfijn,  559 
Dolly,  260  n. 
Dolores,  115 
Dolphin,  9,  113,  117,  119-121,  129,  138, 

203  n.,  377  n.,  454  u.,  559 
Domett,  Admiral  Sir  William,  197  n.,  226, 

260  n.,  389  n.,  429,  431 
Dominica,  280,  549 
Dondoux,  Capt.,  494 
Donegal,  348,556 
Donegal,  Coast  of,  345 
Doniugton,  565,  508 
Donnelly,  Admiral  Sir  Ross,  558 
Dordelin,  jr.,  Capt.  L.  A.,  447  a. 
Dordrecht,  07  n.,  295  n.,  559 
Doris,  302,  345,  348,  415,  500,  539,554(2), 

555,  558 
Dortrecht,  559 
Douamenez,  336  n. 
Douglas,  Capt.  Sir  Andrew  Snape,  74,  114, 

226,  260  n.,  552 
Douglas,  Lieut.  Archibald,  179  n.,  334  n. 
Douglas,  Admiral  Billy,  195,  280  n.,  295  n. 
Douglas,  Admiral  James  (2),  195,  274  n. 
Douglas,  Com.  John  (2),  324 
Douglas,  Admiral  John  Leigh,  194 
Douglas  (Mar.),  Major  John,  402 
Douglas,  Capt.  Stair  (1),  25,  110 
Douglas,  Com.  William  Henry  (2),  331 
Douville,  Capt.,  226 
Dover,  164 
Docer,  560 

Dcpwn,  E.-Ad.  Edward  Augustus,  317 
Downman,  Admiral  Hugh,  416,  509 
Downs,   The,  46,   76,   118,  119,  106,  336, 

379,  408,  413,  426,  427,  444,  445 
Doyle,  Major-Geueral,  267 
Draak,  524,  559 

Dragon,  381,  387  n.,  449,  452,  557 
Drake,  Sir  Francis,  139 
Drake,  }!.-Ad.  Sir  Francis  Samuel,  48 
Drake,  Com.  Francis  Thomas,  111 
Drake,  11,  12  and  n.,  13,  95,  109,  334 


-588 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Draper,  Capt.  John  (2),  260  n. 

Dreadnought,  154 

Drew,  Com.  James,  549 

Drew,  Capt.  John  (1),  197  n.,  21;! 

Drew,  Capt.  John  (2),  555 

Drill,  Gulf  of,  .124 

Drink  water,  Lieut.-Colonel,  307 

Drogden,  440 

Dniits  tie  VJIunvne,  255  n.,  262,  29ti  n.,  302, 

303,  30  i  and  n.,  555 
Droits  du  I'eiij-ilc,  554 
Droits  of  Admiralty,  163 
Dromedary,  247  u.,  248,  551 
Droop,  Lieut.  J.  J.,  410 
Druid,  7  and  n.,  8,  341  n.,  454  n.,  485, 

555 
Drummond,  Admiral  Sir  Adam,  390,  400 
Drummond,  Com.  Joliu  Auriol,  110 
Drummond,  Lieut.-Col.,  249 
Drummond,    charge    d'aflaires    at    Copen- 
hagen, Mr.,  428 
Drury,  Admiral  Thomas,  73,  74,  500,  554  (2) 
Drury,  '\'.-Ad.  William  O'Brien,  112,  326, 

391 
Dryad,  498  and  n.,  499  and  n.,  500,  554(2) 
Dryade,  255  n. 
Dublin,  4,  11,  76,  100 
Dubois,  356  n.,  375 
Du  Chayla,  R.-Ad.  Blanquet,  35.3,  357 
Dae  de  Chartrcs,  83  n.,  86,  115 
Ducos,  Roger,  413 
Ducliess  of  Cumberkmd,  111 
Ducie,    Capt.    Francis    Reynolds    Moreton 
{previously  Fras.  Reynolds),  Lord,  21,  22, 
26,  27,  61,  62,  109 
Duckworth,  Admiral  Sir  John  Thomas,  182, 
194,  226,  293,  377  and  n.,  378,  383,  384, 
391,  414,  470  and  n.,  530,  561 
Dudman's  Dock,  Dejitford,  187  n. 
Duel,  145  n. 
Dufav,  Capt.,  298  n. 
Duff," Capt.  George,  529 
Dufossey,  Capt.,  298  u. 
Dugommier,  General,  208,  210 
Duguay    Trouin,  94,  203  n.,  484  and  n., 

552,  553 
Duides,  ^61 
Duif,  409,  559 
Duke,  168  n.,  213 
Duke  of  York,  300 
Dumanoir  Le  Pellev,  R.-Ad.,  298  n.,  339, 

376,  459,  465,  469 
Dumaresq,  Capt.  Philip,  469 
Dumaresq,  Admiral  Thomas,  192 
Dumas,  General,  353 
Dumenil  de  Lestrille,  Com.,  326 
Dumoutier,  Capt.,  22(i 
Dumuy,  General,  353 
Dun,  Master  Michael,  331 
Duncan,  Admiral  Adain,  Viscount,  173, 174 
176,  191,   198,  279,  283,  324-333,  335, 
378,  379,  407,  408,  414,  493,  498,  554  . 
558,  559 


Duncan   (Portug.   Navv),   Capt.   Crauford, 

466  n. 
Duncan,  Capt.  Henry  (1),  151,  152 
Duncan,  Capt.  Henry  (2),  551  (2) 

Duncan,  Com.  J ,  111  (2) 

Dundas,  R.-Ad.  George,  408  n. 

Duudas,  R.-Ad.  the  Hon.  George  Heneage 

Laurence,  459,  460,  466  n. 
Dundas   {later    Lord    Melville),    Rt.    Hon. 

Heur}-,  150 
Dundas,  Major-General,  180,  243,  244,  248, 

249 
Dundas,  Com.  Ralph,  76,  111 
Dundas,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Thomas,  560 
Dundonald,  Admiral   Thomas    Lord  (Lord 

Cochrane),  459  and  n.,  465  n.,  538,  539, 

551,  561 
Dundonald,  Lord,  quoted,  385  n. 
Duugeness,  549 

Dunlop,  Lieut.  Robert  Wallace,  430 
Dunu,  Capt.  Richard  Dalling,  448,  -^Sl 
Duuquerque,    Dunkerque,    or   Dunkirk,  4, 

24,  111,  201  n.,  338,  341,  490,  531,  550, 

551,  557 
Duqua,  General,  353 
Duquesne,  271,  277,  286,  291,  553 
Duras,  280,  553 
Durham,  Admiral  Sir  Philip  Charles  Calder- 

wood  Henderson,  266  n.,  345,  346,  350, 

482,  495,  508,  509,  555,  556,  561 
Dusky  Bav,  131,  145 
"  Dutch  A'rmament  "  of  1787,  The,  102 
Dutch  Guiana,  413 
Dutch  inhospitality  to  Carteret,  122 
Dutch  losses,  1780-82,  116 
Duvall,  Com.  Thomas,  373,  551 
Dysentery,  129 
Dyson,  Com.  Thomas,  111 

Eagle,  123,  176 

Earl  of  Butr,  109 

Earnshaw,  Lieut.  William,  324 

Earthquake,  121 

East  India  Company,  The,  143,  162,  170, 
186,  282,  373,  471 

East  India  Company,  French,  201  n.,  483 

East  ludiainen,  33,'l43,  162,  165,  214,  281, 
294,  483  and  n.,  506,  529,  532,  533,  546, 
557,  563 

East  Indiamen,  Dutch,  70,  89,  94,  409 

East  Indies,  The,  19,  55,  70,  76,  77,  81,  83, 
94,  95,  111,  112,  114,  115,  198  and  n., 
214,  215,  217,  241,  281,  282,  294,  297, 
336,  338,  352,  371,  379,  405,  414,  457, 
-184,  547,  .'■i50,  553,  556,  558,  559,  560 

Easter  Island,  122,  132 

Eastwood,  Com.  Thomas.  109 

Echo,  111,  280  n.,  281,  294,  295  n.,  558 

Echoue,  553 

Eclair,  203  n.,  274  n.,  535,  552,  553,  557 

Ecluse,  25,  114 

Ecureuil,  497,  554 

Edgar,  383,  384  n.,  430,  433,  439,  442 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


589 


Edgar,  Midshipman  John,  321  n. 

Edgar,  Lieut.  Tlioinas,  138  and  n. 

Edge,  Capt.  William,  210,  260  n. 

Edinburgh,  35,  185  u. 

Edisto  Inlet,  North,  48 

Edmonds,  Capt.  Joseph,  341  n. 

Edward,  4 

Edwards,  Admiral  Edward,  104,  105,  195 

Edward.s,  Com.  John  (1),  549 

Edwards,  Cora.  Ji^hn  (2),  478,  531  n.,  550 

Edwards,  Admiral  Richard,  191 

Edwards,  Admiral  Sampson,  G5,  111,  195, 

247  n. 
Edwards,  Capt.  Timothy,  111 
Edwards,  Capt.  A'alentine,  550 
Effingham,  113 
Egero,  493 

Egg  Island  Harbour,  110 
Egmond,  329 
Erjmont,  27,  50  n.,   58,    100,   110,  203  n., 

243,  269  n.,  270,  272,  274  n.,  287,  288, 

309  n.,  311,  317,  554 
Eyalite,  554  (2) 
Egypt,  337,  352,  354,  376,  400-407,  413. 

423,  424,  425,  447,  448,  450  and  n.,  452, 

454-458,  472,  535,  537,  550,  551,  556 
Egtjpte,  558 
Egyptien,  528 

Egyptienne,  455,  458  and  n.,  557,  558 
ICilbracht,  Capt.  H.  J.  F.,  32G,  410 
Eimeo,  120,  139 
Ekins,  Admiral  Sir  Charles,  412 
EI  Arich,  400,  403,  406,  423,  424,  458 
Elba,  243,  285,  287,  288,  450,  451,  558 
Elbe,  River,  110,  519,  549,  550 
Eldon,  John  Scott,  Earl  of,  166 
Elephant,  428,  430, 431,  433,  435  n.,  436  n., 

438,  439,  440  n.,  442 
Elephanten,  430,  431  n. 
Elise,  47,  114 
Elisabeth,  502 
Eliza,  554 
Elizabeth,  26,  554 
Elliot,  Admiral  the   Hon.    Sir  George  (3), 

quoted,  160 
Ii)lliot,  Sir  Gilbert :  see  Minto,  Earl  of 
Elliot,  Admiral  John  (1),  191 
Elliot,  Lord  Heathfield,  General  George  Au- 
gustus. 143 
Elliott,  Com.  William,  341  n. 
Ellison,  Capt.  Joseph,  177  and  u.,  178,  260, 

266  n.,  485 
Ellison,  Master's  Mate  Thomas,  369 
Elminn,  79 
Elphinstone.   Hon.   Charles :  see  Fleeming, 

.■Vdrairal  Hon.  Charles  Elphinstone 
Elphinstone,  the   Hon.  George   Keith:    see 

Keith,  Admiral  Viscount 
Elphinstone,  Capt.  John  (2),  226,  280  n., 

295  n.,  449,  454  n. 
Elphinstone,  Capt.  Thomas,  284,  324,  550 
Elphinstone,  Master's  JIate  William,  102 
Ekiuore,  428  n. 


Elven,  431  n. 

Embargo  on  shipping,  156,  280,  427,  442 

Emhroye,  552 

Emhuscade,  277,  326,  329  n.,  330,  344,  346, 

347,  348,  410,  478,  479,  556,  559  (2) 
Emerald,  47  n.,  319,  321,  322,  324,  351,. 

352,  354,  373  and  n.,  376,  385,  427  n. 

507,  530,  531,  556 
Emeriau,  Capt.  M.  J.,  357 
Kiuparran,  Capt.  Don  J.,  466  n. 
Em.s,  River,  551,  559 
Endeavour,  110,  124-129,  143 
Endeavour  Reef,  127 
Endeavour  Rivei-,  128 
Endeavour  Strait,  128 
Eudermo  Bay,  563 
Endymion,  58,  91,  92,  154,  ."560 
Enyagiante,  16  n.,  84,  483,  484,  552 
England,  Com.  Robert,  331 
Ensigns :  see  Flags 
Enterprise.  68,  109 
Entreprenaut,  204  n.,  206,  22G 
Entrep>renante,  454  n.,  455 
Eolan,  529  n. 
Eole,  200  n.,  202  n.,  223,  226,  229,  230,  298 

n.,  528,  529  and  n.,  557 
Epaulettes,  182  and  n. 
Epervier,  555 
Epron,  Capt.  Jacques,  529 
Erquy,  495 

Erskine,  Lieut.  James,  416 
Escars,  Capt.  d',  27 
Esmeralda,  526,  533,  561 
Esperance,  490,  536,  553 
Espiegle,  201  n.,  283,  412,  482,  522,  552  (2) 
Espion,  115,  485,  486,  487  and  n.,  548,  550, 

553  (2) 
Espiritu  Santo,  132,  1.33 
Es2>oir,  390  n.,  391,  513,  520,  555,  556  (2), 

560 
Esquerra,  Capt.  Don  J.,  466  u. 
Bosequibo,  63,  291,  472 
Essington,  Y.-Ad.  Sir  William,  295  u.,  326, 

331,  553 
Estaing,   V.-Ad.  Charles  H.  Comte  d',  16, 

17,  31,  32,47,  109,  110,  119 
Staples,  446,  558 
Etats  de  Bourgogne,  215 
Ethalion,  154,  345,  346,  347,  348,  349,  525,. 

526,  550,  560 
Etienue,  Capt.  Francois,  226 
Etieune,  Capt.  J.  P.,  357 
I'Una,  446,  554 
Etoile,  495,  554 
Etonnant,  554 
Ktourdie,  495,  £54 
Etrusco,  550 
Eua,  131 
Eu'/ene,  91 
Eugenie,  446  n. 

Europa,  197  n.,  214,  251,  415,  454  n. 
Europe,  48 
Eurus,  454  n.,  558 


590 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Enrydke,  89,  340,  485 

Evans,  Capt.  Andrew  Fitzherbert,  497, 
554 

Evans,  V.-Ad.  Heuiy,  554 

Evans,  Ca]it.  Henry  Francis,  71 

Evans,  Afimiral  John,  191 

EveiUe,  62,  554,  558 

Everitt,  Charles  Hohnes :  see  Calmady,  Ad- 
miral C.  H.  E. 

Everitt,  Capt.  Michael  John,  27 

Examination  for  the  rank  of  Lieutenant, 
160,  161 

Excellent,  241,  309  n.,  311-314,  316,  317, 
525,  556,  558 

Exchange  of  prisoners,  184,  185 

Exccvitious  :  see  Death  Penalty 

Exeter,  532,  557 

Exmouth,  Admiral  Sir  Edward  Pellew, 
Lord,  182  and  n.,  299,  300  and  n.,  302, 
305,  387,  414,  424,  476,  477  and  n.,  483, 
486,  495,  496,  508,  513,  532,  552,  553, 
554  (3),  555,  556 

Expcditie,  409,  559 

Expedition,  341  n.,  454  n. 

ExjieditioH,  40,  43,  44,  553 

Expenditure  on  tlie  Navy,  152,  153 

Experiment,  298  n. 

Experiment,  20,  21,  25,  32,  110,  113,  114, 
247  n.,  280,  417,  454  n.,  549 

Explosion,  389  n.,  430 

Explosions,  3,  10,  18,  29,  36,  37,  42,  56,  58, 
74,  97,  98,  116,  209,  210,  243,  277,  366, 
368,  369,  372,  401,  403,  429,  439,  457, 
467,  468,  491,  497,  503,  512,  517,  518, 
525  and  u.,  543,  548,  549,  550,  553 

Eyre,  Y.-Ad.  Sir  George,  548 

Eyles,  V.-Ad.  Thomas,  424 

Factohy  Island,  510 

Faddy  (Mar.),  Capt.  William,  369 

Fairfax,  Y.-Ad.  Sir  William  George,  15,  16, 

109,  114,  195,  326,  332,  389  n. 
Eairi/,  57,  61,  111,  197  a.,  529,  530,  557 
Ealron,  109,  198  n.,  531  u.,  550 
Falconer,  master  in  the  merchant  marine, 

John,  77  n. 
Falkland  Islands,  1,  2,  118 
Fall,  the  pirate,  100 

Falmouth,  111,  201,  252,  300  and  n.,  558 
Falmouth,  U.S.A.,  4 
False  Bay,  Ca])e  Colony,  295 
False  muster,  159 
False  statements,  IGO,  161 
Fancourt,  Y.-Ad.  Pxibert  Devereus,  430 
Fane,  K.-Ad.  Francis  William,  376  and  n. 
Fanshawe,  Lieut.  Henry  (1),  179  u. 
Fanshawe,  Capt.  Kobcrt"  (1),  152 
Farmer,  Cajit.  George,  2,   40-42,  73,  110 
Faron,  Heights  of,  207,  208 
Farragut,  Admiral  David  Glasgow,  49 
Faulkner,  Admiral  Jonathan  (1),  108,  191 
Faulknor,  K.-Ad.  Jonathan  (2^\  111,  476, 

486,  550 


Faulknor,   Capt.   Robert  (3),  247  n.,  248, 

488,  489,  553 
Faulknor,  Com.  William  Humphry,  551 
Faurc,  Capt.  G.  A.,  447  n. 
Faurette,  418 
Favorite,  554 
Favourite,  2,  333  and  n. 
Fayal,  33 

Fayernian,  V.-Ad.  Francis,  326 
I  Fearney,  Seaman  William,  316 
Fe'e,  69',  70,  83  and  u.,  96 
Fees  for  Admiralty  commissions  and  war- 
rants, etc.,  188 
Feilding,  Capt.  Charles  (1),  3,  47 
Felicite.  277 
Feliz,  560 

Pellowes,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Edward,  333  n.,  560 
Fendant,  32 
Finelon,  114 
Fenix,  115 
Ferdinand  IV.,  of  Naples,  375,   389,  390, 

393,  394,  396,  398,  400,  499 
Pergusson,  Admiral  John,  195 
Ferret,  109 

Ferrett,  Lieut.  Francis,  331 
Ferris,  Capt.  Solomon,  460,  463,  464,  465 

and  n.,  551 
Ferrol,  59,  62,  381,  382,  388,  389,  424,  425, 

536,  560 
Fever,  129 

FideJe,  255  n.,  298  n. 
Fidelite,  83  n. 

Field,  Com.  Francis  Ventris,  549 
Fille  Unique,  298  n.,  304  u. 
Filtering  appliances,  188 
Finalmarina,  284 
Finch,  R.-Ad.  the  Hon.  WiUiam  Clement, 

7,  111,  193 
Finisterre,  21,  27,  46,  52,  62,  516,  556 
Finland,  Gulf  of,  442 
Finlay,  Midshipman  Moyle,  331 
Finn,  Master  George,  414 
Fir  as  a  building  material,  154 
Firebalhs,  377 
Firebrand,  111 
Fireships,  153,  216,  226,  246,  260  n.,  278, 

430,  436,  531  and  n.,  532 
Firm,  154 
Fir  me,  309  n. 

Fischer,  Commod.,  433  n.,  439 
Fisli,  Admiral  John,  94,  195 
Fishburn,  565  n. 

Fisher,  Capt.  Richard,  110,  198  n. 
Fishermen,  186 

Fishguard,  or  Fisgard,  506  and  n. 
Fishguard,  154,  350  and  u.,  351,  414,  507, 

534,  555,  556,  557  (3),  561  (2) 
Fishing  vessels,  Destruction  of,  291 
Fittoii,'  Lieut.  Michael,  425,  535 
Fitzgerald,  Lord  Charles  :  see  Lecale,  Lord 
Fitzgeiald,  Lord  Edward,  296 
Fitzgerald,  V.-Ad.  Sii'  Robert  Lewis,  342 
I  Fitzgerald  family,  Arms  of  the,  188 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


591 


Fitzherbert,  V.-Ad.  Thomas,  48,  191 

Fitzhugh  Sound,  116 

Fitzroy,  Capt.  Lord  Augustus  (2),  197  n. 

Flag,  The  national,  18S-1'J0 

Flags,  10,  11,  51,  6li,  78,  2li2 

Flag-officers,  157,  106,  167,  182,  183,  188, 

191-195 
Flamborough  Head,  35,  36,  51,  76,  550 
Fleche,  27i  n.,  480  ii.,  541,  542,  548,  553, 

558 
Fleeming  (formerly  Elphinstone),  Admiral 

Hon.  Charles  Elphinstone,  549 
Fleet  in  1793,  Distribution  of  the,  197  and 

n.,  198  and  n. 
Fleiir  d'hpee,  Guadeloupe,  248,  249 
FHbustier,  555 

Flinders,  Cajit.  Matthew,  565-571 
Flinders,  Lieut.  Samuel  William,  568 
Floating  batteries,  155,  548 
Flora,  6  and  n.,  7,  13,  55  and  n.,  56  and  n., 

66,  67  and  n.,  68,  69,  !i9,  109,  ]  13,  114, 

116,  252,  279,  427  n.,  454  n.,  483,  484, 

486,  510,  552,  555  (2),  561 
^Florence,  389 
Florentina,  531,  561 
Florida,  109.  550 
Florida,  3 

Florida  Blanca,  Conde  de,  145 
Florida,  Gulf  of,  109,  549,  560 
Flour,  170,  171 
Flushing,  341  and  n.,  342,  501 
Flute,  El],  31  n. 
Fli/,  111,  198  n.,  251,  551 
Fli/iny  FMi,  112,  214,  548 
Focr   217  221   224   291 
Fofe'yi  Admiral  Sir' Thomas  (3),  203  n.,  206, 

269  n.,  274  n.,  309  n.,  320,  357,  361,  430, 

432,  435  n  ,  437  and  n. 
Folkestone,  4 
Follcestone,  16,  109 
Fooks,  R.-Ad.  William,  194 
Foote,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Edward  James,  307  n., 

309  n.,  319,  373  n.,  390,  391  and  n.,  392, 

393,  394,  395,  396,  398,  497,  510,  554,  555 
Forbes,  Midshipman  James  Morrison  Bigges, 

403 
Forbes,   Admiral   of  the    Fleet   the    Hon. 

John,  191 
Forbes,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Robert  (1),  226 
Forbes,  Major-General,  293 

Forbes,  Lieut.  R ,  551 

Ford,  V.-Ad.  John,  113,  192,  197  n.,  214, 

250,  251,  552 
Ford,  Midshipman  Zebedee,  369 
Ford,  Lieut.  George  Arnold.  337 
Foreigners  in  the  Navy,  156,  180 
Foreign  languages,  Importance  of  a  know- 
ledge of,  253,  254  and  n. 
Forfait,    the    engineer,    Pierre    Alexandre 

Laurent,  339  and  u. 
Formidable,  154,  255  and  n.,  262,  264,  283, 

387  n.,  447  n.,  450,  459,  462,  463,  466  n., 

467,  468,  469,  553 


Formosa,  563 

Forneilli,  212 

Fomello,  377 

Forrest,  a  seaman,  181 

Forster,  the  naturalists.  The  Messrs.,  129 

Fort  Aiguillette,  Toulon,  210 

Fort  Amsterdam,  Surinam,  413 

Fort  Balaguier,  Toulon,  208,  210 

Fort  Bourbon,  JLartinique,  247,  248 

Fort  Brissoton,  Haiti,  251 

Fort  Carlos,  Mahon,  378 

Fort  Churchill,  Hudson's  Bay,  85 

Fort  George  (Madras),  214 

Fort  La  Malgue,  206,  209 

Fort  Louis,  Martinique,  247,  248 

Fort  Malbousquet,  200,  208 

Fort  Mathilde,  Guadeloupe,  250 

Fort  Miessiesv,  208 

Fort  Moultrie,  Charleston,  48,  49 

Fort  Mulgrave,  208 

Fort  Oostenburg,  76,  282 

Fort  Pontine vre,  266 

Fort  Royal,  Martinique,  247,  248,  333,  413 

Fort  St.  Louis,  Guadeloupe,  248 

Fort  Santa  Garcia,  461,  462 

Fort  Scarborough,  Tobago,  213 

Fort  William  (Calcutta),  214 

Fort  York,  Hudson's  Bay,  85 

Forte,  502,  520-522,  543  n.,  544,  551,  556 

Forth,  Firth  of,  35,  100,  558 

Fortitude,  203  n.,  243,  269  n.,  272,  274  n., 

278 
Fortune,  25,  51,  110,  335  n.,  522,  549,  550, 

556,  558 
Forttmee,  47,  114,  243,  480,  552 
Fothergill,  Capt.  William,  524  n. 
Fothering  a  ship,  127,  128 
Fotheringham,  Capt.  Patrick,  5,  7,  109 
Foucaud,  Capt.,  494,  504 
Fouchet,  480  n. 

Foudre,  402  n.,  404  and  n.,  556 
Foudroyant,   81-83,   100,    114,    154,    346, 

347,  348,  349,  384  and  n.,  391,  393,  397, 

418,  419,  420-422,  454  n.,  456,  557 
Fonqumx,  254,  255   and  n.,  262,  298  n., 

301 
Fouine,  556 

Foul  Point,  Madagascar,  296,  472 
Fowell,  Com.  Samuel,  551 
Foweii,  4,  32,  75,  111 
Fowke,  R.-Ad.  George,  551 
Fowler,  R.-Ad.  Robert  Merrick,  570 
Fox,  Capt.  AVilliam,  111 
Fox,  5,  6,  7,  20,  97,  109,  110,  113,  115,  269 

n.,  309  n.,  321,  322,  405,  406,  509,  549, 

550  555 
Fradin,  Capt.  J.  B.  A.,  498 
France,  198,  241,  etc. 
France,  Omission  from  the  Royal  Ensign  of 

the  Arms  of,  190 
Franchise,  343,  351,  532  and  n. 
Frankland   {previously   Cromwell),   V.-Ad. 

Henry  Cromwell,  195 


592 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Tliomas    Francis, 
322,  32-i, 


Franl-Hn,  154,  357,  363,   304,   365,   366, 

367,  370,  372,  555 
Franklin,  Capt,  Sir  John,  568,  569,  570 
Fraser,  Capt,  Percy,  380,  549 
Fraternite,  255  n.,"  298  and  u.,  299,  300  and 

n.,  301,  302 
Frazer,  (Mar.),  Lieut.  George,  335 
Frederick,   1!.-Ad.  Thomas    Lenox,  57,  91, 

109,  110,  194,  203  u.,269  n.,  273,  309  n., 

382  u.,  384  n.,  548 
Frederick  William  IL  of  Prussia,  102 
Frederiks,  Lieut.,  326 
Freedom,  555 
Freeman,  Adnural  of  the  Fleet  W.  P.  W. : 

see  AVilliams,  William  Peere 
Freight-nionev,  160,  167 
Freja,  426,  427 
Frejus,  276,  405 
Frelon,  24 
Fremantle,   V.-Ad.    Sir 

::03  n.,  269  n.,  270,  285,  321 

■130,  433,  437,  496,  553,  554 
Frcna.v  Ba\',  492 

French  agents  in  England,  167  n. 
French  losses,  1778-83,  114,  115 
Friant,  General  Loins,  455 
Friendly  Islands,  104,  131,  133,  138 
Friendship,  551,  565  n. 
Frigates,  Xelson's  lack  of,  354,  391 
Frindsburj',  154 
Friponne,  69,  85,  111,  277,  291 
Frodsham,  Capt.  John,  79,  83,  96,  109,  112 
Fryer,  Master  .John,  102,  103,  104 
Fuengirola,  534 
Fulminante,  551,  556 
Funchal,  470 
FureUolQ 
Furie,  516,  517,  559 
Furieuse,  558 
Furnace,  341  n. 
Furneaux,  Capt.  Tobias,  109,  129-131,  137 

and  n.,  138 
Fury,  51,  197  n.,  203  u.,  454  n.,  455,  554 
Fusi-yama,  503 

Fyers  (mil.),  Capt.  Peter,  428  and  n. 
Fyti'e,  Capt.  John,  415,  454  n. 

Gadshill,  186 

Gaeta,  399  and  n. 

Gage,  Gencr-d  Thomas,  3 

Gage,  Admiral   of  the   Fleet    Sir  William 

Hall,  351,  426  n.,  539,  540,  560 
(-■aiUard,  (apt.,  476 
Oaite,  507,  555 
Galapagos  Islands,  148 
Galatea,  28,  51,  206  n.,  487,  495,  502,  555 
Galatee,  226,  320,  410,  480,  548,  553,  559 
Galgo,  528,  500,  561 
Gallardo,  333  n.,  560 
Galleons,  45 
Galles,  V.-Ad.  Jlorard  de,  200,  20],  215, 

297,  298  and  n.,  300,  301,  302,  305,  306 
Galleys,  32,  374,  375,  417 


Galley  slaves,  209,  417,  510 

Gallipoli,  558 

Galloway,  Admiral  George   Stewart,   Lord 

Garlics,  Earl  of,   247  and  n.,  248,  279, 

309  n.,  490  n. 
Galwey,  H.-Ad.  Edward,  369  n. 
Gambia,  River,  58 
Gambler,  Adnural  of  the  Fleet  James  (2), 

Lord,  48,  109,  182  and  n.,  193,  202,  226 
Gambier,  Cai)t.  Samuel,  151 
Gamo,  538,  539,  544  n.,  561 
Gnnfjes,  202,  237  n.,  293,  430,  433,  436  n., 

438,  439,  553 
Ganteaume,  V.-Ad.  Honore,  225,  220,  278, 

339,  357,  366  n.,  376  and  n.,  404,  447 

and  n.,  448,  449,  450,  452,  453,  454,  455, 

458,  459  n.,  551 
Gardiner,  Lievit.  John,  27,  110 
Gardner,  Admiral  Sir  Alan,  Lord,  22,  145, 

169,  182,  192,  213,  220,  227,  239,  260  n., 

265,  387  n.,  388,  413,  414 
Gardner,  V.-Ad.  the  Hon.  Alan  Hyde,  Lord, 

282,  294 
Gardner,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Francis  Farrington, 

293 
Garland,  535,  549,  557 
Garlics,  Lord :  see  Gallowa\',  Earl  of 
Garonne,  River,  556 
Garrett,  V.-Ad.  Henrv,  342 
Gaspard,  Capt.  j\L  M."  P.,  523 
Gaspargrande  Island,  333,  334 
Gasparin,  204  n.,  226 
Gassin,  Capt.,  226 
Gaudran,  Enseigne  Blaise,  376 
Gay,  Cai>t.,  480 

Gaytou,  V.-Ad.  George,  48,  62,  111,  192 
Gearv,  Admiral  Sir  Francis,  191 
Gelderland,  410,  559 
GelijkJieid,  326,  329  n.,  330,  559 
Gell,  Admiral  John,  25,  192,  202,  203  n., 

206,  207,  552 
General  Brune,  558 
General  Lereau,  555 
General  Monk,  80,  98,  100,  112,  113 
General  Moultrie,  113 
Generals  of  Marines,  181,  191 
Genereux,   204  n.,  357,  368   and  n.,   373, 

375,  418  (2),  419,  422,  449,  452,  453,  514, 

515,  516,  550,  557(2) 
Genie,  285,  554 
Genoa,  207,  213,  270,  27-1,  277,  284,  324, 

353,  354,  385,  380,  390,  410,  417,  418, 

494,   513,  552,  553,  550,  557 
Gentdi,  General,  288 
GentilU;  30,  51  and  n.,  02,  226,  491,  553 
George  IL,  King,  181 
George  III.,  Kin-,  131,  198,  239,  245,  350 

n.,  413,  420,  471,  487 
George  III.  Island,  now  Tahiti,  120,  125, 

161 
George,  Prince  of  Wales  (later  George  V\  .), 

131 
George,  549 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


593 


Geort/e  and  Molly,  63 

George,    Capt.    Sir    Rupert,    40,    71,    152, 

198  n. 
George  Eiver,  560 
Germaine,  32,  111 
Germany  {see  also  Austria,  etc.),  -144 
Oerner,  431  n. 
Ghee,  105 

Gibb,  Lieut.  John,  212 

Gibbons,  Iilidshipman  William,  464  I 

Gibraltar,  25,  67,  73,  111,  115,  152,  244, 

245,  273,  278,  282,  286,  287,  288,  289, 

304,  307,  324,  351,  352  and  n.,  356  n., 

372,  374,  381,  382  and  n.,  383,  386,  387, 

388  n.,  390,  424  n.,  425,  448,  449,  454, 

459,  464,  465-470,  471,  528,  529,  537, 

539,  548,  558,  561 
Gibraltar,  111,  115, 143,  226,  231,  232,  274 

and   n.,   289,   290,   305,  384  n.,  424  n., 

449,  450,  452,  561 
Gibson,  Capt.  John  (2),  110 
Gibson,  Lieut.  John(l),  269  n.,  309  n.,  320, 

322,  324,  549 
Gibson,  Lieut.  William,  417 
Gidoin,  V.-Ad.  John  Lewis,  89,  192 
Gier,  524,  558,  559 
Gilbert,  Lieut.  Thomas,  341  u.,  531  ii. 
Gilet,  Capt.  M.,  357 
Gilmore,  Boatswain  Andrew,  369 
Gipsy,  557 

Gironde  Rirer,  344,  502,  509,  517 
Gladiator,  159 
Glasi/ow,  3,  4,  10 
Glaiton,  283,  294,  408  n.,  410,  430,  433, 

438,  439,  442,  501  and  n.,  54-1 
Glenan  Islands,  414 
Glenmore,  529 

Gloire,  87,  89,  111,  112,  491,  553 
Glorieux,  72,  87,  HS,  112,  114 
Glorioso,  309  n. 
Glory,  168  n.,  180,  223,  226,  228,  236,  240, 

387  n. 
Godfrey,  Capt.  William,  411 
Goelai'id,  214  and  n.,  529  n.,  552 
Gold  chains  of  honour,  183,  239 
Gold  Coast,  24,  69,  79 
Golden  Grove,  565  n. 
Goldesbrough,  Capt.  Thomas,  110 
Goldfinch,  Lieut.  William,  439 
Goliath,  309  n.,  311,  320,  357,  361,  362, 

364,  368,  369  and  n.,  373,  376,  390,  556 
Golondrina,  560 
Gonave  Bay,  27 
Goocli,  Com.  Samuel,  524 
Gooch,  the  astronomer,  Mr.  William,  146 
Goodall,  Admiral  Samuel  Granston,  60, 108, 
191,  197  n.,  203  and  n.,  206,  269  n.,  272 
n.,  274  n. 
Goodench,  Midshipman  James,  317 
Goodwin  Sands,  550 
Gordon  (mil.),  Capt.,  451  n. 
Gore,  Capt.  John  (1),  138  and  n.,  143,  269 
n.,  274  n.,  278,  548 

VOL.    IV. 


Gore,  V.-Ad.  Sir  John  (2),  210,  245,  246, 
445,  525,  556,  557 

Gore,  Com.  J Hamilton,  109 

Gore,  Midshipman  William,  446  n. 
Goree,  472 
Gorgon,  203  n. 

Gormer,  Mr. ,  R.N.,  550 

Gosier  Bay,  Guadeloupe,  248,  249 
Gosselin,  Admiral  Thomas   Le  Marchant, 

226,  255  n.,  412 
Gosset,  Lieut.  Abraham,  495 
Gott,  Lieut.  Thomas,  549 
Gould,  Admiral  Sir  Davidge,  269  n.,  274  n., 

357,  390,  416,  418 
Gourdon,  Capt.  A.  L.,  447  u. 
Gourjean  Bay,  246,  270 
Gourly,  Capt.  John,  320,  549 
Gourrege,  Ca])!.  P.  P.,  447  n. 
Gower,  K.-Ad.  Edward  Leveson,  451,  549, 

558 
Gower,  Admiral  Sir  Erasmus,  94,  115,  175, 

194,  255  n. 
Gower,  E.-Ad.  Hon.  John  Leveson,  108 
Goj'anne,  Guadeloupe,  250 
Gozo,  353,  355,  374,  419,  471 
Grajme,  Admiral  Alexander,  46,  115,  193, 

379,  413 
Grajme,  Capt.  Lawrence,  03,  77,  112 
Grafton,  57 
Grain,  Isle  of,  174 
!  Grampus,  109,  174,  175  n.,  176,  550 
Grana,  02,  99,  115 
Granatello,  397 
Grand  Cayman,  548 
Grand  Sarpedon,  83  n. 
Grand  Stevenet,  299 

Grande  Terre,  Guadeloupe,  248,  249,  250 
Granger,  V.-Ad.  >\'illiam,  525 
Grant,  Com.  Gregory,  321 
Grasse,  V.-Ad.  Comte  de,  72,  74,  75,  110, 

111 
Grasse-Briancon,  Capt.  the  Marquis  de,  95 
Grave,  Master  William,  464 
Graves,  Capt.  Samuel  (2),  95,  115 
Graves,  Admiral  Thomas  (2),  Lord,  75,  86, 
88,  112.  182  and  n.,  191,  198,  226,  228, 
230,  239 
Graves,  Aduural  Sir  Thomas  (3),  3,  91, 195, 

291,  427,  428,  429,  430,  435,  436,  443 
Gravesend,  173,  175 
Graviere,  Capt.  D.  Jurien  de  La,  532 
Gravina,  E.-Ad.,  206,  207 
Gray,  Lieut.  George,  439 
Great  Belt,  443  n. 
Great  Yarmouth  Hospital,  187 
Green,   the  astronomer,  Mr.  Charles,   124, 

125, 129 
Greenock,  558 

Greenwich  Hospital,  170,  191 
Gregory,  K.-Ad.  George,  197  n.,  214,  251, 

326 
Grenada,  110,  280,_293,  494,  560 
Grenades,  Hand,  37 

2  Q 


594 


ISO  EX    TO    VOLUME   IW 


Grey,  General  Sir  Charles,  173,  246,  249, 

250 
Grey,  Com.  Edward,  5")7 
Grey,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Sir  George  (1),  247  n., 

309  n.,  4!il,  548 
Grey,  Com.  Hon.  Ileniy,  550 
Greyhound,  28,  111 
Grey  town,  49 
Greytown,  Nicaragua,  49 
Grieg,  Russian  Xavv  Cajit.  (later  Admiral), 

408  n. 
Grievances  of  the   scaiuen  in    lili",    l(i!i, 

170 
Griffith:  .see  Colpoys,  Sir  Edward  Griflith 
Gritfiths,  R.-Ad.  Anselm  John,  309  n. 
Grimouard,  Ca])t.  de,  60,  89 
Grindall,  Y.-Ad.  Sir  Richard,  2G0  n.,  204, 

414  553 
Grois.'lele,  256,  260  n.,  262,  263,  264,  272, 

415,  553 
Groningen,  559 
(irouchy.  General,  298,  301 
Growler,  549 
Guadalquiver,  River,  460 
Gimdalupc,  560 
Guadeloupe,   47,   248-250,   280,  488,  501, 

509,  535,  553,  555,  557 
Guaddoitpeor  Giiadaloupe,  72,  75,  111,  553 
Guardian,  106,  107,  436  n. 
Guardships  at  the  ports,  102,  372 
Guepe,  25,  62 

Guerin,  Com.  Daniel,  293,  549 
Guerin,  quoted,  215  n.,  350  n.,  360 
Guernsev,  100,  109, 414,  485.  551 
Guerrier,  204  n.,  357,  358,  361,  362,  364, 

372,  373  n.,  382  n  ,  556  (2) 
Guiana,  77,  523 
Guiana,  Dutch,  413 
Guiana,  Portuguese,  470  u. 
Guichen,  Y.-Ad.  de,  82  n. 
Guieysse,  Capt.  P.,  541 
Ouillaume  Tell,  357,  3G8  and  n.,  370,  374, 

419,  420-422,  557 
Guillotin,  Capt.  J.  L.,  343 
Guine,  Enseigne  J.  F.,  507,  503 
Guion,  Capt.  Daniel  C)liver.  454  n.,  455 
Guiou,  Capt.  Gardiner  Henry,  550 
Guisborough,  Torks,  123 
Guiscardo,  207,  274  n. 
Gunboats,  French,  338,  339,  342,  343,  357, 

359,  375,  389,  401,  405,  417,  522,  554 
Gun-locks,  188 
Gunners,  156,  188,  416  n. 
Gunnery,  542,  543,  544 
Guns,  439 

Gunter,  Com.  Henry,  550 
Gurupano,  517 
Gutteri,  Govr.  Don  Juan  Antonio,  323  n. 

Haarlem,  20,  27,  110,  326,  328,  329  n.,390, 

417,  449,  559 
Haasje,  326 
Hacker,  U.S.X.,  Cai)t.,  20,  113 


Haggitt,  Com.  William,  278,  340,  550 

llniiue,  80 

riaien,  431  n.,  561 

Haifa,  or  Caift'a,  402 

Hales,  Lieut.  H- -,  326 

Half-pay,  157,  158 
Halgan,  Capt.,  525 

Halifax,  00,  88,  152,  213,  291,  335,  549 
Halifax,  01,  113  n.,  197,  198  n. 
Halkett,  Admiral  Sir  Peter,  320,  550,  561 
Hall,  pirivateersman,  ']'.,  70 
Hallett,  Midshipman  John,  102 
Halley's  chart,  118 

Hallowell :  see  Carew,  Sir  Benjamin  Hallo- 
well 
Halsted,  Admiral   Sir   Lawrence   William, 

237  n.,  451,  498,  557,  558 
Hamadryad,  324,  507,  550,  560 
Hamilton,  Admiral  Sir  Charles,  203  n.,  351, 

408  n.,  512,  535 
Hamilton,   Admiral   Charles  Powell,    194, 

241,  200  n. 
Hamilton,  Admiral   Sir  Edward,  159,  183, 

276  n.,  527,  528,  561 

Hamilton,  Lieut.  J ,  326,  551 

Hamilton,  Sir  William,  355,  393,  394,  395, 

390,  397,  419,  420  n. 
Hamilton,  Lady,  355,  393,  398,  399,  419, 

442  n. 
Hamilton,  of  H.E.I.Co.'s  service,  John,  532 
Hamliue,  Lieut.  Daniel,  550 
Hammond's  Knowl,  427  n. 
Hamoaze,  549 
llamon,  Capt.,  536 
Hamond,  Capt.  Sir  Andrew  Snape  (1),  48, 

49,  150,  151 
Hamond,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Graham 

Eden,  428,  430 
Hampden,  29 
Hampton  Roads,  26 
Hamstead,  Capt.  John,  333  n. 
Hancock,  5  and  u.,  6,  7,  109,  113 
Hand,  Capt.  Thomas,  341  n.,  454  n. 
Hannibal,  76,  77,  112,  114,  460,  461,  462, 

463-465,  466  n.,  491,  551,  553 
Hannover,  Arms  of,  189,  190 
Hanson,  Com.  James,  147  n.,  550 
Hanwcll,  Admiral  Josejih,  203  n. 
Harding,  Seaman  James,  376 
Harding,  U.S.N.,  Captain  Seth,  63, 113 
Hardy,"Admiral  Sir  Charles  (2),  29 
Hardy,  Capt.  John  Oakes,  454  n. 
Hardy,  Capt.  Temple,  280  u.,  281 
Hardy,  General,  344 
llardv,  Y.-Ad.  Sir  Thomas  Masterman,  321 

n.,"354,  357,  372,  390,  391,  431  and  n.. 

432  and  n.,  433,  505,  555 
Ilardvuiau,  R.-Ad.  Lucius  Ferdinand,  551 
Hare,'  Capt.  Charles,  209,  210,  5!8 
Hargood,  Admiral  Sir  William  (11,  198  n., 

476,  548 
Harliugen,  524 
Ilarlingeii,  294  n.,  558 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


595 


Earmonie,  334 

Harmood,  Capt.  Harry,  109,  151,  152 

ffarpy,  341  n.,  342,  430,  52i),  530,  557 

Earner,  93,  341  n. 

Harriette,  555 

Harrington,  Lieutenant  William,  418,  419, 

420 
Harrison,  the  chronometer  maker,  Mr.,  124 
Hart,  R.-Ad.  George,  408  n.,  550 
Hartingveld,  Lieut.,  32G 
Hartwell,  Capt.  Sir  Francis  John,  IH,  151, 

152,  174 
Harvev,  Admiral  8ir  Eliab,  247  and  n.,  486 
Harvey,  Capt.  John  (1),  226,  228,  232,  233 
Harvey,  Admiral  Sir  John  (2),  333  n.,  548 
Harvey,  Admiral  Sir  Henry  (1),  193,  226, 

233,  260  u.,  267,  293,  333  and  u.,  334, 

335,  379,  447,  560 
Harvey,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Thomas,  412 
Harward,  Com.  John,  391 
Harwich,  4,  173 
Hasard,  278,  480 
Hasborough  Sand,  551 
Hascombe,  186 
Haslar  Hospital,  187 
Hassan  Bey,  404 

Hassard,  Lieut.  R V ,  1 12 

Hasfi/,  560 

Haswell,  Lieut. ,  550 

Hatherill,  Captain  Richard,  430 

Hauch,  439  and  n. 

Haughty,  179  n. 

Hauraki  Gulf,  126 

Havana,  87,  112,  165,  528,  551,  561 

Havick;  559 

Hacik,  154,  295  n.,  551.  559 

Havre,  Le,  338,  340,  343,  496,  555 

Hawaii,  140,  148,  563 

Hawke,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Edward,  Lord, 

266 
Hawhe,  or  Hawk,  5,  47  n.,  88 
Hawker,  Capt.  James,  16,  52,  109 
Hawker,  Com.  Thomas  (2),  272 
Hawkins,  James :  see  AVhitshed,  Admiral  of 

the  Fleet  Sir  James  Hawkins 
Hawkins,  Capt.  Richard,  369  and  u. 
Haves,  Capt.  George,  549 
Hayes,  H.E.I.  Co.'s  S.,  Capt.,  471 
Haygarth,  Lieut.  William,  1.58 
Hayti,  27,  84, 115  :  see  also  San  Domingo 
Hayward,  Com.  Thomas,  102,  549 
Eazard,  113,  513,  556 
Head  money  for  ships  carrying  cargo,  163 
Head  monev.  Surgeons',  158 
Hebe,  454  n.,  492,  553 
Hebe,  86,  115,  341  n. 
Hecate,  154 

Eeda,  341  n.,  342,  430 
Eector,  14,  57,  58,  87,  88,  112,  114,  154, 

213,  237  n.,  384  n.,  409,  449,  452,  559 
Heiberg  (Dutch  Navy),  Lieut.,  330  n. 
Heighani,  Lieut.  George,  223,  224 
Helder,  The,  409,  411 


HMin,  326,  409,  559 

Helena,  27  n.,  73,  109,  198  n.,  549,  559  (2) 

Ilelhxe,  27,  114 

ni'UopoUs,  452 

Heliopolis,  423 

Hell  Gate,  New  York,  110 

Helsingor  (Elsinore),  428  and  n.,  429 

Helsingborg,  429 

Henuali,  Cajjt.  William,  557 

Henry  (French  Navy),  Capt.  J.  B.,  298  n. 

Heury,  Admiral  John,  13,  32  and  n.,  193, 

247  n.,  251 
Henslow,  Sir  John,  151,  154 
Herbert,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Charles  (1),  198  n., 

247  n.,  345,  346,  414,  424,  522 
Hercule,  280,  336  and  n ,  337,  361  n.,  555 
Hercules,  326,  329  and  n.,  330,  559 
Hergest,  Lieut.  Richard,  146  n. 
Hermes,  549,  558 
Eermionc,  52,  71,  72,  159,  179,  183, 197  n., 

251,  334  and  n.,  527,  528,  549,  554,  561 
Hero,  213 

Heroine,  282,  294,  454  n. 
Eeros,  77,  203  n.,  210,  552 
Herrera,  Capt.  Don  J.,  466  n. 
Herring  Cove,  335 
Herve}',  Hon.  Augustus  John :  see  Bristol, 

Earl  of 
Hervey,  Capt.  John  Augustus,  Lord,  110 
Eeureux,  154,  204  n.,  357,  359,  362  n.,  368, 

372,  556,  558 
Heywood,  Capt.  Peter,  102,    104   n.,   105, 

106 
Hicks,  R.-Ad.  Thomas,  109,  195 
Hill,  the  privateersman,  88 
Hill,  Capt.  Benjamin,  109 
Hill,  V.-Ad.  Henrv,  210 
Hill,  R.-Ad.  Sir  John  (2),  454  n. 
Hill,  Capt.  Richard,  111 
Hills,  Capt.  John,  197  n.,  251 

Hills,  Lieut. ,  109 

Hillyar,  R.-Ad.  Sir  James,  454  n.,  455,456, 

457,  533,  561 
Hinchinbroke,  49,  109,  112 
Hind,  213,  482,  561 
Hindman,  Lieut.  Michael,  110 
Hinman,  U.S.N.,  Capt.  Elisha,  10,  113 
Hinton,  Lieut.  John,  277 
Hinxt,  Capt.,  326 
Hirondelle,  13,  72,  492,  556  (2) 
Hispaniola  :  see  San  Domingo  and  Hayti 
Hjsdperen,  431  n.,  437 
lioar,    Thomas :    see    Bertie,   Sir   Thomas 

Hoar 
Hoare,  Midshipman  George,  439 
Hoat,  or  Houat,  Isle  of,  266,  415,  266,  415 
Hobart,  282,  553 
Hoche,  General,  266,  296,  297,  298  n.,  302, 

344  n. 
Hoche,  344  ard  n.,  346,  347  and  u.,  348, 

556 
Hodder,  Ca]   .  Edward,  430 
Hodges,  th-  artist,  Mr.,  129 

•2   Q   2 


596 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME   IV. 


Hoiidic,  Isle  of,  2G6,  522 

Holdernesse,  110 

Holla'Dilerdyb,  Copenhagen,  429  and  n.,  431 

432, 440 
Holland,  57,  102,  173,  lUd,  279,  280,  29G, 

405,  407-412,  470,  472,  549,   550,  559, 

5G0 
Holland,  Com.  A.,  32G 
nollandin,  116 

Hollingsworth,  Lieut.  John,  549 
Hollis,  V.-Ad.  Aiskew  Pafford,  4C0,  46G  n. 
Hullowav,  Admiral  John,  194,  203  u.,  24G, 

269  n.,  274  n. 
Holloway,  Lieut.  Richard,  210 
Eohteen,  431  u.,  433  n.,  437,  440,  561 
Holyhead,  549 

Home,  R.-Ad.  Sir  George,  194 
Home,  R.-Ad.  Roddani,  51,  52,  114,  194, 

293,  351 
Honduras,  British,  44 
Honduras,  Gulf  of,  45,  378,  549 
Honolulu,  145 
Eonore,  83  n. 

Honyman,  Admiral  Robert,  272 
Hood,   Admiral  Sir  Alexander  Arthur:  see 

Bridport,  Lord 
Hood,  Capt.  Alexander,   336,   337  and  n., 

555 
Hood,  Admiral  Sir  Samuel  (1),   Viscount, 

106,  108,  114,  166,  167,  191,  198,  202- 
213,  243-246,  286,  552,  653 

Hood,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Samuel  (2),  203  n.,  243, 
279,  322,  323,  357,  360,  361  and  n.,  373, 
375,  376,  377,  390,  401,  424,  4(  0, 466  n., 
468,  482,  556 

Hood,  Midshipman ,  132 

Hood's  Island,  132 

Jloogcarsjjel,  70,  71 

Hope,  Capt.  Charles  (1),  151 

Hope,  R.-Ad.  Sir  George  (1),  197  n.,  203  n., 
269  n.,  373  n.,  391,  556 

Hope,  Lieut.  J ,  247  u. 

Hope,  V.-A.  Sir  William  Johnstone,  22G, 
408,  454  n. 

Hope,  110,  111  (2),  281,  295  n.,  549 

Hopkins  (Mar.),  Capt.  John,  369 

Hopkins,  U.S.N.,  Commod.  Esek,  4  and  n. 

Hornet,  154 

Hornsey,  Com.  John,  321 

Horton,  R.-Ad.  Joshua  Sydney,  529 

Hospital  ships,  216,  260  n. 

Hospitals,  Royal  Naval,  159,  187 

Hoste,  Cai)t.  Sir  "William,  391 

Hotham,  V.-Ad.  the  Hon.  Sir  Henry,  245 

Hotham,   Admiral  William  (1),  Loid,   17, 

107,  108,  166,  167,  182  and  n.,  191,  202, 
203  n.,  246,  267-279,  283,  553 

Hotham,  Admiral  Sir  William  (2),  274  n., 

279,  326,  340 
Houat :  see  Iloat 
Iloughtuii,  483  n. 

Hound,  198  n.,  349  n.,  486,  548,  551 
Howe,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Richard 


Earl,  17,  106,  107,  168,  171,   172,  181, 

182,   183,    191,  198,  200-202,  216-239, 

241,  254,  260,  304,  485,  553 
Howe,  Ca])t.  Tyringham,  4 
Howitzer  boats,  445,  558 
Iluaheine,  131,  139 
Hubert,  Capt.,  276 

Hudson,  Capt.  Charles,  48,  75,  109,  111 
Hudson,  River,  26,  113 
Hudson's  Bay,  84,  85,  137,  139 
Huessen,  Graaf  van  :  see  De  Winter 
Huggett,  Lieut.  William,  549 
Hughes,  Admiral  Sir  Edward,  58,  76,  85, 

95  n.,  112,  191,  198 
Hughes,  Admiral  Sir  Richard  (3),  90,  115, 

191 
Hugues,  Victor,  249,  250,  280 
Huguet,  Capt.,  226 
Huis,  Capt.  J.,  326,  410 
HuUin,  Capt.,  508 
Humber,  River,  35 
Humbert,  General,  298,  302,  343,  344,  345, 

346,  351 

Hunt,  Capt.  Anthony  (1),  2 

Hunt,  Capt.  Anthony  (2),  203  n.,  245,  266 

n.,  496,  548 
Himt,  Mr.  Edward,  151 
Hunter,  Mr.  Joseph,  152 
Hunter,  A'.- Ad.  John,  564,  565  and  n.,  567 
Hunter,  3,  29,  549 
Huntingdon  Bay,  26 
Hurricanes:  see  Storms 
Hussar,  13,  46, 92  n.,  93  and  n.,  110, 113  n., 

115,  154,  198  n.,  4!)2,  549,  553 
Hussard,  53,  114,  413,  556 
Hutchiuson,  Majur-General  Sir  John  Hely, 

455 
Hutt,  Capt.  John,  111,  213,  224,  226 
Hvcon,  429,  431 
Hyxria,  198  n.,  476,  548 
Hyder  Ali,  58 
Hyder  Ali,  80,  112 
Hijdra,  340,  342,  343,  555 
Hydrographical  Office,  The,  152,  18G,  187 
Hyene,  508 
Hyeres,  243,  273,  274,  352,  356  n.,  499, 

548,  553,  554 

Ibbetsox,  Mr.  John,  150 

Ice,  84,  106,  130,  131,  132,  134,  136,  137, 

139,  143,  279  n.,  441  and  n.,  519 
Icy  Cape,  139 

Illustrious,  203  n.,  269  n.,  271,  272,  278,  548 
Imbert,  Capt.  Baron  d',  205 
Immortalite,   154,   298  n.,  301,   344,  346, 

347,  349,  350  and  n.,  536,  556 
Impatiente,  298  n.,  304  n.,  555 
Ittijimeuse,  213,  244,  552 

Impetueux,  168  n.,  201  n.,  226,  2b0,  231, 
387  n.,  414,  415,  424,  548,  553  (2),  555, 
557  (2) 
Impregnable,  226,  228,  231,  482,  550 
Impressment,  13,  100,  156,  186,  188 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


597 


Improvements  in  the  Navy,  187 

Inagua,  551 

Incendiary.,   110,   22G,   2G0  n.,   4-18,   551, 

555 
Incendiary  yirojectiles,  377 
Includon,    Kiohard   (1):   see   Bury,    V.-Ad. 

Richard  Incledun 
Incoiinue,  216,  218,  485,  553 
Inconstant,  203  n.,  269  n.,  270,  272,  277 

279,  285,  415,  454  n.,  496  and  n.,  548, 

552,  553,  554 
Inconstantc,  481,  482,  552 
Incorruptible,  501,  531 
Indefati<iahle,  299,  302,  303,  388  n.,  424, 

496,  497  and  n.,  508  and  n.,  513,  534, 

545,  554,  555  (2),  556,  557 
Independant,  404 
Independence,  113 
India  :  see  East  Indies 
Indian  Ocean,  77,  520 
Indienne,  465,  466  n. 
Individble,  447  n.,  448,  452,  453 
Indomptable,  223,  225,  298  u.,  301  and  n., 

447  n.,  450,  459,  462,  463  and  n.,  466  n. 
Infanta  Arnalia,  560 
Inflexible,  174  n. 
Infodstretten,  431  n.,  437,  561 
Inglefield,  Capt.  John  Nicholson,  88,   112, 

152,  203  n. 
Inglis,  Capt.  Charles  (2),  454  u. 
Inglis,  K.-Ad.  c:harles  (1),  94 
Inghs,  E.-Ad.  John  (1),  61 
Inglis,  V.-Ad.  John  (2;,  58,  109,  Hi,  195, 

326 
Inman,  Capt.  Henry,  206,  336,  430 
Innes,  Lieut.  Thomas  (3),  464 
Insurgente,  201  n.,  255  n. 
Insolente,  415,  557 
Inspector,  174  and  n.,  247  n. 
International  Law,  165,  166 
Intrepid,  203  n.,  553,  554 
Intrepide,  114 
Invasion,  Threats  of,  of  England,  296  ;  of 

Ireland,  298-304,  305  ;  of  England,  305, 

338-351,  444-446 
Investigator,  568,  569,  571 
Invincible,  50,  94,  112,  222,  226,  231  and 

n.,  333  n.,  412,  427  n.,  551 
Ionian  Islands,  324,  390,  471 
Iphifjenia,  251,  293,  454  n.,  481,  482,  551, 

552  (3) 
Iphigenie,  16,  22,  51  and  n.,  77^  109,  525 

and  n.,  553,  556 
Ireland,  13,  35, 188, 189,  282, 296,  297-304, 

305,  336,  343-351,  354,  380,  381,  388, 

506,  525,  rA8,  550,  554,  555,  556,  558 
Ireland,  Lieut.  Th'jmas,  228 
Iris,  7,  51,  52  and  n.,  72,  73,  75,  1)1,  113 

and  n.,  174  n.,  175,  209  and  n.,  431  n., 

475,  476,  552 
Irish  Sea,  The,  11 
Irishmen  in  the  Navy,  59  n. 
Irresistible,  247  n.,  251,  260  n.,  261,  262, 


264,  304  n.,  307,  309  n.,  311,  314,  316 

and  n.,  317,  497,  507,  560  (2) 
Trwiu,  Com.  George,  549 
Irwin,  Ca]it.  John,  309  n. 
Irwin,  Lieut.  Thomas,  3G9 
Ischia,  390 
Isis,  17,  18,  31  n.,  59  and  n.,  99,  100,  162, 

163,  174   n.,  203  n.,  326,  403  n.,  410, 

429,  430,  433,  438,  439,  440,  493,  558, 

560 
Islet  h  Cochon,  Guadeloupe,  248 
Italy  (see   also  Tuscany,  Naples,  Sardinia, 

Sicily,  etc.),  287,  288,  375,  391,  396,  399, 

405,  542 

Jack,  71  and  n.,  72,  97 
Jackal,  46,  76,  80,  89  n.,  100,  110,  112 
Jackson,  V.-Ad.  Robert,  454  n. 
Jackson,  R.-Ad.  Samuel,  416,  470 
Jackson,  Com.  William,  70,  111 
Jacob,  Capt.  L.  L.,  344 
Jacobin,  226,  227,  230,  231,  232,  254,  553 
Jacobs,  Capt.  Maximilian,  48,  110 
Jacobson,  Com.,  326 
Jacon,  Capt.  Don  Miguel,  78 
JaBa,  385,  402 
Jaflnapatam,  282 
Jal,  M.,  cited,  236  u. 
Jalouse,  555 

Jamaica,   station   and   island,  31,  86,  110, 
HI,  112,  179,  197  and  n.,  214,  289,  293, 

294,  334,  335,  379,  414,  528,  552 
Jamaica,  27,  430,   432,  434,  446  and  n., 

547,  548,  554,  561 
James,  Capt.  Bartholomew,  373  n. 
James,  the  historian,  quoted,  259,  265,  276, 

295,  311,  313,  314,  318,  328  n.,  330,  331, 
337,  346,  352,  372,  384  and  n.,  410,  411, 
428,  438,  440,  449,  479,  4!I9 

James  Island,  Charleston,  48,  49 

James  River,  61 

Janissary,  454  n.,  455 

Janus,  154,  558 

Janvrin,  Capt.  Richard  Gaire,  459,  460 

Japan,  143,  562,  563,  564 

Jardine,  Com.  George,  369  n. 

Jardines,  The,  551 

Jason,  2,  87,  88,  114,  267,  304  n.,  336  and 

u.,  508,  510,  511,  550,  551,  555  (2),  558 
Java,  506 
Jean  Bart,  201  n.,  216,  241,  255  n.,  262, 

447  n.,  452,  453,  487,  488,  491,  553  (2) 
Jean  Rabel,  San  Domiugo,  334,  335 
Jeans,  Lieut.  John,  369 
Jeddah,  551 

Jemmapes,  226,  227,  234,  255 
Jenkins,  Capt.  Henrj-,  517-519,  550 
Jennings,  Capt.  Ulick,  331 
Jephcott  (Mar.),  Lieut.  William,  264 
Jeremie,  214,  250 
Jersey,  25,  60,  100,  492,  551 
Jersey,  57 
Jervis,  Sir  John  :  see  St.  Vincent,  Earl 


598 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME   IV. 


Jervis  {formerly  liickotts),  Caiit.  William 

Henry  Ricketts,  335,  554 
Johnson,  Lieut.  Uaviti,  331 
Johnson,  Lieut.  Edniuml,  -130,  -139 
Johnson,  Com.  Joshua,  -139 
Johnston,  U.S.N.,  Capt.  H.,  8,  113 
Johnstone,  Capt.  George,  46  and  n.,  70,  77, 

162 
Johnstone,  Com.  James (1),  111 
Johnstone,  Capt.  James  (2),  146  and  n. 
Johnstone's  Strait,  1-16 
Joliff,  Capt.,  520 
Jolliffe,  Lieut.  George,  369 
Jones,  Capt.  Hon.  Charles  (1):  sec  Kanelagh, 

Viscount 
Jones,  Capt.  James,  4,  7,  109,  110 
Jones,  II.S.N.,  Capt.  John  Paul,  1 0  and  n., 

11,  12,  13,  33-39,  98,  110,  113 
Jones,  Capt,  Richard  (1),  369  n.,  445 
Jordan,  Capt.  Don  J.,  333  n. 

Joyner  (S.  Car.  Xavy),  Capt. ,  113 

Juan  de  Fuca  Strait,  146,  147,  563 

Juan  Fernandez  Island,  121,  122 

Jump,  Lieut.  Robert,  448,  551 

Juno,  3,  109,  203  n.,  243,  278,  408  n.,  482, 

498,  559 
Junon,  16,  20,  30,  57,  109,  110,  114,  278, 

375,  385,  386  n.,  400,  556 
Jupiter,  21  and  n.,  22,  26,  '11  n.,  50,  114, 

200  n.,  202  n.,  255,  277,  286,  295  n.,  326, 

328,  329  and  n.,  330,  525  and  u.,  559 
Juste,  226,  231  and  n.,  449,  553 
Justice,  276,  278,  357,  368  and  n.,  374,  422, 

455,  458,  558 
Justine,  298  n.,  304  n.,  555 
Jylland,  431  n.,  561 

Kamehameha  L,  147,  148,  563 

Kamperduin  (Camperdown),  327,  329 

Kamschatka,  142 

Kangaroo,  349  and  n.,  350,  539,  556,  561 

Kangaroo,  Discovery  of  the,  128 

Karakakoa  Bay,  140,  147,  148,  563 

Karlskroua,  441,  442 

Kauai  Island,  139,  145,  147,  563 

Keats,  Admiral  Sir  Richard  Goodwin,  266 
n.,  345,  389  n.,  460,  466  n.,  467,  487, 
495,  502,  557 

Keenor,  Lieut.  George,  331 

Keith,  Admiral  the  Hon.  George  Keith 
Elphinstone,  Viscount,  48,  60,  89,  115, 
116,  173,  192,  203  n.,  206,  207,  210,  280 
n..  281,  295  and  n.,  296,  379,  381-387. 
391  n.,  400,  414,  415,  416,  418,  419,  423 
and  n.,  424,  425,  448  and  n.,  452,  454 
and  n.,  455-458,  550,  558,  559 

Kelly,  Com.  William  (2),  451 

Kelly,  V.-Ad.  William  Hancock,  247  and 
n.,  424  n.,  449 

Kelly,  Lieut.  ^ ,  111 

Kemel,  Capt.,  466  n. 

Kemjie,  Admiral  Arthur,  V.^l 

Kempenfclt,  R.-Ad.  Richard,  112 


Kemphaan,  559 

Komiithorne,  \'.-Ad.  James,  89,  90,  195 

Kent,  3,  408,  452,  454  u.,  533,  534 

Kent,  Lieut.  Henry  (1),  560 

Kent,  Lieut.  William  Prosser,  180  n. 

Kentish  Knock,  The,  112 

Kenyon,  Lord,  162 

Keppel,  32 

Keppel,  Adnural  the  Hon.  Augustus,  A'is- 

comit,  14,  16,  95  n.,  114,  182 
Keppel,  Admiral  George,  57,  193 
Keppel,  Capt.  George  Augustus,  111 
Keranguen,  Capt.  Bertrand,  226 
Kerdanneh,  River,  402 
Kergariou-Coatles,  f 'apt.  Chev.  de,  53,  54 
Kergoualer,  Lieut.  Du  Couedic  de,  40-43 
Kerguelen,  R.-Ad.  Y.  J.,  256,  263 
Kerguelen  Island,  138 
Kerr,   A^.-Ad.   Lord   Mark  Robert,  377  n., 

560 
Kerry,  Coast  of,  35 
Kersaint,  Capt.  de,  77 
Kew,  131 

Key  Bokell,  Honduras,  548 
Key  Chapel,  379 
Kilcummin  Head,  343 
Killala  Bay,  344,  346 
Kins;,  Admiral  Sir  Richard  (1),  108,   191, 

198  and  n.,  336,  379 
King,  Capt.  Andrew,  430,  439 
King,   Capt.  James,  94,  95,  115,  138  and 

n.,  140,  142,  143,  562 
Kmg,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Richard  King  (2),  516, 

5o9 
King,  a  seaman,  181 
Kiny  Georrje,  27  and  n.,  251,  326 
King  George's  Soimd,  145,  568 
Kingfisher,  29,  109,  226,  255  n.,  256,  550 
Kingsale,  549 
Kingsmill   (formerly  Brice),  Admiral   Sir 

Robert    Brice,    192,   302   n.,   335,    379, 

413 
Kintyre,  100 

Kirchuer,  Lieut.  John  G ,  369 

Kite,  341  u.,  342,  443,  558 

Kittoe,  Com.  William  Hugh,  548 

KjiJge  Bay,  442 

Kleber,   General,   353,  404,  406,  407,  423 

and  n.,  424  and  n. 
Knell,  Capt.  William,  24,  114 
Knight,  Admhal  Sir  John  (2),  3,  109,  195, 

203  n.,  274  u.,  326,  385 
Knowles,  Admiral  Sir  Charles  Henrv,  54, 

194,  309  n. 
Knowles,  R.-Ad.  John,  194 
Kollf,  Capt.  D.  H.,  326,  410 
Komeet,  558 

Kongedyb,  Copenhagen,  430,  431 
Kosseir,  405,  406,  457 
Kowrowa,  140 

Krabbe  (Dan.  Navy),  Capt.,  426  and  n. 
Krafft,  Capt.  J.  AV.,  326 
Kronborg,  429 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  /I'. 


599 


Kronlorg,  Ail  n.,  439,  5f>l 
Kueleu,  the  cartographer,  yan,  564 
Kuikduin,  408 
Kurile  Islands,  503 

La  Bastard,  Lieut.  J.  11.  I'.,  :U4 

La  Bourdonnais,  Capt.,  494 

Labrador,  291 

Lacedemonian,  549 

La  Clocheterie,  Capt.  Louis  Chadeau  de,  14 

and  n.,  15 
Lacouture,  Captain  M.  A.,  344 
Lacroi.x,  Captain,  536 
La  CrosBe,  R.-Ad.  J.  R.,  298  u.,  302,  303, 

339 
Ladij  Jane,  550 
Lady  Nelson,  568,  569 
Lady  Fenrhyn,  565  n. 
La  Fargue,  Capt.,  298  n. 
Laforey,  Admiral  Sir  Francis,  161,  197  n., 

291  u.,  340,  342,  485,  502,  553,  555 
Laforey,  Admiral   Sir   John,  191,   197   n., 

213,  291,  292 
Lagos  Bay,  319,  320 
La  Guayra,  179,  549 
Lahaina,  563 

La  Hougue,  168,  339,  340,  548 
Lake  Madieh,  377 
Lake  Mareotis,  456,  457 
Lalonde,  Capt.  Laindet,  459,  465 
Lambert,  Capt.  Robert  Alexander,  110 
Lambert,  V.-Ad.  Robert  Stuart,  281, 294  n., 

431 
Lamentin,  Guadeloupe,  250 
La  Motte-Pitjuet,  Admiral,  11,  27 
Lamond,  Master  Daniel,  439 
Lamotte,  the  spy,  55  n. 
Lancaster,  173,  175  and  n.,  326,  331 
Lancester,  Lieut.  Th.,  326 
Landais,  Capt.,  33-35 
Landolph,  Capt.  J.  F.,  532 
Land's  End,  553 
Landsmen,  170 

Lane,  Capt.  Richard,  260  n.,  293 
Langan-Boisfevriei-,  Capt.,  31 
Langara,  Admiral  Don  Juan  de,  206,  208, 

286,  287,  288,  289,  290,  305 
Langford,  Capt.  Frederick,  446  n. 
Langlois,  Capt.,  226 
Langstone,  550 
Languages,  Importance  to  naval  officers  of 

a  knowledge  of,  254  and  n.,  538,  539 
Langucdoc,  17,  204  n.,  270  n. 
Langueglia  Bay,  277 
La  Perouse,  Capt.  J.  F.  de  Galaup,  Comte 

de,  71,  84,  85 
La  Porte,  Lieut.,  513 
Lapoype,  General,  206 
La  Poype-A'ertrieus,  Capt.  de,  17 
Lapwrny,  197  n.,  412,  504,  554  (2) 
Larconi,  Capt.  Thomas,  224  n.,  260  n.,  561 
Lard  as  a  cause  of  scurvy,  148 
Ijarh,  109,  266  n.,  293,  429 


Liirmour,  Capt.  John,  454  n.,  455 

Larnaca,  404 

Laronier,  Capt.  P.  298  n. 

Laroque,  Capt.  J.  B.  M.,  506 

Larreguy,  Capt.,  226 

La  Selva,  522 

La  Solidad,  Falkland  Islands,  2 

Latona,  201,  202,  216,  226,  229, 23'\  408  n., 

409,  410,  552 
Latreyte,  Capt.,  509 
Laugharne,  Capt.  Morgan,  72,  111 
Laughton,  R.X.,   Prof.   J.  K.,  quoted,   10, 

33  n.,  36  n.,  38  n.,  HO 
Launches,  Carronades  for,  155,  178 
Launder,  Lieut.  Philip  William,  369 
Laurel,  58,  111,  295  n.,  553,  559 
Laitrdle,  558 
La  Vendue,  296 

La  Villegris,  Capt.  G.  J.  N.  de,  226 
Lawford,  Admiral  Sir  John,  166,  198  n., 

408  n.,  430,  548 
Lawson,  Lieut.  Hugh,  54,  111 
Lemder,  79  and  n.,  87,  92  and  n.,  93,  99, 

322,  324,  355,  357,  301,  363,  364,  365, 

363,  369,  370  n.,  372,  375,  390,  513-516, 

544,  550,  556 
Leave:  see  Liberty 
Le  Blair,  privateersmau,  Jallle^,  557 
Lebozec,  Capt.  P.  M.,  523 
Lebrim,  Charles  Francois,  413 
Lebrun,  Capt.  J.  M.,  298  n. 
Lecale,   ^^-Ad.   Lord    Charles    Fitzgerald, 

later  Lord,  110,  194,  255  n. 
Le  Cras,  Capt.  Edward,  3,  151 
Leda,  203  n.,  549,  552 
Lee,  Com.  John,  524 
Lee,  Admir.al  Sir  Richard,  1!'7  n.,  551 
Leef,  Com.  Thomas,  531  n.,  550 
Leeward  Islands,  7,  197  and  n.,  291,  333, 

334,  335,  379,  414,  547 
Le  Francq,  Capt.,  220 
Leyere,  114,  376,  498,  500,  551,  554,  556, 

557 
Legae,  Admiral  the  Hon.  Sir  Arthur  Kaye, 

226 
Leghorn,  268,  273,  277,  279,  285,  288,  389, 

415,  419,  450,  451  and  n.,  452,  458,  54S, 

550 
Legion  of  Honour,  422 
Legrand,  Capt.  J.  F.,  344,  350 
Leij'lcn,  326,  328  n.,  410,  559 
Leith,  35,  100 

Lejoille,  Capt.,  208  n.,  357,  514,  olo,  ol6 
Lejoille,  530 
Le  Maire.  Strait  of,  133 
Lemmer,  412 
Lemon  juice,  128 
Lennox,  of   H.E.I.    Co's.    service,  Charles, 

506 
Leohtn,  375 
L^ogane,  214,  293 
Le  ^Ray,   Commod.   Jvdien,   226,   298    n., 

466  n. 


600 


INDEX    TU    VOLUME   IV. 


Leopard,  174  ii.,  175,  105,  457,  552 
Les  Irois,  335 
Leslie,  Ciiptain  Patrick,  G8 
Letters  of  marque  and  reprisals  issued,  280 
Lethbrid<;e,  Mr.  Popliam,  quoted,  182  n. 
Levant,  The,  278,  288,  417 
Levant,  Isle  du,  274 
Levinif,  4 
Leveret,  57 

Leviathan,  110,  203  n.,  210,  220,  222,  223, 
226,  227,  230,  293,  377  n.,  384,  391,  519, 
530,  531 
Levrette,  484 
Leorier,  528,  557 
Lexington,  4,  8,  9,  10,  97,  9S,  113 
Lei/den,  446  n. 

L'Heritior,  Capt.  Louis,  226,  298  ]i.,  337 
L'Herniitte,  Capt.  J.  M.  A.,  226,  524,  529 
Libby,  Lieut.  Edward,  317 
Libertd,  204  n.,  465,  466  n.,  492,  552  (2), 

553 
Liberty  and  leave,  169,  172,  188 
Lihcrty,  495,  554 
Libu,  Prince,  143 
Licorw,  13,  14,  16,  53,  63  and  n.,  64,  110, 

114  (2) 
Lieutenants,  157,  158,  160,  161,  186,  187, 

188,  332 
Lieut.-Generals  of  Marines,  Ibl,  191 
Lights,  362 

Ligondes,  Capt.  Conite  de,  21 
Liguria,  324,  339 
Li(juria,  513,  556 
Liguriennc,  530,  557 
Lijnx,  559 

Lillicrap,  Capt.  James,  470 
Liiiihi,  559 
LiincHO,  561 

Lindesnes,  or  The  Naze,  428  and  n. 
Lindholm,  Adjutant-General,  437,  438 
Lindsay,  Capt.  Sir  Charles,  309  u.,  319 
Lindsay,  K.-Ad.  Sir  John,  182 
Lindsey,  Capt.'s  Clerk  David,  464 
Line,  Breaking  the,  223,  225,  228-236,  311, 

327,  328 
Line  o*'  battle,  36,  71,  226,  269,  309  n.,  347, 

483,  511 

Linois,  V.-Ad.  C.  A.  L.  Durand,  Comte  de, 

262  u.,  298  n.,  447  n.,  459-465,  466  and 

n ,  467,  469,  484,  -195,  496,  539,  546,  551 

Linzee,  Ca)it.  John,  112 

Liuzee,  Admiral  Kobert,  111,  192,  203  n., 

212  and  n.,  243,  216,  269  n.,  274  n. 
Linzee,  A'^.-Ad.  Samuel  Hood,  536,  548 
Lion,  22  and  u.,  72,  83  n.,  89,  97  n.,  137, 
174  n.,  177,  376, 377,  390,  418,  419,  420- 
422,  5]  1,  512,  556,  557,  560 
Lions,  Gulf  of,  535 

Lisbon,  46,  115,152,217,237,290,305,3  0, 
-     335,  354,  379,  386,  449  n.,  458,  550,  555, 

560,  561 
Littk'hales,  V.-Ad.  Bendall  Robert,  303  n. 
Littlejohn,  Capt.  Adam,  267,  268,  548 


Lively,  16,  72,  109,  112,  114,  279,  307,  309 

n.,  321  n.,  187  n.,  490,491,  546,  549,  553, 

555 
Liverpool,  100,  185  n.,  374,  506 
Liverpool,  109 

Livingstone,  Admiral  Sir  Thomas,  415,  450 
Livingstone  (Mar.),   Lieut.  George  A , 

317 
Lizard,  The,  14,  83,  216,  497,  554 
Lizard,  115 

Lloj-d,  Capt.  Howell,  111 
Llovd,  Capt.  Thomas  (1),  111 
Lloyd,  Capt.  Tliomas  (2),  110 
Lloyd,  Admiral  William  (1),  191 
Lloyd,  Lieut.-Col.,  457  n. 
Loano  Bay,  284 
Lobb,  Capt.  William  (iranville,  2111  n.,  528, 

557,  561 
Locke,  V.-Ad.  Walter,  2(;0  n. 
Locker,  Capt.  William,  34 
Locmaria,  Capt.  Kergariou,  91,  92,  93 
Lodi,  455  and  n. 
Logie,  Lieut.  Gustavus  80, 112 
Logs,  Ships',  95  and  n.,  542 
I  oire,  Hiver,  267 
Loire,  344,  346,  347,  349,  350  and  n.,  530, 

556,  557 
London,  155,  156,   175  u.,  186,  320.  331, 

332,  374,  427,  444 
London,  89,  90,  99,  115,  168  n.,  171,  174, 

200,  260  n.,  262,  263,  264,  265,  283,  384 

n.,  424,  431,  438,   505 
Long,  Com.  Charles  (2),  377  n.,  550 
Long  (^Mar.),  Lieut.  Henry,  439 
Long,  Com.  George,  452 
Long,  Com.  William,  111 
Lung  Island  and  Sound,  2H,  lO'l,  111 
Long  Islaud,  Maine,  29 
Long  Peach,  173 

Longer,  Capt.  Pierre  Jacques,  226 
Longueville  Bav,  St.  Lucia,  293 
Lorient,  34,  39,^200,  206,  221,  252  n.,  254, 

256,  264,  265,  266,  267,  291,  297  and  n., 

300  n.,  338,  345,  351,  378,  422,  491,  511, 

525,  553,  555,  556 
Loring,  Capt.  John,  165,  458 
Losack,  V.-Ad.  George,  295  n. 
Los  Marjdlaiics,  560 
Losses,  1775-83,  109-116  ;  and  cajitures  in 

1793,  214  ;  in  1793-1802,  548-561 
Loss  Archijielago,  510 
Lostanges,  M.  de,  43 
Loudoun,  51 

Louis,  Admiral  Sir  John,  160  n. 
Louis,  U.-Ad.  Sir  Thomas,  237  n.,  357,  374, 

390,  399,  416,  418,  454  u. 
Louis  XVII.,  205 

Louis  Bonapaile,  King  of  Holland,  331 
Louiia,  466  n.,  468,  469  n. 
Louisa  Willielmiiia, 
Louisbourg,  109,  123 
L'Ouverture,   General  Toussaint,   3(8,  473 

and  u. 


IXDEX    TO    VOLUME   IV. 


601 


Low  Archipelago,  120,  122 

Lowen,  Lieut.  Thomas,  341  n. 

Lowestoft,  44,  45,  203  n.,  212  and  n.,  243, 

2G9  n.,  271,  273,  279,  492,  493,  551,  553 
Loyalist,  72,  111 
Lucadou,  Capt,  226 
Lucas,  R.-Ad.  Engelbertus,  295  and  n. 
Lucas,  (French  Navy),  Capt.,  466  n. 
Lucas,  Captain  liichard,  237  n.,  280  n.,  502, 

552 
Lu-Clni  Lslands,  564 

Ludlow,  Major-General  the  Hon.  G.  J.,  455 
Luke,  A^-Ad.  William,  554 
Lukin   (afterwards    Windham),   William : 

see  Windham 
Lumley,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Thomas  Charles, 

162 
Lumsdaiue,  V.-Ad.  George,  203  n.,  475, 506, 

555,  558 
Lunar.«,  124 

Lund,  Midshipman  Thomas,  317 
Luneville,  Treaty  of,  444,  458 
Lurcher,  551 
Lutine,  154,  204  n.,  278,  408  u.,  412  and 

n.,  550,  552  (2) 
Luttrell    (aflerwards    Olniius),    the    Hon. 

.John :  see  Olmius,  the  Hon.  J.  L. 
Lutwidge,   Admiral    Skeffington,    72,    114, 

13G  and  n.,  192,  203  u., '336,  379,  413, 

427 
Lydiard,  Capt.  Charles,  499  and  n. 
Lys,  204  n.,  552 
Lyttleton,  New  Zealand,  126 

Maas,  River,  327,  408 

Maarten  Harpertszoon  Tromp,  154,  559 

Ma^artnev,  Lord,  180 

Macao,  143,  144,  470,  563,  564 

Macassar,  122 

M'Beatb,  Lieut.  Alexander,  335 

Macbride,  Admiral  John,  2,  56,  192 

McCarthy,  Lieut.  William,  548 

McCluer,  surveyor  in  the  H.E.I.  Co.'s  service, 

143,  144 
McCluer's  Inlet,  144 
M'CuUocb,  Com.  Thomas,  430 
M'Douall,  Admiral  Robert,  195,  293 
M'Dougall,  V.-Ad.  John  (1),  383 
M'Evoy,  Capt.  Robert,  74,  110,  111 
M'Gie,  Lieut.  David,  454  n. 
Machias,  3,  109 

Mackellar,  Admiral  John,  341  n..  342 
M'Kellar,  Com.  Peter,  454  n. 
Mackenzie,  Capt.  Adam,  522,  559 
Mackenzie,  Admiral  Thomas,  31,  110,  193, 

226 
M'Kenzie,  Capt.  Kenneth,  535,  557 
Mackev,  Lieut.  Michael,  549 
M'Kiniey,  Admiral  George  (1),  430,  495 
M'Kinley,  Midshipman  George  (2),  439 
M'Kinnon,  Master's  Mate  Hugh,  317 
M'lnerheny,  Lieut.  John,  179  n.,  549 
M'Intush  (Mar.),  Lieut. ,  179 


Macnamara,  R.-Ad.  James  (2),  309  n.,  494, 

499,  526,  554,  560 
McNeil,  U.S.N'.,  Capt.  Hector,  5,  7 
Madagascar,  296,  472,  549 
Madeira,  49,  90,  470,  472,  529 
Madras,  58,  281 
I  Madrid,  2,  286 
'  Madrid,  Treaty  of,  470  n. 
'  Magellan's  Strait,  118,  120,  121,  125 
Magendie,  Cora.  J.  J.,  537 
Magicienne,  74,  91,  92,  93, 99, 114,335, 449, 

554 
Magnaniuie,  346,  347,  348,  516,  556 
Magnificent,  47,  114,  38T  n. 
Maqnififpie,  114 
Maiian,  U.S.N.,  Capt.  A.  T.,  quoted,  264, 

265,  287,  288,  472 
Mahe,  214,  541 
Mahou  :  see  Port  Mahon 
Mahonesa,  504,  560  (2) 
Maidstone,  22,  97  n. 
Main,  Lieut.  Dawson,  518  and  n. 
Main,  Midshipman  Robert,  535  n. 
Maine,  Gulf  of,  502 
Mainwaring,  Capt.  Jemmett,  501,  551 

Mainwaring,  Captain's  Clerk,  Mr. ,  179 

Maire  Chiiton,  216,  217 

Maistral,  Capt.  D.  M.,  344 

Maistral,  Capt.  E.  T.,  298  u.,  480 

Maitland,  Colonel,  32 

Maitland,  Colonel  Frederick,  409 

Maitland,  Maj.-Genl.,  415 

Maitland,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Frederick  Lewis 

(1),  114 
Maitland,  R.-Ad.  Sir  Frederick  Lewis  (2), 

387,  456,  550 
Maitland,     Brigadier  -  General     the     Hon. 

Thomas,  378 
Majestic,  222,  226, 292, 357,  361,  362  and  n., 

367,   368,  369,  370  n.,  381,  384  and  n., 

391,  482,  555,  560 

Major,  Lieut.  C ,  110 

Majorca,  380,  519,  560 

Maj.-Generals  of  Marims,  182 

Makaroff,  V.-Ad.,  378 

Malaiar,  291,  549 

Malacca,  and  Straits  of,  89,  282,  472 

Malaga,  534,  560,  561 

Mala\s,  512 

Malbon,  Capt.  Micajah,  415,  424 

Malcolm,  Admiral  Sir  Pulteney,  509,  555 

IMalicolo,  133 

Malin,  Capt.  J.  P.  A.,  298  n. 

Malina,  Capt.  Don  J.,  466  n. 

Malora,  Leghorn,  285 

Malta,  152,  208,  278,  353,  355,  356  and  n., 

374  and  n.,  375,  376,  383,  390,  400,  415, 

418,  419,  420-123,  427,  450,  453  and  n., 

454,  455,  459  n.,  471,  482,  510,  557  (2) 
MaUa,  422,  454  n. 
Maltby,  Capt.  William,  2,  3 
Man,  Lieut.  Elias,  549 
Man,   Admiral   Robert  (3),   62,  115,  193, 


602 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  IV. 


203  n.,  213,  274  and  n.,  277,  286,  287 

and  n.,  28S,  289,  290  n.,  552 
Manar,  282 

Manby,  R.-Ad.  Thomas,  149  n.,  536,  557 
Manila  Island,  138 
Manilla,  321,  509 
Manley,  V.-Ad.  John  (1),  111 
Manly,  U.S.N'.,  Capt.  John,  5,  7,  113 
Maimers,  Capt.  Lord  Robert,  50 
Manning  the  lleet,  155-157 
Mansel,  Capt.  Robert,  537 
Manscll,  Capt.  Sir  Thomas,  317 
Maustield,  Capt.  Charles  Jolm  Moore,  506 
Mantoue,  375 
^lantua,  285,  405 
Manvers,   Earl :   see   Pierrepont,  Capt.   the 

Hon.  Charles  Herbert 
Maoris,  127 

Maples,  Com.  John,  335 
Marabou  Island,  376,  457 
Marengo,  418 
jSlargaret,  550 
Mai'garita  Island,  517 
Margate,  342,  408 
Maria  Louise,  558 
Maria  Primeira,  255  n. 
Marianne,  401,  402,  404  n.,  556 
Marie  Antoinette,  179  n.,  549 
Marie  Rose,  402  n.,  556 
Marigny,  Capt.  de,  30 
Marin  Bay,  Martinique,  292 
Marines,  Tlie,  (Royal  ISIarines),  45,  48,  49, 

61,  74,  76,  140, 141,  156  n.,  170, 171, 181, 

182,  206,  239,  240,  244,  247,  266,  281, 

322,  324,  340,  374,  399,  402,  412,  440  n. 

452,  456,  464,  478,  495,  514,  517,  565  n., 
Marittimo,  510 
Markham,  Archbishop,  131 
Markham,  Admiral  John,  177  n.,  247  n., 

377  n.,  385,  553,  556,  568 
Marlborough,  29,  50,  59,  116,  168  n.,  176, 

177-179,  218,  219,  220,  226,  230  and  u., 

384  n.,  415,  551 
Marlow,  Admiral  Benjamin,  191 
Marmont,  Marshal,  404 
Marquesas  Islands,  124,  132 
Marquis  of  Castries,  83  n. 
Harriot,  the  Admiralty  Judge,  Sir  James, 

162 
Marryat,  the  novelist,  103  n. 
Mars,  61  and  n.,  116  (2),  154,  168  n.,  176, 

255  n.,  257,  258,  259,  326,  328  n.,  336, 

337,  388,  389,  410,  430,  431  n.,  555,  559 
Marsden,  Mr.  William,  150,  169 
Marseilles,  204,  205,  206,  419,  459,  557 
Marseillais,  17  and  n.    ■ 
Marsh,  Capt.  Edward,  111 
Marsh,  Mr.  George,  151 
Marsh,  Mr.  John,  152 
Marshall,  Capt.  Sir  Samuel  (2),  14  and  n., 

151 
Marshalsoa  Prison,  The,  176 
Mar  sou  in,  554 


Martello  Towers,  212 

Martin,  325,  326,  551 

Martin,  Capt.  C.  J.,  357 

Martin,  Admiral  of  the   Fleet   Sir  George, 

(2),  309  n.,  391,  418,  422,  423,  454  n., 

507,  560  (2) 
Martin,  Capt.  Sir  Henry  (2),  150 
Martin,  Com.  John  Henry,  430 
Martin,  V.-Ad.  Pierre,  246,  268-272,  273- 

277 
Martin,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Thomas 

Byam,  203  n.,  334,  350,  414,  498,  554, 

556,  561 
Martin,  Boatswain  William,  179 
Martinencq,  Capt.,  459,  466  n. 
Martinique,  58,  202,   213,  214,  247,  248, 

250,  292,  333,  413,  472,  552 
Mary,  59 

Masafuera,  119,  121 
Masefield,  Com,  Joseph  Ore,  430 
Maskelyne,  Dr.  Nevil,  124 
Mason,  V.-Ad.  Christopher,  193 
Mason,  Lieut.  Samuel,  519 
Massachusetts,  113 
Massacre  ;  at  Toidon,  210, 211 ;  at  Quiberon, 

266 ;  at  Marabou,  376 ;  at  El  Arich,  406 
Massaredo,   Admiral,   320,  377,   382,  384, 

387,  388,  389,  424  n.,  465 
Massena,  Marshal,  380  n.,  416,  417 
Masters,  157,  158 
Mastif,  550 

Matavai  Bay,  Tahiti,  103,  125,  133 
Mates,  160 

Matilda,  505,  553,  555 
Matson,  Admiral  Richard,  412 
Matthew,  Major-General,  26 
Matthews,  Lieut.  George,  111 
Matthews,  Capt.  John,  203  n.,  210,  212  n. 
Maui  Island,  140, 147,  563 
Mauritius,  49,  83,  487,  494,  511,  520,  529, 

570 
Maxtone,  Com.  Thomas,  549 
Maxwell,  Capt.  Keith,  540  n.,  558 
May,  Capt.  James,  203  n. 
Mayflower,  557,  560 
Mayo,  Ireland,  344 
Mazzaro  del  Vallo,  353,  356  n. 
Meadows  (or  Medows),  Capt.  Charles :   see 

Pierrepont 
Medals,  135,  182,  183,  226,  239,  320,  332, 

373,  443,  478,  552-561 
Medea,  21  and  n.,  22,  94,  113, 115 
Medee,  343,  351,  475,  503,  504,  532,  546, 

557 
Medemblik,  409 
Mediator,  91,  115 

Medical  comforts.  Embezzlement  of,  169 
Medina,  Capt.  Don  N.  de,  62 
Mediterranean,  The,  4,  19,  110,  167,  176, 
197  and  n.,  202-213,  255,  267-279,  283- 
290,  305,  324,  335,  338,  351  et  seq.,  379, 
380,  382-388,  389-400,  414,  415,  427, 
471,  492,  499,  506,  513,  531,  535,  547, 


IXDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


603 


548,  549,  550,  551,  552,  553,  555,  556, 

557,  558,  560,  5G1,  etc. 
Medusa,  445,  446  n.,  550 
Meduse,  555 
Med  way  River,  175,  176 
Meermin,  558 
Megcera,  260  n. 
Mejan,  General,  393,  399 
Melampus,  346,  347,  348,  349  and  n.,  483, 

484,  492,  5S3,  554  (2),  556 
Melas,  General  Baron  von,  416,  418 
Meloombe,  Com.  Jotm,  84,  114 
Meleager,  203  n.,  269  n.,  273,  274  and  n., 

277,  284,  285,  551 
Melhuish,  Com.  John,  210 
Meljjomine,  245,  351,  480,  553,  556,  557 
Melpomene,  408  u.,  512,  535 
Melvill,  V.-Ad.  Pieter,  67  and  n. 
Melville  Bay,  569 
Memorije  Bay,  454,  455 
Menage,  General,  344 
Menarjere,  91,  115 

Mendana,  the  explorer,  Don  Alvaro  de,  132 
Mendiina's  Ba}^  132 
Mendocino,  Cape,  146 
Mendoza,  Marquis  de  Caiiete,  132 
Mendoza,  Capt.  Don  G.,  333  n. 
Mends,  Capt.  Sir  Robert,  264 
Menou,  General,  353,  424,  455,  456,  457 
Mentor,  111,  112 
Mercadal,  Minorca,  377 
Mercantile  marine.  The,  170 
Mercedes,  526 

Mercer  (Mar.),  Lieut.  John,  250 
Mercure,  204  n.,  270,  357,  368,  372,  556 
Mercurius,  558 
Mercury,  57,  103,  123,  449,  535,  539,  542, 

557,  557 
Meriton,   of    H.E.I.   Co's.   service,   Heurv, 

532 
Merlin,  109,  379 
Mermaid,  16,  109,  203  n.,  334,  349,  350 

and  n.,  379,  494,  501,  502,  511,  530,  554, 

555,  557,  560 
Merrick,  Capt.  William  Augustus,  110 
Messina,  Town  and  Strait,  355,  356  n.,  452 
Metcalfe,  Master  George,  228 
Mexicano,  309  n.,  312J'387 
Mexico,  147,  148,  525,  550,  551,  561,  562 
Meynne,  Capt.  F.  J.,  447  n. 
Micheroux,  Russian   ufBcer   in    Neapolitan 

service,  392,  396 
Miconi,  see  Mykonos. 
Middelburg,  70 
Middelgrund  shoal,  Copenhagen,  429,  431, 

432  433 
Middle  Island,  New  Zealand,  126,  131 
Middleton,  Sir  Charles,  see  Barbam,  Lord 
Middleton,    Capt.    Robert     Gambler,    210, 

454  n.,  492,  510,  555,  561 
Midshipmen,  160,  182,  186 
Miermin,  558 
Mifflin,  5 


I  Mignonne,  245,  480,  549,  553 
Milan,  352,  418 
Milbauk,  Com.  Ralph,  111 
Milbanke,  Admiral  Mark,  191,  379,  413 
Milbrook,  534,  544 
Miles,  Capt.  Thomas  (3),  272 
Milford,  4  and  n.,  14,  113 
Miller,  Capt.  George,  421,  454  n.,  558 
Miller,  Capt.  Ralph  Willett,  210,  269  n., 

309  n.,  311,  315,  321,  322,  323,  357,  361, 
I      400,  403  and  n.,  404  n. 
Miller,  Capt.  Simon,  247  n.,  553,  554 
Milne,  Admiral  Sir  David,  291  n.,  492  and  n., 

511,  533,  549,  553,  555,  557 
Milne,  Com.  James  (1),  247  n.,  248 
Milne,  Master's  Mate  James,  331 
Minchin,  Com.  William,  439 
Minerva,   18,  19,  61,    97,    110,   114,    154, 

198  u.,  214,  269  n.,  271,  272,  290,  326, 

397,  409,  554,  559 
Miner ce,   24,   60,  61,  114,  243,  268,   307, 

309  n.,  319,  321  n.,  341  n.,  342,  450, 451, 

480  and  n.,  492,  493,  505,  552,  553,  555, 

558,  560 
Minorca,  66,  74,  273,  377,  378,  383,  384, 

385,  386,  387,  400,  449,  454,  459,  471  n., 

492,  560 
Minorca,  54,  111,  386  n.,  420,  454  n.,  455, 

556,  558 
Minotaur,  160  n.,  168  n.,  237  n  ,  357,  361, 

362,  364,  365,  369  and  n.,  370,  374,  390, 

399,  416,  418,  454  n.,  533,  561 
Minto,  Sir  Gilbert  Elliot,  later  Earl  of,  245 

and  n.,  285,  289,  307 
Miquelon,  213,  291,  472 
Misbehaviour,  240,  329,  330 
Mistisloff,  403  n.,  410 
Mitchell,  Admiral  Sir  Andrew  (1),  85,  193, 

379, 408-412,  559 
Mitchell,  V.-Ad.  Sir  WiUiam,  326,  549 
Mitchell,  Master  AVilliani,  224 
Mitford,  Capt.  Henry,  555 
Mizen  Head,  Cork,  300,  555 
Mobile,  49 
Mocha,  406 
Modeste,  213,  552,  555 
Molene  Island,  25 

Moller  (Russian  Navy),  Capt.  A.,  408  u. 
MoUoy,   Capt.  Anthonv  James  Pye,  202, 

226,  228  and  n.,  229,"  240 
Molly,  90,  111 
JEoIuccas  Islands,  294 
Mona  Passage,  The,  114,  557 
Monaco,  5fiO 
Monarca,  115,  377 
Monarch,  61,  200,  214,  280  n.,  295  n.,  296, 

326,  328,  329,  331,  428,  430,  432  n.,  433, 
'      436,  437,  438,  439,  440 

Monckton  (properly  Monkton),  Capt.  John, 
'      230  n.,  260  n. 

'  Moncousu,  Capt.,  298  n.,  447  n.,  459,  465 
'  Mondavi,  454  n.,  510,  555 
Monkhouse,  Midshipman ,  127 


604 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Monmouth,  174  n.,  175,  326,  408  n.,  410 
Monnikendam,  326,  328,  329  n.,  330,  559 
Monson  (mil),  Capt.  the  Hon.  Charles,  282 
Montagnard,  222,  225,  239 
Montwjne,  215,  226,  227,  230  and  n.,  231 

aiid  n.,  256 
Montagu,  Admiral  Sir  George,  4,  33,  115, 

192,  214,  210,  217  and  n.,  224  n.,  237 

and  n.,  238,  239 
Montagu,  Capt.   James   (1),  21,  109,  226, 

228 
Montagu,  Admiral  John,  191 
Montagu,  Admiral  Robert,  195 
MontiujH,  58,  173,  174  n.,  226,  236,  326, 

331,  384  n.,  385,  449,  553 
Montalan,  Capt.  G.  S.  A.,  490 
Mo7it  Blanc,  225,  239,  255,  278 
Montebello,  418 
Montego  Kej',  379 
Monlenolle,  375 
Monterey,  147,  148,  563 
Montes,  Commod.  Don  F.,  528  ' 

Montevideo,  59  \ 

Montgomery,  Capt.  Augustus,  203  n.,  269  n., 

278,  552 
Montr/omery,  113  I 

Montguyot,  Capt.  de,  27  [ 

Montreal,  25,  110 
Montreal,  54,  55,  210,  552 
Moore,  Admiral  Sir  Graham,  346,  347  n., 

556 
Moore,  General  Sir  John,  409,  455 
Moorisli  pirates.  Protection  against,  188 
Morality  in  the  Xavy,  184 
Morant  Keys,  549 

Morbihim,  415,  424,  534  ' 

Morce,  Com.  William,  430 
Morea,  The,  355 
Moreau  de  Jonnes  referred  to,  167  n.,  174, 

267  n. 
Morel,  Capt.,  22G 
Moreno,  V.-Ad.  Don  J.  J.  de,  459,  466  and 

n.,  467 
Morgan,  Lieut.  Benjamin,  331 
Morgan,  Lieut.  James,  210 
Moriarty,  Y.-Ad.  Sylverius,  112,  195 
Morice,  Capt.  Richard,  247  n. 
Morue  Chabot,  293 
Morue  Fortunee,  St.  Lucia,  293 
Morris,  V.-Ad.  Sir  James  NicoU,  416,  534, 

549,  552 
Morrison,  Capt.  John  (1),  415,  454  n.,  455, 

457 
Morrison,    Boatswaiu   and   Gunner   James, 

103  n.,  106 
Mortality  on  shipboard,  129 
Mortars,  247,  320,  322,  389,  401,  -116 
Mortella  Bay,  212,  243,  287,  288 
Mortemart,  Capt.  A'icorate  de,  94 
Mortimer,  Com.  John,  309  n. 
Mortlock,  Com.  Lewis,  341  n.,  519 
Mosclh',   204  n.,  269   and  n.,  274  and  n  , 

295  n.,  494,  548,  552,  553 


Mosquito,  113,  548,  550 

Mosquito  Indians,  45 

Moss,  Com.  John  Ralph,  379 

Mosse,  Ca].t.  James  Robert,  430,  439 

Mothcrbank,  Tlie,  548 

Mott,  Cajit.  Andrew  (1),  430 

Mouat,  Capt.  Patrick,  118 

Mouatt,  Capt.  Henry,  4 

Moulter,  Boatswain's  Mate,  105 

Moultson,  Capt.  Jean,  498 

Mount  Batten  Point,  549 

Mount   Edgcumbe,  Admiral   George,  Earl, 

191 
ISIount  Egmont,  New  Zealand,  126 
Moimt  Pleasant,  S.  Carolina,  49 
Mount's  Bay,  71,  110 
Muuree,  79  and  n. 
Moutray,  Capt.  John,  55 
Mucins,  226,  227,  230  and  n.,  231,  255  n., 

262,  298  u.,  301 
Mud  Island,  109 

Mudge,  Admiral  Zacliary,  149  n.,  561,  562 
Mudie,  Com.  David,  430 
Muijzeubura,  281 

Muirun,  375,  404,  450,  459,  462,  466  n. 
Mulct,  204  n.,  552 
Muletivu,  282 
Mulgrave,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Constantine  John 

Phipps,  Lord,  60,  114,  136,  571 
Mulgrave,  General  the  Hon.  Henry  Phipps, 

Lord,  207 
Mvdlon,  Capt.,  477  and  n. 
Mulso,  Com.  William,  549 
Murat,  King  of  Naples,  450 
Murray,  U.S.N.,  Lieut.  Alexander,  73 
Murray,  Y.-Ad.  the  Hon.  George  (2),  192, 

213,' 554 
Murray,   V.-.Ad.   Sir   George   (3),    198   n., 

260  n.,  309  n.,  311,  374,1430,  442,  483,  550 
Murray,  Bishop  of  St.  David's,  Lord  George, 

186 
Murray,  Capt.  James  (1),  568,  569 
Murray,  Capt.  the  Hon.  John  (1),  551 
Murray,  Purser  William  Bowman,  518 
IMuskein,  Capt.,  339,  340  .and  n.,  343 
^lusqueticr,  Com.  J.  D.,  326 
Mutiae,  31,  39,  40,  110,  114,  197  n.,  274 

and  n.,  298  n.,  304  u.,  321  n.,  354,  355, 

357,  363,  372,  391,  495,  516,  536,  555 
Mutiny,  30,  46,  50  and  n.,  76,  91,  103-106, 

110,  144,  167-181,  201,  240,  246,   273, 

304,  305,  324,  548,  549,  550,  551,  558 
Myako-sima,  564 
Mykonos  (Miconi),  486,  553 

Nagle,  Admiral  Sir  Edmund,  89,  112,  266 

n.,  486,  487.  495,  549 
Naiad,  510,  516,  525,  526,  556,  560,  561 
Ndiadc,  95  and  n.,  115,  226 
Samur,  47  n.,  304  n.,  309  n.,  384  n.,  414 
Nancy,  551 
Nankin  River,  563 
Nantes,  10 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


605 


Nantucket,  112 

Napier,   Cait.   the    Hon.  Cliarles  (1),    100  i 
and  n. 

Napier,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Patrick,  110,  IVl 

Napier,  New  Zealand,  126 

Naples,  20T,  208,  288,  289,  339,  35-1,  355, 
356  n.,  372,  373,  37-1,  37.5,  370,  389,  390, 
391,  393,  394,  395,  396,  398,  399,  418, 
450,  452,  471,  552 

Narcisse,  553 

Narcissus,  549 

Narragansett  Bay,  13,  16 

Nash,  Capt.  .James,  309  n. 

N'asmith,  Com.  John  Lockluirt,  110 

Nassau,  173,  174  n.,  175,  412,  440  n.,  550 

National  Convention,  The,  215 

Nautical  Ahuauack,  The,  124 

Nautilus,  29,  213,  247  n.,  250,  483  n.,  550 

Naval  Academy,  Royal,  188 

Naval  Architecture,  153,  154 

Naval  Works,  Inspector-General  of,  155 

Navy  Board,  The,  150-152 

Navy  Estimates,  153 

Naze  (Lindesnes),  The,  428  and  n. 

Neale  (formerli/  Biu-rard),  Admiral  Sir 
Harry  Burrard,  173,  203  n.,  389  n.,  506, 
522,  553 

Neck-chains,  for  medals,  183 

Necker,  76,  114 

Negapatam,  282 

Negomho,  294 

Negresse,  402  n.,  454  n.,  455,  556 

Neirop,  Captain  Meindert  van,  516 

Nelson,  the  botanist,  David,  104 

Nelson,  V.-Ad.  Horatio,  Viscount,  19  and 
n.,  42,  49,  58  n,,  95,  100,  103  n,  136, 
160,  182,  194,  203  n.,  207,  244,  245,  264, 
266,  269  n.,  270,  274  and  n.,  277,  284, 
285,  288,  290  and  n.,  307,  309  n.,  311- 
317,  320,  321,  322-324,  351-374,  377, 
383,  384,  385,  386,  387  and  n.,  389-400, 
402,  418,  419  and  n.,  420  and  n.,  427- 
444, 445,  446, 480,  505,  513,  516, 554  (6), 
555  (4),  556,  557,  561,  571 

Nelson  River,  85 

Nemesis,  203  n.,  212  n.,  284,  426  and  n., 
427,  531,  548,  554 

Nepeau,  Sir  Kvan,  150 

Neptune,  175,  226.  236,  254,  387  n.,  513, 
550,  553,  556,  557 

Ne-ptuno,  307,  309  n.,  561 

Nereide,  425,  508,  554 

Nest,  Isle  of,  548 

Nestor,  253,  254,  255  n.,  262,  298  n.,  300, 
301 

Netherlands  :  see  Holland 

Netley,  557 

Netley  Heath,  186 

Neuf  Thermidor,  254,  553 

Neutrahty,  54,  55,  100,  101,  279,  283,  496, 
509 

Neuwerk,  519 

Neville,  Com.  Martin,  540  n. 


Nevin,  Lieut.  C J ,  551 

Nevis,  112 

New  Albion,  137,  139,  146 

New,  Capt.  Tlioraas,  551 

Newark,  Viscount :  see  I'ierrepont,  Capt.  the 

Hon.  Charles  Herbert 
New  Britain,  122 
New  Caledonia,  133 
Newcastle  on  Tyne,  100 
Newcombe,  Capt.  Francis,  180,  551 
Newcome,  Capt.  Henry,  112,  282,  294  ii., 

484,  553 
New  Cross,  186 
Newfoundland,  6,  27,  55,  88,  100,  109,  110, 

111,  112,  119,  123,  197,  198  n.,  201,  202, 

215,  217,  277,  290,  291,  320,  335,  379, 

414,  485,  548,  551,  552 
New  Guinea,  128,  144 
New  Hebrides,  104,  133 
New  Ireland,  122 
New  Jersey,  13,  478 
Newman,  Ca[it.  James  Newman,  293,  349, 

511,  530 
Newport,  Rhode  Island,  4 
New  Providence,  549 
New  South  Wales,  102,  128,  565,  566 
New  York,  2G,  28,  32,  47,  48,  6],  87,  109, 

110,  478 
New  Zealand,  126,  127,  l.'U,  133,  137,  138, 

145,  5G4 
Nicaragua,  Lake,  49 
Nice,  287,  418,  419,  455  n.,  548 
Nicholas,  Capt.  Robert  Boyle,  111 
NichoUs,  Admiral  Sir  Henry,  177,  226 
Nicholson,   U.S.N.,   Capt.  James,   72,    !'■'>, 

113  (2) 
Nicodeme,  298  n. 
Nicolson,  Com.  James,  381,  556 
NideJcen,  431  n. 
Nielly,  R.-Ad.  Joseph  Marie,  215  n.,  216, 

217,  218,  221,  225,  226,  241,  298  n.,  485, 

548 
Nierop,  Com.  M.  van,  326 
Nieuwe  Diep,  407,  409,  559 
Nieuwe  Werk,  409 
Niger,  24,  226,  307  and  n.,  309  n.,  319, 

454  n.,  485  n.,  492,  497,  533,  554,  561 
Nihou  Island,  139 
Nile,  426  n.,  534,  557 
Nile,  Battle  of  the,  183,  355-374,  377,  383, 

433,  513,  515 
Nile,  River,  376,  405,  406,  447,  457 
Nimble,  110 
Nimrvd,  529,  557 
Ninfa,  507,  560 
Niobe,  422,  557 
Niou,  M.,  185,  273 
Niphon,  563 

Nisbet,  Capt.  Jo.*iah,  377  n. 
Niza,  R.-Ad.  Marques  de,  374,  376 
Noble,  V.-Ad.  James,  284 
Nocliette,  557 
Nodiu,  M.,  482 


COG 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Noirmoutier  Island,  2G6,  531 
Non-combatants  ;  as  prize-sharers,  162 ;  as 

prisoners  of  war,  185 
Nonsuch,  53  and  n.,  Bi,  C5,  W\  114,  154, 

483  n. 
Nootka  Sound,  107,  130, 144,  145,  140,  147, 

148,  563 
Nore,   The,   14;!,  172-176,  180,  184,  331, 

336,  379,  413 
Nor/~ol/c,  567 
Norfolli,  Coast  of,  427  n. 
Norfolk  Island,  106  u.,  133 
Norman  Cross,  185  n. 
Norman,  Lieut.  William,  531  u. 
Norris  (Mar.),  Major  A\'illiam,  317 
North,  29,  110 
North  American  station,  3,  26,  47,  111,  112, 

114,  115,  119,  123,   137,  l:!9,  246,  286, 

335,  379,  414 
Northamx>ton,  254  n. 
Northern  Coalition,  426 
Northesk,  Admiral  Willi;iui  Carnegie,  Earl 

of,  175 
North  Island,  New  Zealand,  126 
North  Sea,  73,  116,  129,  172,  280,  294,  324 

-333,  378,  379,  407-412,  414,  547,  549, 

551,  554,  555,  558,  559 
North- West  Passage,  569 
NorthumherJand,    110,  226,   234,    384  and 

n.,  391,  418,  419,  422,  454  n.,  553,  557 
Norway,  493,  558 
Notre  Dame,  113 
Nova  Scotia,  110,  166,  547 
Nitestra  Senora  del  Carmen,  550,  561  (2) 
Nuestra  Seriora  del  Guadidupe,  307 
Neustra  Senora  del  Buen  Confc.w,  46 
Neustra  Senora  de  los  Dolores,  535 
Nuestra  Seiiora  del  Eosario,  560 
Nugent,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Charles 

Edmund,  44,  194,  247  n.,  248 
Number    of    seamen    and    Marines   voted 

annually,  153 
Nunes,  Capt.  Don  M.  de,  33 
Nyhorq,  431  n.,  561 
Nymphe,  55,  56,  94,  99,  112,  114,  260  n., 

380,  476,  477,  482  and  n.,  483,  484,  506, 

552  (2),  555 

Oahc,  145,  146,  147,  563 

Oakes,  Capt.  George,  560 

Oath,  Refusal  to  give  evidence  on,  180  n. 

Oberea,  Queen  of  Tahiti,  120 

O'Brien,  or  O'Bryeu,  Capt.  Lord  Edward  (2), 

454  n. 
O'Brien,  or  O'Bryen,  Admiral  Lord  James 

{later.  Marquis   of  Thomond),  512,   513 

and  u. 
O'Bryen,  R.-Ad.  Caleb,  166 
O'Bryen,  or  O'Brien,  Capt.  Edward  (1),  326 
Obusiers  (shell  guns),  23 
O'Connor,  the  Irish  rebel,  Mr.  Arthur,  296 
Officers,  157-161 
Ogilvv,  Capt.  Sir  William,  293,  334  n. 


Ogle,  Admiral  Sir  Chaloner  (2),  191 
O'Higgins,  Don  Anibrosio,  148,  149 
Oiseau,  22,  23, 114,  478,490,536,  542,  552, 

556,  557 
Oldlield  (Jlar.),  Major  Thomas,  321,  404 
Oliver,  Admiral  Robert  Dudley,  557 
Oliver,  Com.  Thomas,  446  n. 
Ollioides,  206 
Olmius  (formerly  Luttrell),  Cajit.  the  Uoii. 

John  Lutlreli;  44,  91,  115 
Olncy,  U.S.N.,  Capt.  Joseph,  113 
Oniai,  131,  137,  138,  139 
Omoa,  44,  45 
Oneehow  Island,  139 
Oneglia,  284,554 
O'Neill,  Com.  Terence,  408  ii. 
Onslow,  Admiral  Sir  Richard,  59,  192,  326, 

328,  332,  558 
Oorthuijs,  Capt.  Gerardus,  67 
Oporto,  381,  390  n  ,  534,  549 
Orange,  H.R.II.  the  Prince  of,  102,407,  409 
Orde,"  Admiral  Sir  John  (1),  48,  63,  193, 

35]  n. 
Ordelin,  Capt.  d',  226 
Orders  in  Council,  151  n.,  157,  163 
Orestes,  197  n.,  340,  550 
Orford  Ness,  445 
Orient,  114,  357,  360,  362,  363,  364,  365 

and  n.,  366,  370,  372,  555 
Oriente,  309  n.,  310  n.,  311 
Orion,  204  n.,  20G,  216,  222,  223,  226,  234, 
260  n.,  261,  262,  264,  304  n.,  307,  309  n., 
311,  314,  316,  317,  351,  352,  357,  361, 
362,  364  and  n.,  365,  369  n. 
Orissa,  Coast  of,  77 
(Jrkuey  Islands,  143 
( )rne.  River,  340 
Oronoque,  77,  112 
Oropesa,  539,  561 
Orpheus,  61,  63,  109,  113,  282,  294  and  n., 

484,  553,  559 
OrviUiers,  V.-Ad.  Comte  d.,  16 
Osborn,  A\-Ad.  Edward  Oliver,  295  n.,  558 
Osborn,  Admiral  Samuel,  197  n.,  281,  282, 

294  n.,  487 
Ostend,  52,  100,  338,  341,  342.  426 
Oswald,  Capt.  James,  390,  391,  392,  401, 

549 
Ott,  General  Baron  von,  416,  418 
Otter,  26,  28,  61,  109,  430,  432 
Otu  (later,  Poiuare  I.),  King  of  Tahiti,  131, 

133 
Otway,  Admiral  Sir  Robert  Waller  (1),  334, 

430,  492,  501,  502,  553 
Otway,  V.-Ad.,  William  Albiiny,  152 
Oughton,  Capt.  James,  341  n.,  40.S  n. 
Ourrj',  Capt.  George,  110 
Ooeryssel  (Overijssel),  408  n.,  410,  558 

P.\CEY,  Purser,  Mr. ,  1 79 

Pacific  Ocean,  or  South  Seas,  102,  106  and 

n.,118,  119,  120,  122,  129,  133,134,  549, 

562,  563 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME   IV. 


GOT 


Page,  Admiral  Benjamin  William,  282 
Paget,  V.-Ad.  the   Hon.  Sir  Charles,  326, 

42-1 
Paget,  Capt.  the  Hon.  William  (1),  197  n., 

203  n.,  485,  .553 
Paimpol,  538 

Painting  of  ships.  External,  231  n. 
Pdjaru,  560 
Pakenham,  Capt.  Edward,  282,  294  n.,  512, 

549,  553,  559 
Pakenham,  V.-Ad.  John  (1),  44,  194,  274 

n.,  289 
Pakenham,  Admiral  the  Hon.  Sir  Thomas, 

66,  68,  194,  226,  240 
Palais  Road,  Belle  Isle,  256 
Palermo,  375,  383,  384,  385,  389,  390  and 

n.,  393  n.,  419,  420  n.,  450 
Pallas,  16,  25,  33,  35,  39,  86,  88,  112,  114, 

154,  237  n.,  255  n.,  529,  530,  549,  557 
Palliser,  Admiral  Sir  Hugh,  123,  126,  181, 

191 
Palmer,  Admiral  George,  75,  111,  197  n. 
Palmer,  Com.  Xesbit,  268 
Palmer,  Master  of  the  Bridr/cwater,  570 
Palmer,  Mr.  William,  151 
Palmer,  Lieut.  William,  535  u. 
Palmier,  114 
Pampero,  118 
Pandora,  104  and  u.,  105 
Pandore,  554 

Pandour,  154,  409,  549,  554,  559  I 

Panther,  61,  143,  144 
Paoli,  General  Pasquale,  243,  244,  245 
Papillon,  226,  509 
Papin,  Capt.  Andre,  343,  486 
Paramaribo,  413 
Paria,  Gulf  of,  333 
Paris,  10,  286,  305.  343,  353 
Parker,    V.-Ad.    Christoiiher  (2),   44,    112, 

193,  197  n.,  247  n.,  200  n.,  552  (2) 
Parker,   Com.  Edward  Thornbrough,   445, 

446  and  n. 
Parker,  Admiral  Sir  George,  560 
Parker,  Com.  Henry  Harding,  549  I 

Parker,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Hyde  (1),  112,  136  I 

Parker,  Admiral  Sir  Hyde   (2),    110,  182, 

192,  198,  203  n.,  246,  269  n.,  274  n.,  279, 

334,  335,  379,  414,  427-443 
Parker,  Com.  John  (1),  247  n. 
Parker,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Peter  (1), 

48,  191,  198,  336,  379 
Parker,  the  mutineer,  Richard,  172-176 
Parker,  Capt.  Roberc,  293 
Parker,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Vvilliam  (1),  166,  193, 

202,  220,  221,  293,  304,  305,  309  n.,  316, 

320,  351  n.,  384  n.,  414 
Parker,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  William 

(-) 
Parkinson,  Capt.  A\  illiam  Standwaj',  397  n. 

Parliament,  Acts  of,  50,  51,  156,  157,  162,  , 

171,  172, 175 
Parliament,  Thardjs  of,  239,  260,  265,  320,  \ 

348,  349,  373,  404  n.,  412,  458 


Parole,  Liberation  of  prisoners  of  war  on, 

185 
Parr,  Capt.  Thomas,  77,  112,  291,  549,  558 
Parrv,  V.-Ad.  Francis  (2),  109,  193 
Parry,  U.S.X.,  Capt,  John,  113 
Parry  {formerly  Wcblev),  H.-Ad.  William 

Henry  Webloy,  369  n. 
Parthenojia-'an  ifepublic,  The,  396 
Pasley,  Lieut.  James,  540  n. 
Pasley,   Admiral    Sir    Thomas,    192,   201, 

202,  218,  219,  226,  228,  239,  379,  413, 

566 
Pasley,  or  Sir    Thomas  Pasley,  460,  466, 

540,  551 
Passage  d'Iroise,  298,  336  and  n.,  447 
Passage  du  Raz,  298,  299,  300,  336,  345, 

447 
Pastor,  115 

Patagonians  and  Patagonia,  118,  120 
Patch,  Origin  of  the  Midshipman's,  182 
Pater,  R.-Ad.  Charles  Dudley,  210,  269  n., 

408  n.,  549 
Paterson,  Admiral  Charles  William,  203  n. 
Patriote,  201  n.,  206,  216,  217,  226,  234, 

298  II.,  301,  485 
Patton,  Admiral  Philip,  152,  193 
Paul,  Capt.  Christmas,  77,  112 
Paul,  The  Tsar,  442 
Paula  Prima,  115 
Paula  Seijunda,  115 
Paulet,  V.-Ad.  Lord  Henrv,   213,   247  n., 

260  n.,  431,  491,  553,  555 
Pay,  Naval  (see  also  Wages),  156-158,  159, 

186 
Payne,  R.-Ad.  John  AVillctt,  92,  110,  194, 

202,  226 
Paz,  533,  561 

Peace  (see  also  Treaty)  :  of  Amiens,  471-473 
Peachey,  Lieut.  Francis,  535 
Peacock,  Boatswain  James,  317 
Peard,   V.-Ad.   Shuldham,  176,   305,   381, 

418,  422,  448,  460,  466  n.,  522,  551 
Pearl,  10  and  n.,  33  and  n.,  115,  451,  452, 

510,  557 
Pearson,  Com.  Hugh,  321 
Pearson,  Capt.  Sir   Richard,  33  n.,  35-39, 

110 
Pearson  (Mil.),  Lieut.,  314,  315 
Peckover,  Gunner  William,  104 
Peculation,  159 
Peffers,  Boatswain  Peter,  317 
Pegasc,  31,  81-83,  100,  114,  298  n. 
Pegasus,  109,  226,  558 
Pelayo,  309  n. 
Pelew  Islands,  143,  144 
Pelican,  27  and  n.,  Ill,  293,  503,  504,  544, 

555 
Pelletier,  226 
PeUew,  Sir  Edward  :  see  Exmouth,  Admiral 

Lord 
PeUew,  Admiral  Sir  Israel,  477,  503,  543, 

549 
Pelly,  Capt.  Charles,  446  n. 


608 


INDEX    TO    VOLUMI-:   IV. 


Pdter,  26G  n. 

Peinbrokt'shiie,  506 

Pender,  Y.-Ad.  Francis,  77,  112 

Penelope,  110,  154,  l!i7  n.,  250,  251,  335, 

387,  420-122, 481.  482,  550, 552  (2),  557, 

561 
Penguin,  537,  558 
Penmaicks,  Tlie,  256,  304  n.,  336,  486,  497, 

507,  511,  531,  549,  550,  553,  554,  555, 

557 
Pennsylvania,  80,  112 
Penny,  Capt.  Taylor,  59,  116 
Penobscot,  28,  29,  113 
Pensacola,  110,  111 
Pensee,  501 
Pensions,  157,  170,  171,  175  u.,  188,  239, 

332,  373,  470,  478 
Penzance,  4,  100 
Pepys  Island,  118,  119 
Per^ante,  497,  554 
Perdrix,  553 
Percl,  70,  71 

Perkins,  Capt.  John,  335,  471  and  n. 
Perla,  561 

Pcrle,  52,  114,  204  n.,  552 
Peronne,  Capt.  L.  de,  344 
Peros,  Rochers  de,  254 
Perree,  R.-Ad.,  267,  376,  386,  400,  402,  404, 

418,  419,  522 
Perry  (Mar.),  Lieut.  Philip  Luscombe,  335 
Perseus,  48,  197  n.,  390,  391,  400,  401,  402, 

559,  560 
Perseocraace,  72  and  n.,  114,  108  n. 
Peru,  121,  561 
Pescadores,  564 
Petit  Bourg,  Guadeloupe,  249 
Petit  Diable,  554 
Petite  Aurore,  552 
Petite  Garenne,  206 

Petitions  from  seamen,  168,  169,  170,  172 
Petrel,  284,  285,  377  n.,  378  and  n.,  454  n., 

455,  530,  o.iO,  557,  560 
Petropaulovski,  137,  142,  143 
Petty  officers,  170 
Peuple,  255  n.,  256,  262,  263 
Peuple  Souverain,  357,  362,  363,  364,  372, 

373  n. 
Pdvrieu,  Capt.  Etienne,  343,  483,  499 
Peyton,  R.-Ad.  John,  357 
Peyton,  Admiral  Joseph  (1),  191,  336,  379 
Phaeton,  216,  226,  231,  255  n.,  256,  259, 

416, 494, 509,  534,  552  (2),  553,  554,  556, 

561  (2) 
Pharos  of  Alexandria,  The,  356 
Pheasant,  111 
Philadelphia,  13,  57 
Phili]ipine  Islands,  509 
Phillip,    Admiral    Arthur,    195,   564,   565 

and  u. 
Phillips,  General,  61 
Phillips  (Mar.),  Lieut.,  140 
PJia:be,  299,  300  and  n.,  304  n.,  508,  537, 

538,  546,  555  (2),  558 


Plinnix,  52,  58,  110.  114,  176,  198  n.,  451, 

498,  531,  557,  558  (2) 

Philpot,  Mr.  V ,  R  \.,  551 

Phips,  Capt.  David,  71,  112 

Phipps,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Charles,  27,  114 

Phipps,  the    Hon.    Const  antiue   John :   see 

Mulgrave,  Capt.  Lord 
Phocion,  200  n. 
Piacenza,  41S 

Pickersgill,  Lieut.  Richard,  129,  137 
Piedmont,  375,  415,  418 
Piercy,  Capt.  Richard,  486,  548 
Piercy,  Capt.  Thomas,  33  n.,  35-39,  110 
Pierrepont,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Charles  Herbert 

{later  Viscount  Newark  and  Eaid  Man- 

vers),  373  n. 
Pierrepont,    R.-Ad.   William,  247   n.,  516, 

525 
Piervert,  Capt.  de,  85 
Pi(imy,  111,  418,  548 
Pi(jot,  483,  546 
Pigot,  Capt.  Hugh  (2),   170,  334   and   n., 

549 
Pigot,  Major-General,  423 
Pigott,  Admiral  James,  193,  226 
Pijl,  558 
Pike,  the,  186 
Pilade,  260  n. 

Pilfold,  Capt.  .John,  415,  557 
Pil</rim,  50,  70 
Piiote,  30,  114 

Pilots,  35,  428,  433  and  n.,  439 
Piombino,  450 
Pi^ue,  154,  291  n.,  452,  488-400,  511,  530, 

545,  54  9,  553,  555,  557 
Pirates,  113,  188,  513,  558 
Pitcairn  Island,  103  n.,  106  and  n.,  122 
Pitot,  Capt.,  500,  533 
Placentia,  112,  198  n.,  548 
Plague,  425 

Plampin,  V.-Ad.  Robert,  274  n.,  551 
Playa  de  Dominos,  424 
Pletsz,  Capt.  Bartholomeus,  326,  516 
Plouascat,  15 
Pluto,  552 
Plutun,  02  n.,  298  n. 
Pluvier,  206 
Plymouth,  3,  29,  111,  120,  121,  124,  1.30, 

138,  152,  154,  185  n.,  187,  221,  237,  241, 

255,  290,  305,  336,  348,  372,  379,  413, 

449,  503,  526,  551,  558 
Plymouth,  460 
Point  Negro,  .049 
Point  Pedro,  282 
I 'dint  Ven\is,  Tahiti,  125,  562 
Poiute  a,  Pitre,  Guadeloupe,  248,  249,  250, 

280 
Pointe  du  Raz,  336  n.,  495,  553 
Polders,  Com.,  326 
Pole,   Admiral   of    tlie   Fleet    Sir    Charles 

Morice,  77,  79,  110,  115,  166,  169,  193, 

203  n.,  237  n ,  389  and  n.,  414,  443  and 


INDEX   TO    VOLUME  IV. 


609 


Pohrat,  112 

PoUexfeu,  Lieut.  John,  550 

Polhj,  58 

Polyphemus,  304  n.,  430,  432  n.,  433,  439, 

506  and  n.,  555,  558 
Pomare  I.,  131,  133 
Pomona,  44,  45,  58,  109,  266  n.,  511 
Pomone,  154,  260,  448  n.,  451,  452,  483, 
484,  495,  507,  508,  552,  553,  554,  555, 
558  (2) 
Pompce,  168  n.,  176,  204  n.,  387  n.,  449, 
460,  461,  462,  463  and  n.,  464,  465,  466, 
552 
Pondicheriy,  51,  214,  472 
Ponsoubv,  Capt.  Milham,  111 
Poutevedra,  561 
Ponza  Islands,  390 
Pope,  the,  324,  3S9  and  n. 
Pophaui,  R.-Ad.  Sir  Home  Riggs,  186,  341 

and  n.,  342,  411,  427  n.,  457' 
Porcupine,  44,  54,  55 
Porpoise,  560,  569,  570 
Port  au  Paix,  334 

Port  ail  Prince,  250,  251,  293,  378,  549 
Port  Desire,  118,  119 
Port  Discovery,  146 
Port  Egmont,"l,  2,  3,  119 
Port  Famine,  118,  119,  120 
Port  Hamilton,  564 
Port  Jackson,  127,  147,  565,  5G6,  567,  568, 

569,  570 
Port  Louis,  Falkland  Islands,  2 
Port  Louis,  France,  532,  557  (2) 
Port  Mahon,  74,  111,  378,  384,  385  and  n., 

449,453,  531,  538 
Port  Mahon,  378,  454  n.,  457,  560 
Port  Navalo,  534 
Port  Nicholson,  126 
Port  of  Spain,  333,  334 
Port  Phillip,  568 
Port  Boijal,  111,  549 
Port  Royal,  Jamaica,  214 
Port  Royal,  Savannah,  32,  48 
Port  Royal  (Matavai),  Tahiti,  125 
Porte,  The  :  see  Turkey 
Portland,  47  n. 

Portlock,  Caft.  Nathaniel,  524,  559 
Porto  Ercole,  451 
Porto  Ferrajo,  243,  285,  287,  290,  307,  450, 

451,  549 
Porto  Longone,  451 
Porto  Praya,  162 
Portsdown,  186 

Portsmouth,  Hants,  25,  S3  n.,  151,  152, 154, 
159  n.,  167  n.,  168,  169,  174,  184,  185  n., 
186,  240,  279,  336,  379,  413,  467  n.,  479, 
548 
Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  74 
Portsmouth,  Virginia,  26 
Portugal,  countrv,  and  coast  of,  114,  200, 
241,  252,  255'  and  n.,  282,  288  n.,  307, 
354,  374,  376,  378,  386,  390,  458,  470 
and  n ,  471,  472,  550,  557,  560 

VOL.   IV. 


PoudriJre,  Toulon,  the,  206 

Povdden,  R.-Ad.  Richard,  377  u. 

Pouhttc,  204  n.,  269  u.,  540,  552 
[  Poursuivante,  531 

Pourvoyeuse,  89 

Poussielgue,  M.,  406 

Powder,  544  and  n. 

Powerful,  326,  328,  331,  384,  385,  391 

Pownall,  Capt.  Philemon,  22  and  n.,  52,  114 

Poyntz,  Admiral  Stephen,  528,  539,  557 

Pozzighettone,  418 

Praed^  V.-.'^d.  Bulkley  Mackworth,  341  n., 
550 

Prater,  Com.  Richard,  309  n. 

Precieuse,  226 

Preneuse,  524,  525,  529,  557 

Prescott,  Admiral  Isaac,  193 

Pressland,  Capt.  Thomas,  377  n.,  454  n. 

Preston,  17 

Preston,  Admiral  d'Arcy,  284,  505 

Prevost,  General,  32 

Premyante,  426  n.,  492,  553 

Price,  Capt.  Charles  Papps,  340,  341,  555 

Priest,  Lieut  Joseph  Hemsley,  210 

Prima,  417,  557 

Prince,  178,  260  n.,  263,  387  n. 

Prince  Edward,  61,  112,  116 

Prince  Frederick,  295  n.,  559 

Prince    George,  260   n.,  263,  304  n.,  307, 
309  n.,  310,  313,  314,  316,  321,  384  n. 

Prince  of  Orange,  4 

Prince  of  Wales,  260  n.,  333  n.,  412,  449, 
565  n. 

Prince  William's  Inlet,  139 

Prince  William  Sound,  148 

Princes    Frederika    Louisa    Wilhehnina, 
295  n. 

Princesa,  115,  560 

Princess,  281,  558 

Princess  Caroline,  59 

Princess  Charlotte,  386  n.,  556 

Princess  of  Orange,  559 

Princess  Royal,  203  n.,  207,  269  and  n.,  272, 
274  n..  384  n.,  549 

Princessa  de  Beira,  255  n. 

Principe  Carlos,  115 

Principe  de  Astiirias,  309  n.,  310  n. 

Principe  Red,  390 

Prinds  Christian  Frederik,  440  u. 

Pringle,  v.- Ad.  Thomas,  10,  180,  193,  226, 

283,  295  n.,  296,  335 
Prins  Frederik,  295  n. 
Prinses  Carolina,  59,  116 
Prison  ships,  176 
Prisoners  of  war,  51,  83,  91,  184,  186  n., 

112,  184,  185,  515,  516 
Privateers,  4,  7,  13, 16  n.,  24,  27,  34,  47,  51, 
52,  57,  58,  59,  60,  61,  62,  63,  70,  71,  75, 
76,  80,  91  n.,  97  n.,  93,  99,  100, 109, 110, 
111,  114,  154,  162,  214,  334,  335,  475, 
482,  483,  496,  508,  509,  519,  520,  525, 
533,  534,  540,  545,  546,  548,  549,  551, 
557,  560,  561 

2  B 


GIO 


IXDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Prize  Law,  i,  101-105 

Prize  Money,  172,  204,  444,  520 

Proby,  Capt.  Cliarle.s,  151 

Proby,  Capt.   William  Allen  Pruby,  Lord, 

180,  530,  550,  550 
Procida,  390 

Promotion  from  the  lower  deck,  123,  124 
Prompte,  492,  552,  500 
Proselyte  and  Proselyie,  204  n.,  244,  548, 

551,  552,  558 
Proserpine,  31  and  n.,  114,  174  n.,  197  u., 

220,  255  n.,  348,  495,  499,  500,  511,  519 

(2),  546,  550,  554,  550 
Protean,  Capt.,  406  u. 
Protecteur,  81,  83 
Protector,  113 
ProtA,  40,  50,  114 
Provence,  205 

PrOvesteen,  431  n.,  432,  433,  434,  501 
Providence,  4,  20,  110,  113  (2),  144,  549, 

553,  562,  503,  566 
Providential  Channel,  128 
Provisions,  102,  103,  109,  170 
Prowse,  1!.-Ad.  William  (1),  309  n.,  319 
Prudente,  27,  40  n.,  53  and  n.,  70,  114, 487, 

488,  502,  520,  550 
Prussia,  102,  200,  280,  427 
Puerto  Caballo,  45 
Puerto  Cabello,  Venezuela,  527,  561 
Puerto  del   Madre  de   Dios,   Sta.  Cristina, 

132 
Puerto  Eico,  58,  179,  334  and  n.,  335,  533, 

553 
Puget,  I!.-Ad.  Peter,  146  and  n.,  147 
Puget  Sound,  140,  149 
Puisaye,  Comte  de,  260 
Puissant,  204  n.,  552 
Pulliblank,  Lieut.  Abraham,  548 
Pulling,  Capt.  George  Christopher,  539 
Pulling,  Capt.  John  King,  554 
Pullock  Harbour.  509 
Pulo  Tinman,  119 

Pultenev,  Lieiit.-Geueral  Sir  James,  424 
Pumps,"38,  106,  127 
Punch,  471  n. 
Punishments,  50  and  u.,  80,  103-100,  150, 

170,  180,  181 
Ptircell,  Carpenter  William,  103 
Purchet,  Cajjt.,  506 
Pursers,  102,  188 
Purvis,  Admiral  John  Child  (1),  86,  115, 

203  n.,  207,  269  n.,  274  n.,  424 
Putnev,  180 

Pylades,  174  n.,  522,  548,  559 
Pym,  Admiral  Sir  Samuel,  555 

Qtr.\DRA  :  see  Bodega  y  Quadra 
Quarme,  Lieut.  William,  110 
Quartidi,  553 
Quatorze  Juillet,  555 
Quebec,  55,  123,  555 

Quebec,  40-44,  73,  91  and  n.,  07,  110,  113, 
247  n.,  248,  280,  334,  495 


Queen,  51,  83,  114,  213,  222,  223,  224, 226, 
227,  228,  234,  200  u.,  202,  263,  265 

Queen  Charlotte,  168  and  n..  109,  222,  223, 
224,  226,  231  and  n.,  232,  234,  235,  239, 
240,  241,  200  n.,  202,  263,  264,  205,  384, 
385  n.,  416,  418,  419,  550 

Queen  Charlotte  Soimd,  126,  131,  133,  138, 
146 

Queen  of  France,  113 

Queenstowu  Harbour  (see  also  Cork),  254  n., 
301  n.,  558 

Quelpart  Island,  564 

Queraugal,  Capt.  P.  M.  J.,  298  u. 

Quiberon  Bav,  200,  260,  200,  207,  415, 551, 
558  (2) 

Quid  x>ro  Quo,  557 

Quimper,  414,  531 

Quiutou,  Capt.  Cornelius,  551 

Quiros,  the  navigator,  Don  Pedro  Fernan- 
dez de,  127,  132,  133 

Eaccord,  Capt.  P.  P.,  357 

Racehorse,  A,  44,  58  and  n.,  100  (2),  111, 

114, 136 
llacoon,  89,  112 
Eadelet,  Capt.  G.,  53(5 
Eadstock,  V.-Ad.  the  Hon.  Granville  George 

AValdegrave,  Lord,  160  n. 
Eadstock,  Admiral   the    Hon.  Sir  William 

Waldegrave  (1),  Lord,  53,    193,  203  n., 

284,  309  n.,  320  and  u.,  335,  379,  414 
Eafty,  Lieut.  E.  G.,  513 
Basgett,  Capt.  Eichard,  341  n. 
Piaikes,  112 

RaiUeur,  92,  115,  3J7,  359,  360,  530,  550 
Rainbou;  5  u.,  6  and  n.,  7,  26,  86  and  u., 

113, 115 
Raivha  de  Portur/al,  255  n. 
Eainier,  E.-Ad.   John   Sprat,  294  n.,  405, 

400 
Eamier,  Admiral  Peter  (1),  193,  216,  281, 

282,  204  and  n.,  330,  379,  405,  414,  506, 

558 
Eains,  Lieut.  James,  320 
Eains,  Com.  Stephen  (1),  51 
Raison,  492,  502,  553 
Raisonnable,  26,  28,  48,  431,  442 
/laleigh,  7,  8,  10,  20,  21,  48,  113 
Earn,  Midshijjman  Thomas,  430 
Eamage,  Cai^t.  Edward,  294,  295  n.,  558 
Rambler,  40,  42-44  and  n.,  70 
Ramillies,   55,   86,   88,  112,   108  n.,   226, 

233  and  n.,  234, 235,  336,  388,  389,  414, 

431,  435  u.,  437,  549 
Eammers  and  sponges  with  flexible  shafts, 

231  n. 
Eamsgate,  408 
Randolph,  10,  113 
Eanelagh,   Capt.  Hon.   Charles  Jones  (1), 

Viscount,   302   and    n.,   345,   348,   415, 

554 
Ranger,  10,  12  and  u.,  13,  33  n.,  109,  113, 

220,  508,  548,  555  (2),  558 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  11'. 


611 


Ranzanne,  Capt.  Le  Breton  de,  53  I 

Eaper,  Admiral  Henry,  341  n.,  529  ] 

Ilaposo.  :  (>  I 

n^>s  el  Mella,  450  u. 

Jtasxitraht';  501 

liatbborne,  Capt.  Wilson,  272 

Kathbume,  U.S.N.,  Capt. ,  113 

nattier,  226,  235,  561 

Raitlesnal-e,  24,  111,  114,  247  u.,  280  n., 
281,  2P4,  295  n.,  524,  558 

Ratzivan,  408  n.,  409 

Raven,  112,  309  n.,  319  and  n.,  549,  556 

Kaw  crews.  Danger  of,  100 

Rawlance,  Lieut.  Roger  R ,  224 

Rayniondis,  Cajit  de,  17 

Rayner,  ('apt.  John,  17 

Raynor,  Com.  John,  550 

Read,  Lieut.  Samuel,  179  n.,  334  n. 

Real  Carlos,  59,  424  u.,  466  n.,  467,  301 

Rebecca,  163,  381,556 

Rebels,  Irish,  296,  3J3 

Recaptures,  Salvage  for,  162 

Receviso,  560 

Recover!/,  19,  6M14 

Red,  Creation  of  Admirals  of  the,  191 

Red  Ensign,  212 

Red  flag  of  mutiny,  169,  173,  174,  175 

Red-hot  shot,  3,  175,  244,  430  n.,  490 

lied  Sea,  The,  338,  405,  406,  457,  550 

liedbridge,  154 

Redouhtable,  255  n.,  262,  298  n.,  301 

Reeve,  V.-Ad.  Samuel,  109,193,203  n.,  213, 
269  n.,  271,  274  n. 

Rorjent-ree,  255  n.,  455, 458  and  n.,  502,  510, 
512,  537,  558 

Regiments  :  Royal  Irisli,  45  ;  Loyal  Ameri- 
can Rangers,  63  ;  69th  {now  Welsh),  183 
n.,  314,  315  ;  49th  (noiv  Royal  Berkshire), 
184  n. ;  Colonel  Manniugham's  Corps 
{now  Rifle  Brigade),  184  n. ;  23rd  Foot, 
251;  118th,  204;  78th,  281;  52nd, 
282;  Queen's,  334;  Ist  Guards,  342; 
63rd,  379;  9tli  W.  India,  379;  2nd, 
415;  20th,  415;  30th,  415;  82nd,  415; 
92ud,  415  ;  49th,  427  ;  95th,  428  ;  49th, 
433 ;  85th,  457  n. ;  3rd  Bufts,  471 ;  Scots 
Brigade,  522 

Regnier,  General,  353 

Requlus,  335,  454  n.,  560 

l.'eijntjes,  V.-Ad.  H.,  326 

Jxeinn  Luisa,  561 

Reliance,  565,  500,  507 

Rcnard,  114,  298  n. 

Renaud,  Lieut.  G.,  535 

Renaud,  Capt.  Jean  Marie,  487,  529 

Renaudin,  R.-Ad.  Jean  Franfois,  226,  230 
and  n.,  242,  252,  255,  273 

Rendsborg,  431  n.,  501 

Rennell,  the  geographei'.  Major,  121 

Rennie,  Capt.  John,  408  n.,  410,  427  n.,  551 

Renommee,  454  n.,  500,  554 

Renou,  Capt.  Adrian,  412 

Renou  (French  Xavy),  Capt.,  535 


Renown,  17,  48,  388,  389  n.,  424,  449,  452, 

557 
Reolaise,  508,  534,  557 
Reorganisation  of  the  French  Xavv  in  1793, 

215  and  n. ;  in  1799,  413 
Reprisal,  9,  113,  553 
RepuUicain,  220,  227,  231,  230,  252,  553 

(2),  .554 
Repuhlicaine,  210,  218,  485,  494,  501,  523, 

524,  553,  550 
Republiijvc,  554 
Repuhlique  Triomphante,  554 
Repulse,  7.3,  109,  112,  174  u.,  175  and  n., 

384,  414,  550 
Requit),  412,  490,  551,  553 
Resistance,  94,  115,  184,  282,  294  n  ,  484, 

512,  519,  5.53,  5.59 
Resistance,  154,  506,  507,  555 
Resolucion,  561 
Resohie,  85,  298  n.,  301  n.,  344,  346,  349 

and  n.,  350,  483  (2),  484,  554,  5.56 
Resolution,  50,  112,  129-134,  1.37-14.3,  274 

n.,  549 
Resolution,  277 
Resource,  03  and  n.,  04,  114,  247  n.,  280, 

454  n.,  555,  559 
Retaliation,  528 
Retalick,  Lieut.  James,  331,  130 
Retalick,  Capt.  Richard,  351,  373  n. 
Hetirement :  see  Superannuation 
Retribution,  528,  501 
Reunion,  154,  479,  480,  493,  543  n.,  545, 

540,  549,  552,  550,  558 
Reval,  440  n.,  441,  442 
Revanche,  404,  498  n.,  557 
Revenfje,  553 
[  Revesby  Abbey,  1 24 
Revolutie,  295  n.,  559 
Revolution,  201  ti.,  255, 286, 298  n.,  300  n., 

301,  .302 
Revolutionnaire,   154,  219,  220,   221,  200 

n.,  290,  300,  349,  487,  495  and  n.,  496, 

525  and  n.,  545,  552,  553,  554 
Rewards,  83,  239,  240,  320,  332,  373,  374, 
1       400,  404  n.,  412,  422,  443,  444,  458,  469, 
I       470,  477,  487,  505,  516,  528 
Reybaud,  Capt.,  530 
Reynolds,    Capt.    Francis    {later,    Francis 

Reynolds  Moreton)  :  see  Ducie,  Lord 
Reynolds,  Capt.  George,  454  n.,  5.50 
Revnolds,  R.-Ad.  Robert  Carthew,  299,  302, 

303  n.,  490,  549,  555 
Rhe,  Isle  of,  553 
Rhode  Island,  109 
Rhodes,  401  n.,  402 
Ribouleau,  V.-Ad.  Peter,  454  n.,  455 
Ricard,  General,  248 
Rice,  105 
Rich,  Admiral  Sir  Thomas,  192 

Rich,  Com.  T W ,  548 

Richardson,  Com.  William  (1),  370  n. 

Richer,  Capt.  J.  B.  E.,  517,  519 

Richery,   R.-Ad.   Joseph  de,   277   .and  n., 

2  R  -2 


612 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


278,  283,  28G,   ■_»J0,   201,   297,   293    u., 
300 
Richmond,  Lieut.  Thomas  Foord,  210 
livJiinoiid,  25,  48,  75,  111 
Kicketts,  Cajit.  William,  558 
liicketts,  Capt.  William- Henry :  see  Jervis, 

(-'apt.  W.  H.  E. 
liii'kman,  Lieut.  John,  138  and  n. 
liider,  Eight  Hon.  Dudley,  150 
Eirtes,  401  n. 

Eijnbende,  Capt.  Jan,  295  n. 
Eio  de  Janeiro,  118,  557 
Eious,  Capt.  de,  32,  92  n. 
Riou,   Capt.  Edward,  106,   107,   136.  138. 
247  n.,  248,  430,  432,  434,  435,  436  and 
n..  439,  440,  553,  571 
RioulTe,  Capt.,  481 
Kiverij,  Com.  J.,  326,  410 
EiTiera,  The,  415,  419,  530 
Eivigliano,  391 
Rivington,  of  H.  E.  I.  Co.'s  service,  Robert, 

533,  534 
Roberts,  Capt.  Bartholomew,  283 
Roberts,  Capt.  Frauds,  41,  73 
Roberts,  Capt.  Heury,  291  n. 
Roberts,  Midshipmau  Hugh,  422  n. 
Robertson,  Capt.  Lewis,  22,  51, 110  (2),  112, 

250 
Robinson,  Com.  Charles  (1),  548 
Robinson,  Capt.  Hugh,  72,  75,  111 

Robiuson,  Com.  J Parker,  550 

Robinson,  Admiral  Mark  (2),  266  n. 
Robinson  (Mar.),  Lieut.  Raby,  324 
"  Robiuson  Crusoe,"  566 
Hobast,  48,  168  u.,  203  n.,  206,  210,  260, 
266  n.,  346,  347,  348,  349,  388,  389  n., 
507,  558 
Bobuste,  554 

Eochambeau,  General,  247,  248 
Eochefort,  200,  206,  216,  221,  252  n.,  254, 
291,  294,  297,  338,  343,  351,  381,  382, 
3S8  and  u.,  455,  523,  536,  553,  554 
Eocbelle,  La,  511 
Eocky  Point,  Jamaica,  548 
Roddam,  Admiral  Robert,  191 
Rodney,  Com.  James,  109 
Rodney,  Admiral  Sir  George  Brydges,  Lord, 

61,  62,  87,  114,  115,  116,  161 
Rodney,  Capt.  the  Hon.  John,  161  and  u. 
Rodney,  77,  112 
Roebuck,  48  and  n.,  49,  63  and  n.,  113  (2), 

247  n.,  558 
Rogers,  ^Ir.  George,  151 
Rogers,  Capt.  Josias,  27,  80,  110,  112,  247 

n.,  248,  280 
Rogers,  R.-Ad.  Thomas,  247,  449,  535,  539, 

557 
Roggewein,  the  navigator,  122,  127,  132 
RoUa,  570 

RoUes,  V.-Ad.  Robert,  550,  561 
llwnaine,   298    n.,    300,    301,    344,    346, 

351 
Rome,  375,  399,  471 


Romiie;/,rA,  52,  114,  197  n.,  203  u.,  291, 

408  ii.,  410,  457,  485,  486,  553 
Romidus,  48,  62,  111,  203  n.,  269  n.,  454  n., 

560 
Ronciere,  Capt.  N.  Clement  de  La,  344 
Rondeau,  Capt.  J.  51.,  486 
IJoquart,  Lieut,  de,  21 
Roqueleuil,  Capt.  de,  31 
Eoquefeuil,  Lieut,  de,  40 
Rvsario,  115,  531  n.,  550,  560 
Eosas  Bav,  385,  :i86 
Rose,  16  n.,  32,  110,  247  n.,  249,  326,  548, 

551 
Rose,  Com.  James,  331 
Eose,  Capt.  Jonas,  430,  432,  446,  550,  558 
Eose,  Captain's  Clerk  .Joseph,  439 
Eosetta,  and  Eosetta  mouth  of  the  Nile, 

357,  400 
Eosia  Bay,  286,  288 
Eosily,  Euseigne  de,  15 
Ross,  V.-Ad.  Charles  Bayne  Hodgson,  551 
Eoss,  Lieut.  Francis,  228 
Bosses,  The,  347  n. 
Eossum,  Com.  L.  W.  van,  326 
Eota  Point,  Cadiz,  549 
Eotherhithe,  143 

Eotherv,  Lieut.  John  Carpenter,  414 
Rotterdam,  59,  60,  116 
Rover,  57,  62,  97,  110,  111,  114,  549 
Rowe,  Com.  Henry  Nathaniel,  321 
Rowe,  Cora.  John,  525  and  n.,  550,  556 
Rowley,  Admiral  Bartholomew  Samuel,  63, 
114."    195,    197    u.,   250,    274    n.,  481, 
552 
Rowley,  Admiral  Sir  Charles,  554,  555 
Rowley,  V.-Ad.  Sir  Joshua,  47,  57, 182 
Rowley,  R.-Ad.  Samuel  Campbell,  430 
Roxburgh,  Master  Robert,  464 
Royul  Charlotte,  332  n. 
Royal  George,  112,  168  n.,  169,  222,  223, 
224,  226, '228,  236,  260  n.,  263,  264,  283, 
380,  388,  389  and  n.,  414 
Royal  Society,  The,  122,  134,  135,  567 
Royal  Sovereiqn,  168  n.,  176,  226,  227,  230, 
255  n.,  257,  259  and  n.,  291  n.,  282  n., 
387  n. 
Royal  Standard,  The,  188, 189 
Royalist  feeling  in  Prance,  etc.,  199,  200, 
204,  205,  212,  213,  214,  21.5,  249,  266, 
267,  296,  415,  482,  496 
Ruhy,  24,  27   and  n.,  57,  58,  90,  91,  114, 

11.5,  237  n.,  295  n. 
Rude,  554 
Eufl'o,  Cardinal,  391,  392,  393  and  n.,  394, 

395,  396,  397,  398  and  n. 
Ruijsch,  Com.  H.  A.,  326 
R\iiJ6oort,  Com.,  326 
Rumain,  Capt.  du,  56 
Rupert,  71  u. 
Ruse,  519 
Russell,  Admiral  Thomas  Macnamara,  93, 

115,  1SI5,  333  n. 
Russell,  Com.  William  (2),  555 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


613 


RusseU,  48,  202,  218,  219,  220,  222,  220, 
230,  231,  2G0  ii.,  261,  202,  204,  325,  320, 

•  329  n.,  331,  387  n.,  428,  430,  432  n.,  433, 
434,  435,  440,  442 

ussia,  43.  200,  279  and  n.,  375,  377,  378 
and  n.,  379,  386,  389,  390,  391,  394,  400,  j 
407,  408,  411,  426,  427,  428,  440,  441, 
470,  510,  550 

Kussian  Armament"  of   1791,  The,  107, 
108 

Iiussiau   cuMtini^eut   for   the   expedition  to 
Holland,  408  and  n. 

r.utherfoni,  Capt.  William  Gordon,  247 

Kutherford,  Master's  Mate  Alexander,  446  n. 

liyan,  the  outlaw,  Luke,  100 

Kyder,  Capt.  Charles,  284 

Ryves,  II. -Ad.  George  Frederick  (1),  293 

S.\nA,  471 

Sabina,  466  n.,  467,  505 

Sachem,  113 

Sat/esse,  523 

Saghalien  Island,  563,  564 

Sagittaire,  32 

Sahuguet,  General,  447 

Si!.  Albans,  94  and  n.,  115,  203  n.,  290,  484 

Saint  Andre,  M.  Jean  Bon,  215,  236  n.,  543 

!>ai)it  Antoine,  406  and  n.,  407  and  n.,  558 

St.  Bartholomew,  47,  63,  470 

St.  Brieux,  554 

St.  Christopher,  or  St.  Kitts,  110,  115,  250, 

504 
St.  Croix,  W.  Indies,  470 
St.  Croix,  France,  531 
St.  Elmo,  393,  399 
St.  Eustatia,  116 
St.  Eustatius,  22,  61,  62,  470 
St.  Fir  in  ill.  111 
St.  George,  170,  203  n.,  200,  207,  209  n., 

272,  274  n.,  305,  387  n.,  428,  431,  438, 

440,  441,  442,  444 
St.  George's  Channel,  495 
St,  George's  Channel,  Pacific,  122 
St.  George's  Island,  112 
St.  George's  Key,  379 
St.  Helena,  76 
St.  Helen's,  171,  200,  202,  216,  283,  300  n., 

336 
St.  Helier,  60 
St.  Jacques,  556 
St.  John,  W.  Indies,  470 
St.  Jolm  of  Jerusalem,  Order  of,  471 
.St.  John's,  Kewfuundland,  88,  291 
St.  John's  Bay,  X.  Ireland,  349 
Saint  Juliou,  K.-Ad.,  205,  206 
St.  Kitts  :  see  St.  Christopher 
St.  Lawrence,  Iliver  and  Gulf  of,  109,  110, 

123,  549 
St.  Lucia,  22,  58,  111,  248,  280,  292,  472 
St.  Malo,  25,  254,  492,  529,  534  n.,  551,  553 
St.  Marc,  San  Domingo,  378 
St.  Marcou,  163-105,  339-341,  371,   551, 

555 


St.  Martin,  470,  471 

St.  Mathieu,  near  Brest,  253 

Saint  Michel,  General  Lacombe,  244 

St.  Nicolas  Mole,  214 

Saint  Ouen's  Bav,  25 

St.  Oui-s,  Capt.  de,  94 

St.  Patrick,  The  "  Cross  "  of,  188 

St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  332 

St.  Pie.-re,  213,  291,472 

St.  Pierre,  549 

St.  Pierre,  Martinique,  247 

St.  Thomas,  470 

St.  Ture,  Capt.  de,  03 

St.  Vaast,  339 

St.  Valery,  440 

St.  Vincent,  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  John 
Jervis,  Earl,  81-83,  100,  107,  114,  150, 
106,  176-179,  181,  183,  191,  198,  202, 
246-250,  264,  279,  283-290,  304  and  n., 
305-320,  324,  335,  337,  351  and  n.,  354, 
372,  374,  377,  378,  379,  381,  382  and  u., 
383,  384  and  n.,  385  and  n.,  386,  387, 
388  and  n.,  391  n.,  414,  440  n.,  442,  444, 
446,  499,  505,  532,  552,  553,  500,  508 

St.  A'incent,  47,  58,  115,  183  and  n.,  280, 
•293 

St.  Vincent  Gulf,  568 

St.  Vincent,  424 

Sainte  Fainille,  555 

Ste.  Marguerite,  Isle,  268 

Saintes,  W.  Indies,  The,  249 

Saintes,  ofl'  Brest,  The,  380,  554 

Sakhieh,  423 

Salaries  of  Commissioners,  152 

Salamine,  366  n.,  386,  400,  449,  450,  522, 
556 

Saldanha  Bay,  70,  165,  295,  559 

Saldanha,  295  n.,  559 

Salisbury,  Capt.  John,  247  n. 

Salisbury,  549 

Saltholm  Island,  429,  440 

Salutes,  174 

Sallenelle,  343 

Salter,  Capt.  Elliot,  46,  83,  84,  115 

Saltonstall,  U.S  N.,  Capt.  Dudley,  113 

Salvador,  561 

Salvador  del  Mundo,  309  n.,  312,  314,  317, 
560 

Samana  Bay,  90 

Samboangon,  509 

Samea,  89 

Samnila,  207,  274  n. 

San  Ambrosio  Island,  122 

San  Anionio,  309  u.,  424  n.,  466,  560  (2) 

San  Augustin,  424  n.,  406  n. 

San  Bias,  562 

San  Cristobal,  115 

San  Daiiiaso,  333  n.,  334  and  n.,  560 

Sau  Diego,  147 

San  Domingo,  19,  57,  58,  89,  91,  115,  214, 
250,  293,  334,  378,  447,  473  and  n.,  481, 
492,  497,  501,  528,  549,  552,  553,  554, 
555,  557 


614 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


San  Domingo,  309  n.,  334  u.,  5-18 

Sail  Doniiiiico,  132 

Sandoval,  5C0 

Sun  Eugenio,  115 

San  Felix  Island,  122 

San  Fernanilo,  424  n.,  466  n. 

San  Fiorenzo,  167,  212,  243,  244,  267,  268, 

273,  274,  277,  2711,  285,  286,  287,  288, 

506,  522,  548,  549,  552 
San  Fiorenzo,  173,  244,  389  u.,  £52,  554 
San  Firmin,  309  n. 
San  Francisco,  147,  560 
San  Fi-ancisco  de  Paula,  300  n. 
San  Qenaro,  309  n. 
San  Hermeiiegildo,  424  n.,  466  n.,  467,  468, 

561 
San  lldefomo,  309  n. 
San  Josef,  154,  309  n.,  312,  314,  315,  3Hi, 

317,321,534,560,561 
San  Juan  Xrpomuceno,  309  n. 
San  Juan,  Puerto  Rico,  334 
San  Juan,  River,  49, 115 
San  JuUano,  115 
San  Leon,  391,  560 
San  Miguel,  115 
San  Nicolas,  309  n.,  312,  314,  315,  316, 

317,  560 
San  Pahio,  309  n. 
San  Pedro  Island,  132 
San  Pedro  Shoal,  468 
San  Pietro,  352,  356  n.,  552 
San  Pio,  560 

San  Sebastian,  Gulf  of,  134 
San  Sebastian,  387  n. 
San  Vincente,  333  n.,  560 
San    Ysidro,  154,  309   n.,  312,  314,  317, 

560 
Sanders,  Capt.  James,  390  n ,  520,  560 
Sandfly,  165  n.,  341,  555 
Sandwich,  48,  74,  111,  173,  174  n.,  176 
Sandwich  Isl.nds,  139-142,  145,  147,  148, 

563 
Sandwich  Land,  134 
Sandwich,  Lord,  135,  137 
Sandy  Hook,  378 
Sandy  Point,  118 

Sandys,  Lieut.  Richard  Edward,  430,  439 
Sangaar,  Strait  of,  563,  564 
Sanitation   on   board  ship,  129,  133,  134, 

568 
Sans  Calotte,  204  n.,  270,  365  ii.,  552,  554 
Sans  Pareil,  52,  114,  216,  225,  226,  230  n., 

236,  260  n  ,  261,  262,  263,  264,  388,  389 

n.,  553 
Sanspareille,  418,  535,  557 
Sans  Quurtier,  556 
Sansom,  Dr.,  179 
Sta.  Ana,  115,  387 
Sl't.  liiiyida,  525,  526,  560 
Sta.  Catalina,  78,  79,  99,  115  (2) 
Sta.  Cazilda,  511 
Sta.  Cecilia,  333  n.,  560 
Sta.  Cristina,  132 


Santa  Cruz,  Tenerife,  304  n.,  321  and  n., 

322-324,  351,  549,  555 
Santa  Cruz  Islands,  122 
Sta.  Dorotea,  416,  511,  512,  542,  560  (2) 
Sta.  Elena,  507,  560 
Sta.  Leocadia,  64,  65  n.,  115 
Sta.  Margarita,  45,  46  and  n.,  83,  84,  115, 

247  n.,  486,  491,  498,  546,  553,  554,  560 
Sta.  Maria,  535 
Sta.  Maria  battery,  Spezzia,  213 
Santa  Monica,  S'i,  112,  115 
Sta.  Sahinn,  560 
Sta.  Teresa,  385,  519,  500 
Sautander,  540 

Santiago  Battery,  Algeciras,  401,  462,  463 
Santiago,  Chile,"  148,  149 
Santiago,  Cuba,  Battle  of,  98 
Santisima  Trinidad,  309  n.,  312,  310,  317, 

318 
Sao  Affonso,  390 
Sao  Sebastido,  390 
Saratoga,  113 
Sardine,  554 
Sardinia,  200,  277,  287,  352,  375,  379,  450, 

480,  510,  552,  557 
Sarpen,  431  n. 
Sartine,  19,  51,  58,  111,  114 
Saturn,  176,  274  and  n.,  277,  431,  442 
Sauerkraut,  128 
Saulnier,  dipt.,  357,  420-422 
Sauniarez,  Admiral   Sir   James   Sauniarez, 

Lord  de,  182,  195,  260  n.,  309  n.,  311, 

351,  357,  362  and  n.,  369,  373,  374,  459- 

470,  479,  480,  485,  487,  546,  552,  558, 

561 
Saunders,  Admiral  Sir  Charles,  136,  181 
Saunders,  Lieut.  Richard,  63 
Saunier,  Capt.,  537,  538 
Sause,  Com.  Robert,  551 
Savage,  Admiral  Henrv,  57,  110,  195,  549 
Sai-age,  61,  74,  100,  109,  111,  341  n. 
Savannah,  32,  48,  110,  111 
Savannah,  32,  110 

Savary,  Comniod.  Daniel,  343,  344,  351 
Savile,  Capt.  John  Griffin,  454  n.,  455 
Savona,  385,  386,  416,  418 
Savo}',  287 
Sawyer,   Capt.  Charles,   247   n.,  250,  280, 

494 
Sawyer,  Admiral  Herbert  (1),  191 
Sawyer,  Admiral  Sir  Herbert  (2),  389  n. 
Saxlon,  Capt.  Sir  Chnrles,  .50,  94,  151 
Sayer,  Capt.  (jeorge  (2),  349 
Scarborough,  36 
Scarboroufjh,  58,  111,  ^15  n. 
Sceptre,  84,  95  and  n.,  115,  180,  251,  295 

n.,  550 
Scivola,  255  n.,  298  n.,  301,  304  n.,  485, 

555 
Schanck,  Admiral  John,  152 
ScharhOm  Riff,  519 
Scheveningen,  327 
Schiermuunikoog,  522,  523 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


615 


Schomberg,  Capt.  Sir  Charles  Marsli,  369  n., 

370  n. 
Schomberg,  Capt.  Isaac,  226,  240 
Schomberg,   Isaac,  as  a  historian,  9"),  96, 

183 
SchoonA'oop,  70 
Schutter,  Com.  J.  I).,  410 
Scilly  Islands,  11,  61,  201,  48G,  553,  554, 

555 
Scipio,  291  n.,  333  n.,  566 
Scipion,  89,  90,  99,  115,  204  n.,  226,  227, 

236,  254,  548,  552,  553,  555 
Scorpion,  110 

Scotland,  11,  12,  35,  47,  100,  188,  189,  338 
Scott,  v.- Ad.  Sir  George  (1-,  454  n.,  455 
Scott,  Lieut.  .James  (la),  551 
Scott,  V.-Ad.  Matthew  Henry,  247  n.,  249, 

548 
Scott,  a  seaman,  Thomas,  184 
Scott,  Judge  of  the  Admiralty   Court,  Sir 

William  {later  Lord  Stoweil),  163,  165, 

166 
IScoiirge,  475,  548,  554 
Scout,  203  n.,  494,  548,  551  (2) 
Scurvy,  Hit,  120,  122,  125,  128,  129,  130, 

134,  148,  149 
Sea  Fencibles,  186 
Seaflower,  247  n. 
Seaford,  47  n. 
Seaforth  Highlanders,  25 
Seahorse,  19,  76,  321,  322,  324,  373  and  n., 

390,  391,  510,  54G,  555,  556,  .560 
Seals,  567 
Seamen,  170 

Sea  Power,  Influence  of,  472 
Search,  American  order  to  resist,  165 
Search,  the  Right  of,  47,  101,  165, 166,  426, 

427,  529 
Searle,  E.-Ad.  John  Clarke,  293,  454  n.,  503 

and  n.,  550,  558 
Searle,  E.-Ad.  Thomas,  522 
Seater,  Capt.  Jolm,  426  n. 
Seaton,  Lieut.  George,  548 
Seavers,  Lieut.  Jeremiah,  341  u. 
Secondee,  Fort,  69 
Seduiaant,  298  n.,  299,  301  n.,  555 
Segond,  Capt.  A.  J.,  344,  350  and  n. 
Seine,  154,  225,  486,  502,  511,  53.3,   546, 

548,  555,  557 
Selby,  Cora.  George,  110 
Selby,  Capt.  William,  309  n.,  321 
Selkirk,  L»unbar,  4th  Earl  of,  12 
Sema|ihore,  The,  186 
SemiUante,  90,  201  n ,  344,  346,  349,  351, 

476,  522 
Senden,  Capt.  W.  H.  van,  410 
Senegal,  24 
Senegal,  18,  109,  114 
Senegal,  58,  535,  557 
Senez,  Capt.  A.,  343 
Senhouse,  Com.  AVilliam  Wood,  412 
Sensible,  27  n.,  109,  510,  511,  551,  555 
Sepoys,  76  I 


Sept  Isles,  530 

Sequestration  of  British  property  by  Eussia, 

427 
&raj»s,  35-39,  97,  9S,  110,  113,  175  n.,51B 
Sercev,  R.-Ad.  P.C.C.G.,  200,  201,  202  and 

n.,  297,  494,  502,  503,  506,  520,  546 
Seriense,  278,  357,  361  and  n.,  362  and  n., 

.556 
Serle,  Mr.  Ambrose,  152 
Serocold,  Cora.  Walter,  208,  244,  245,  548 
Serpent,  57,  197  n. 
Servants,  OfHcL-rs',  157,  159,  160 
Servants,  Shipwrights',  187 
Severn,  555 

Seychelles  Islands,  541,  558 
Seyd,  Mustajiha  Pasha,  404 
Seymour,  Mids.  Thomas,  369 
Seymour  {formerly   Hon.   Hugh   Seymour 

Conway),  V.-Ad.  Lord  Hugh,  182,  193, 

203  n.,  226,  260  u.,  265,  379,  380,  412, 

414,  556,  559 
Seymour,  E.-Ad.  Sir  Michael  (1),  230  n., 

231  n.,  551,  556 
Seymour,  Com.  Stephen,  549 
Seymour  Street,  London,  121 
Shaggaramus  Bay,  333  n. 
Shannon,  408  n. 
Shannon,  Eiver,  302,  549 
Shark,  111,  168,  548 
Sliaw,  Lieut.  Ch.arles  (1),  524  u. 
Sheerness,  100,  151,  152,  173, 174, 175, 176, 

186,  516 
Shells,  Lieut.  Ludlow,  212 
Shelanagig,  111 

Shells,  320,  377,  389,  401,  403,  433,  445 
Shepard,  V.-Ad.  James  Keith,  111 

Sheriff,  Master  D ,  551 

Sheriff,  Com.  John,  149  n. 

Shetland  Islands,  548,  551,  553 

Shield,  Admiral  William,  246,  274  n. 

Shingles,  The,  551 

Shippard,  R.-Ad.  Alexander,  548 

Ships,  number  of  eft'ective  ships  in  Navv, 

153,  198 
Ships,  Some  typical,  151 
Shipwrights,  83  n.,  187 
Shirle}',  Capt.  James,  109 
Shirley,  Capt.  Thomas  (1),  79 
Shooter's  Hill,  186 
Short,  Lieut.  John  Ides,  550 
Shottenden,  186 

Shuldham,  Admiral  Molyneux,  Lord,  191 
Shute's  Folly,  48 
Sibyl,  61 
SibylU,  89,  90,  92,  93,  115,  486,  509,  520- 

522,  541  and  n.,  543  n.,  545,  546,  553, 

556,  558,  560 
Sicilies,  The  Two,  200,  287 
Sicilv,  208,  289,  353,  354,  390,  391,  399, 

400,  418,  450,  548,  550,  555 
Sick-quarter  tickets.  159 
Sierra  Leone,  251,  510 
Sieyes,  Emmanuel  Joseph,  413 


616 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Signals,  7,  8,  61,  93,  228  n.,  427  n. 

Signal  Towers,  18G 

Sillaiis,  Captaiu  do,  81  and  n.,  8- 

Sinimonds,  Lieut.  Itieliard,  112 

Simmonds,  Lieut,  llobeit,  377  n. 

Simonosalii,  oG7  u. 

Simon's  Bay,  28J,  295 

Simon's  Town,  281 

Simonton,  Captaiu  Itubert,  59,  111 

Simpson,  U.S.N.,  Capt. ,  113 

Sims  (Mai-.),  Lieut.  William,  171 

Sincere,  204  n.,  ri52 

Sinclair,  (Mar.)  Lieut.  James,  518  n.,  540  n. 

Sinclair,  Capt.  Patrick,  251,  481,  552  (2) 

Sinclair,  Com.  Hon.  Mattlicw,  551 

Sir  Cliarle.s  Saunders  Island,  120 

Siren,  109,  111,  412,  492 

Sirenii,  418 

Sirhie,  293,  298  n.,  529,  549,  553 

Siri-ne,  295  n.,  559 

Sir  ins,  516,  517,  536,  557,  559,  565  and  n. 

SjaUund,  431  n.,  561 

Skelton,  Lieut.  Jeremiah,  446  n. 

Skipsey,  R.-Ad.  William,  557 

Skynner,  Capt.  Lancelot  (2),  408  n.,  550, 

554 
Sligo  Bay,  351 
Small-pox,  143 
Smith,  Com.  Charles  (2),  548 
Smith,  Admiral  Edward  Tyrrel,  195 
Smith,  Lieut.  Francis,  558 
Smith,  Capt.  Isaac,  198  n. 
Smith,  Capt.  John  (3),  408  n. 
Smith,  Capt.  John  Samuel,  198  n. 
Smith,  Capt.  Matthew  (1),  282,  487,  488, 

548 
Smith,  Capt.  JIatthew  (2),  534 
Smith,  Capt.  Richard,  109 

Smith,  Lieut.  R ,  247  n. 

Smith  (Mai.),  Capt.  Walter,  228  :  (Lt.-Ci>l.), 

450 
Smith,  Capt.  William  (1),  16,  109 
Smith,  Capt.  William  (2),  267 
Smith,  Admiral  Sir  William  Sidney,  209, 

210,  252-254,  340,  401-404  and  n.,  406, 

423  and  n.,  424,  454  n.,  455,  456,  457, 

486,  487,  493,  494,  495,  496,  554  (2), 

556  (8) 

Smith,  Lieut. ,  551 

Smith,  Mids.  • ,  179 

Smollett,  the  novelist,  103  n. 

Smugglers,  46 

Smyrna,  209,  279,  548 

Smyth,  Com.  James,  65,  66,  111 

Snake,  70,  111 

Sneyd,  Lieut.  Edward,  109 

Saeyd,  Lieut.  Ralph,  331 

Soleranu,  309  n. 

Sobricl,  Lieut.  John,  331 

Society  Islands,  119,  126,  131,  133 

Siihesteii,  431  n.,  561 

Solandcr,  the  naturalist,  Dr.,  124,  125 

Solano,  R.-Ad.,  286 


Soldiers  on  ship  board,  183,  184,  244 
Solehay,  75,  111,  112,  247  n.,  250,  528,529, 

557 
Solen,  Capt.  E.  J.  N.,  357,  422 
Solitaire,  90,  91,  115 
Solway  Firth,  100 
Somerset,  3,  110 

Somerville,  Capt.  Philip  (1),  445,  446 
Sophie,  89 

Sorondo,  Capt.  Don  G.,  333  ii. 
Sotheby,  Admiral  Thomas,  290,  415,  549, 

551 
Sotheron,  Admiral  Frank,  203  n.,  408  u. 
Sound,  The,  427,  428 
Souris,  555 
Souter,  Cora.,  326,  329 
Southampton,  122,  408 
Soutlianqiton,  55,  70  and  n.,  220,  277,  309 

n.,  494  and  n.,  499,  554,  560 
South  Carolina,  91,  109,  113 
South  C'arolimi,  91  n.,  113 
South  Georgia,  134 
South  Sand  Head,  111 
South  Seas :  see  Pacitic  Ocean 
South,  or  Stewart  Island,  Kew  Zealand,  126 
Southey,  Com.  Thomas,  337,  439 
Southey  quoted,  435  u.,  436  n. 
Souverain,  204  n. 
Soueerain  Peuph,  204  n.,  556 
Spain,  3,  107,  200,  287,  296,  338,  458,  471, 

472,  552 
Spain,  Coast  of,  64,  67,  288  n.,  354,  520, 

538,  540 
"Spanish  Armament,"  The,  of  17 1 0,3;  of 

1790,  107,  108 
Spanish  losses,  115,  560,  561 
Spanish  Navy,  Value  of  the,  98 
Sparkes,  Lieut.  John  Hiudes,  247  n. 
Sjiarlder,  159 

Sparruaii,  the  botanist,  Mr.,  130 
Sparrow,  R.N.,  Mr.  Benjamin,  300 
Spariiale,  357,  362,  364,  373  n.,  377,  556 
Speculator,  326 
Speedy,  85,  L03  n.,  213,  277,  284,  28.5,  459 

and  n.,  509,  528,  538,  539,  548,  551,  553, 

561  (2) 
Spencer,  449,  460,  461,  462,  464,  466  n., 

467,468,469,497,498,554 
Spencer  (Mar.),  Lieut.  Benjamin,  439 
Spencer,  Geoige  John,  2ud  Earl,  150,  169, 

420  n. 
Spencer  Gulf,  568 
Sptzzia,  213,  273 
Sphinx,  31  and  n.,  97,  110,  114,  295  n., 

296 
Spider,  549 
Spies,  55  n. 
Spilsby,  568 
Spirits,  103 
Spiteful,  247  n. 
Spitfire,  304  n.,  548,  555,  556 
Spithead,  102,  106,  112,  122,  134,  167  and 

n.,  170,  171,  172,  177,  180,  181,237,239, 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


G17 


240,  255,  25G,  2G0,  267,  283,  291  n.,  292, 

300  u.,  304,  491,  548,  5U8,  569 
Spitzbergen,  130 
Spranger,  R.-Ad.  John  AVilliaiii,  280  n.,  281, 

296 
Spread,  Com.  John  Mathias,  561 
Sprightly,  109,  448,  551 
Spiy  {previously  Davy),  Admiral  Thomas 

(1),  193 
Spy,  109,  553 

Squire,  H.-Ad.  Matthew,  20,  51,  194 
Staclipoole,  C'apt.  Hassard,  454  n.,  551 
Stay,  29,  385,  424,  493  and  n.,  517,  551, 

556,  558 
Staines,  Capt.  Sir  Thomas,  103  n.,  100 
Staiths,  123 

Standard,  174  and  n.,  175,  200,  266  n. 
Standelet,  Caj.t.  P.  J.,  357 
Stanhope,   Admiral   the    Hon.   Sir   Henry 

Edwyu,  38,  195,  295  n. 
Stanhope,  li.-Ad.  John,  193 

Stanhope,  Lieut.  M ,  112 

Stanislas,  52,  100 

Stanley,  18,  109 

Stap,  Capt.  William,  548 

Stapledon,  Com.  Arthui-,  464 

Stapleton,  185  n. 

Star,  281 

Start,  The,  552 

Stately,  167  n.,  280  n.,  281,  295  n.,  440  n., 

452,  454  n. 
Staten  Generaal,  326,  329 
Staten  Island,  S.  America,  133 
Stephens,  K.-Ad.  George  Hopewell,  180 
Stepliens,  Admiral  Philip :  see  Wilkinson, 

Admiral  Philip 
Stephens,  Sir  Philip,  123,  150,  563 
Stephenson,  Midshipman  John,  321 
Stephenson,  C'apt.  Thomas,  373  n. 
Ster,  558 

Stern,  Anchoring  by  the,  300,  433,  460 
Steuart,  Captain  Don  Jacob,  505 
Stevenson,  Capt.  James   (1),  415,  454  n., 

455,  457 

Steward,  Midshipman ,  404 

Stewards,  Master  M.,  59 

Stewart,  Master  George,  232 

Stewart,  Midshipman  George,  102,  104  n., 

105 
Stewart,  Capt.  John,  454  n. 
Stewart,  A".-Ad.  the  Hon.  Keith  (1),  191 
Stewart,  Colonel,  428 
Stewart,  Master  liobeit,  439 
Stewart,    vr   South   Island,   Kcw   Zealand, 

120 
Stiles,  Capt.  John,  210,  245,  404  n. 
Stirling,  V.-Ad.  Charles  (1),  75,  111,  207, 

336,  460,  511,  550,  555  (2) 
Slirliny  Cut-tie,  47,  57,  58,  111,  114 
Stocker,  Lieut.  Charles  Maurice,  21)4 
Stockfish,  105 
Stoddart,    Secretary    of    U.S.     JCavy,    Mr. 

Benjamin,  165 


Stone_v,  Capt.  Georjje,  115 

Stopford,  Admiral  the  Hon.  Sir  Uobert,  197 

n.,  203  n.,  226,  255  u.,  509,  525,  553, 

554  556 
Storij,'  V.-Ad.  Samuel,  326,  329,  407,  409, 

410,  411 
Storming :  of  Omoa,  45  ;  of  Mt.  Pleasant, 

49 ;  of  Fort  Oostenburg,  76 :  of  Conven- 
tion Redoubt,  243 ;  of  Port  Louis,  248 
Stormont,  77,  112 
Slorms,  17,  19,  23  n.,  57,  58,  67,  73,  88,  93, 

110,  111,   114,  131,  140,  208,  251,  260, 

267,  279,  289,  292,  295,  300  u.,  301,  330, 

352,  384,  423,  428,  450,  468,  512,  519, 

525,  553 
Stott,  Capt.  John,  3,  IS,  19,  110 
Stoves,  128,  134 

Stovin,  Com.  George  Samuel,  551 
Strachan,  Admiral  Sir   Pilchard  John,  198 

n.,  237  n.,  340,  385,  414,  424,  483,  492, 

534,  552,  553,  555 
Strength  of  the  Navy,  153 
StromboU,  321,  500  ' 
Stromness,  143 

Strong,  the  navigator,  Capt.,  118 
Strong  Point,  26 
Stuart,  General  the  Hon.  Sir  Charles,  377, 

378 
Stuart,  R.-Ad.  Henry,  405,  406 
Stuart,  Col.  James,  282,  294 
Stuart,  Capt.  Lord  William,  449,  558 
Succes,  450,  451  and  n.,  558 
Success,  77  and  n.,  78,  79,  115,  381,  418, 

419,  422,  448,  450,  522,  551,  557,  558 
Suchet,  General,  418 
Suckling,    Lieut.    Maurice    W ,    284, 

341  n. 
Suez,  405,  424  n.,  457 
Suffisant,  204  n.,  552 
Suffisante,  493,  498  n.,  554 
Suffolk,  47,  114,  216,  281,  294  n. 
Silffren,  298  n.,  304  n.,  555 
Sugar,  105 
Sulp/iur,  389  n.,  430 
Sultan,  The,  374,  400,  404  n. 
Sumatra,  112,  502,  512 
Sunda,  Strait  of,  553 
Superannuation  of  officers,  157,  158,  188 
Su2}erb,  77,  112,  387  n.,  460,  405,  460  and 

u.,  467  and  n.,  468 
Superbe,  83  n.,  254,  494,  553,  554 
Superunda,  Conde  de,  121 
Supplies  :  see  Expenditure 
Sup2jly,  110,  564,  565  and  n. 
Surcouf,  Robert,  534  and  n. 
Surgeons,  157,  158 
Surinam,  412,  413,  472,  556,  559 
Surinam,  413,  550 
Surprise,  4,  113,  183,  490,  527,  528,  554, 

561 
Surridge,  A'.-Ad.  Thomas,  405,  457,  552 
Surveillante,  30,  40-44,  62,  09,  110,  298  n., 

304  n.,  555 


618 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Surveying  :      sec    Chaps.     XXXIII.     and 

XXXVII.  passim 
Surveyors  of  the  Navy,  151 
Surville,  Capt.,  134: 
Sussex,  coast  of,  111 
Sutherland,  Cajit.  Andrew,  152,  203  n. 
Sutton,  Capt.  Evelvn,  31  n.,  59  and  n.,  102, 

163 
Sutton,  Admiral  Sir  John,  203  n.,  20'J  n., 

274  n.,  309  n  ,  5.54 
Sutton,  Capt.  Robert  Manners,  31,  110,  203 

n.,  212  n.,  243,  548 
Sutton,  K.-Ad.  Samuel,  430 
Suwarroff,  ^larshal  Count  Alexander,  391 
Svcerdjiskxn,  431  n.,  561 
Swaine,  Capt.  Spelniau,  149  n. 
SivaUow,  109,  111,  120-122,  209 
ISwan,  112,  174  and  n.,  198  n. 
Swanscombe,  186 
Sweden,  200,  426,  427,  428,  440,  441,  442 

and  n.,  470,  472,  509,  53.3,  535 
Sweeps,  73 

Swiff,  2,  85,  109,  154,  294  n.,  549 
ISwi/tsure,  293,  356,  357,  359  n.,  360,  361, 

363,  365,  366,  367,  370  n.,  372,  373,  377 

and  n.,  390,  401,  402  n.,  453  and  n.,  454 

n.,  484,  485,  530,  551,  553,  556 
Swilly,  Lougli,  345,  346,  348 
Swin,  The,  549 

Swiney,  Admiral  William  (1),  48,  194 
Swiney,  Lieut.  William   (2),  454  n.,  515 

and  n. 
Su'iitger,  379 
Swivels,  12 

Swords  of  honour,  239,  332 
Sydney,  127,  565 
Sykes,  Admiral  John  (1),  149  n. 
Svkes,  Xelson's  coxswain,  John,  321 
Sylj)h,  63,  77,  89,  112,  345,  389  n.,  502, 

507,  508,  540,  555,  556,  558,  5G0 
Symonds,  Com.  Jeruiyn  John,  549 
Symonds,  Capt.  Thomas,  75,  111 
Symons,  V.-Ad.  John,  109,  192 
Synions,  Lieut.  William  Joseph,  343 
Syracuse,  355,  356  n.,  422 
Syria,  400,  522,  550,  556 

Table  Bay,  107,  134.  180,  281,  550 
Tagus,   Kiver,  290,  305,  324,  387  n.,  458, 

549 
Tahiti,  104,  105,  120,  122,  124,  125,  129, 

131,  132,  137,  138,  144,  145,  367  n.,  562, 

566 
Tahourdin,  Capt.  William,  77,  112 
Taillard,  Lieut.,  56 

Talbot,  Admiral  the  Hon.  Sir  John,  340 
Talla  I'itdra,  115 
Tamar,  or   Tamer,  2,   118,   119,  3:U,  412, 

523,  556 
Tamarinds,  105 
Tumisc,  226,  498,  545,  554 
Tana-cdi,  207,  269  n.,  272 


Tanna,  133 

Tap'igetir,  110 

Tarade,  Lieut,  de,  23 

Tardy,  Cajit.,  226 

Tarletoii,  204  n.,  268,  269  n.,  273,  552 

Tartans,  213 

Tartar,  5,  46  and  n.,  57,  115,  154,  203  n., 

277,  549 
Tartarus,  341  n.,  342,  454  n.,  455 
TartaiT,  Gulf  of,  563,  564 
Tartu,"Capt.,  480,  481  n. 
Tartu  (see  also  Tortue),  481  n.,  506  and  n. 
Tasmau,  the  navigator,  131 
Tasmania   {see  also  Van    Diemen's  Land), 

103,  567,  568 
Tate  (Russian  Navy),  Admiral,  279  n. 
Tatham,  Capt.  Sandford,  247  n.,  248 
Tatliwell,  Com.  Josepli,  109 
Taunton  Kiver,  13 
Taurauga,  126 
Taylor,  Capt.  Bridges  Watkinson,  515  and 

n.,  551 
Taylor,  Seaman  John,  376 
Taylor,  Mids.  John  George,  369 
Taylor,  Admiral  Tliomas  (2),  194,  278 
Taylor,  Mids.,  568 
Taylor,  Admiral  William,  203  n. 
Teazer,  247  n.,  379 
Telegrajihs,  Admiralty,  186 
leJegraph,  385,  551,  556 
Tellicherrv,  112 
Temerairi,  84,  115,  181,  216,  225,  226,  230, 

254,  553 
Temple,  in  Paris,  The,  496 
Temple,  Cai)t.  Jolin,  284  and  n.,  549 
Tenerife,    102,  321   and  n.,  322-324,  512, 

545,  555 
Termagant,  557 
Ternate,  471,  472 
Ternate,  559 
Terpsichore,  174  n.,  247  n.,  250,  319,  320, 

322,  351,  352,  354,  426  n.,  504,  505,  555, 

560  (2) 
Terrible,  111,  163  n.,  203  n.,  223,  226,  227, 

230,  235,  269  n.,  272,  274  n.,  277,  307, 

309  n.,  351,  387  n.,  414 
Terror,  321,  333  n.,  430 
Tetuan,  381,  383,  387,  551 
Texel,  The,  39,  279,  283,  294,  325,  326, 

327,  338,  407,  408,  410,  411,  493,  498, 

516,  550,  .554,  558,  5.59 
Texel,  559 

Thalia,  260  n.,  304  n.,  490,  553,  555 
Thames,  River,  123,  124,  136,  149,  154 
Thames,  415,  449,  460,  466  and  n.,  467, 

468,  469,  480,  481,  495,  548,  554,  557 
Thimistocle,  204  n.,  210,  552 
Tlierise,  531,  557 
Theseus,  237  n.,  321,  322,  324,  357,  361, 

362  and  n.,  364  and  n.,  368,  369  and  n., 

400,  402,  403,  404 
Thesiger,  Capt.  Sir  Frederick,  279  n.,  437 

and  n.,  438 


JXDEX    TO    VOLUML:  IV. 


(519 


Thetis,  25,  55,    111,   160  n.,  291   and  ii., 

iU  u.,  492,  525,  526,  553,  558,  5G0 
Tlieveoard,  Capt.  Henri  Alexandre  (1),  294, 

298  n. 
Thi'venard,  Capt.  Henri  Alexandre  (2),  ?.57, 
_  .-570,  487 

Thickiiesse,  Com.  John,  528  n.,  550 
Thiers,  i\I.  Adoliihe,  cited,  230  n. 
T/iisbe,  41.3,  454  n. 
Thistle,  Master  .John,  508 
Thistle  Island,  508 
T/,oIei>,  558 

Thomas,  Ca))t.  Guillaume,  294 
Thomas,  Lieut.  George  (1),  456 
Tlioiiias,  Admiral  John,  09.  194 
Thomas,  Com.  William,  111 
Thumond,  Murrough,  Maniiiis  of,  51.'!  n. 
Thompson,  Lieut.  Andrew,  .'U7 
Thompson,    A'.-Ad.    Sir    Charles    (1),    31, 

114,   192,    247    n.,   248,   250,   2c3,  309 

n.,  320,  330,  380 
Thompson,  Lieut.  Charles  (2),  451 
Thompson,  Capt.  Edward,  101  n. 
Thompson,  Com.  John  (1),  303  and  n. 
Thomjison,  V.-Ad.  Xorliorue,  341  n. 
Thompson,  Lieut.  l*Jonis,  112 
Thompson,    V.-Ad.   Sir   Thomas  Boulden, 

100,  161,  322,  324,  357,  363,  385,  430, 

439,  51.3-516,  550 
Thompson,   LT.S.N.,  Capt.  Thomas,  7,  8 
T!wrn,  110,  333  and  u.,  492,  553 
Thornbrough,   Admiral    Sir   Edward,    112, 

195,  201,  220,  260,  200  n.,  340 
Thorpe,  Lieut.  George,  323,  324 
Thouars,   Capt.    A.    A.   Dupetit,  357,  367 

and  n.,  370 
Thouars,  V.-Ad.  Abel  Dupetit,  307  n. 
Thouars,  K.-Ad.  Abel   Dupetit  (2),  367  n. 
ThitJo),  55S 

Thunder,  18,  10'.),  Ill,  320,  321 
T/iundenr,  47  n.,  57,  111,  218,  219,  220, 

226,  227,  260,  266  n.,  334  n.,  555 
Thurn,  Count,  397 
Thwaites,  Com.  llicluird,  413 
Tiber,  lliver,  399 
Tiburon,  250,  251,  335 
Tickets,  Pav.,  1.56 
Tic/cJer,  112,  247  n.,  379,  428 
Tidal  wave,  121 
Tides,  134 

Tierra  del  Fuec;o,  128,  133 
Ti<jre,  201  n.,^216,  241,  2.55  n.,  262,  263, 

264,  401,  402,  404,  406,  423,  454  n.,  553, 

557 
Tiyress,  76 
Tilbury,  173 

Tiller,  Lieut.  Jonah,  428  and  n.,  551 
Tilly,  Capt.  de,  18,  27 
TiUv,  Capt.  Le  Gardeur  de,  62 
Tinwlion,  204  n.,  357,  368,  309,  555 
Tim.,r,  104,  144 
Tindall,  Lieut.  William,  439 
Tindall,  Mids.  J—  P— ,  331 


Tinian,  119,  121 

Tinkler,  Com.  lUibert,  102,  430 

Tinsley,  Com.  Francis,  110 

Tiphaigne,  Ca]if..  226 

Tippoo  Sahib,  297 

Tiriobu,  King  of  Hawaii,  140 

Tisiphone,  203  n.,  278 

Tobago,  213,  472 

Todd,  Ca])t.  Andrew,  294,  295  n.,  296, 
415,  416  and  n.,  418,  550 

Tokio,  563 

Tolfa,  399 

Totii,  Capt.  Pvoliert  Brown,  4:!0 

'J'om  ITiumh,  560  and  n. 

Tone,  Wolfe,  347  n. 

Tong,  180 

Tongatdbu,  131 

Tonnage  of  the  Navv,  153 

Tonndut,  17  n.,  204  n.,  271,  357,  363, 
364  n.,  366  and  n.,  .367,  368,  369,  370, 
373  n.,  422,  555 

Toolev,  Mids.  Robert,  321 

Topa'ze,  204  n.,  502,  552 

Topete,  Capt.  Don  li.,  466  n. 

Torbav,  29,  201,  241,  254 

7'wiaj/,  89,  90,  115,  304 

Tormentor,  247  n. 

Torres,  Don  Luis  Vaez,  128 

Torres  Strait,  105,  128,  569,  570 

Torride,  376,  402,  550,  556  (2) 

Torrington,  Viscount  (see  Byug,  V.-Ad. 
George  (2)) 

Tortoise,  110 

Tortola,  112 

Tortona,  418 

Tortue  (see  also  Tartu),  298  n.,  304  n., 
481  n.,  506  n.,  555 

Tortuga,  57 

Tory  island,  346 

Totty,  R.-Ad.  Thomas,  195,  334,  427  n., 
551,  555 

Touches,  R  -Ad.  Des,  62 

Toulon,  25,  154,  201,  202-213,  243,  244, 
245,  240,  252,  254,  255,  207,  209,  273, 
277,  278,  279,  283,  280,  287,  288,  289, 
290,  297,  300  u.,  324,  339,  351,  352,  35.3, 
354,  350  n.,  375,  382  and  n.,  384,  385, 
380  and  u.,  393,  394,  399,  41.5,  418,  419, 
422,  447,  448,  449,  450,  453,  455,  459, 
482,  499,  510,  548,  552,  557 

Tourtelet,  Capt.,  497 

Tourterelle,  490,  491,  553 

TouroiUe,  201  n.,  220,  231,  298  n. 

Tovey  (?  mil.),  Capt.,  96  n. 

Towry,  Capt.  George  Henry,  203  n.,  246, 
284,  309  n.,  389  n.,  492,  493  and  n.,  553 

Towzer,  379 

Trade,  Increase  in  war  time  of  British,  473 
and  n. 

Trafalgar,  444  n.,  453  n. 

Trajan,  210,  225,  226,  229,  230,  298  n. 

Transit  of  Venus,  122,  123,  125 

Transport  Commissioners,  153 


620 


lyDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Travels,  and  his  cliaiity,  Mr.  Samuel,  15b 
Treason,  l(i8,  179,  180" 
Treasure  slii|js,  44,  45,  50",  525,  52G 
'i'reasurers  of  tlie  Navy,  150 
Treaty :  of   France  with   America,    l(i ;  of 
America  with  Holland,  57;    of  Madrid, 
286;    of    Campo     Formio,     324;    with 
Sweden,  442  ;  of  Lun<5ville,  444,  458 ;  of 
Amiens,  452  ;  of  Badajos,  458  ;  of  Madrid 
(1801),  470  ;  of  Amiens,  471-473. 
Treguier,  554 

Trehouart,  Captain  Pierre  .Julien,  214,  487 
Trekrouer  Forts,  off  Copenhagen,  430,  432  n., 
433  and  n.,  434,  435,  43U,  437,  438,  440 
Trekroner,  431  n 
Trtmendous,  180,  22G,  228,  231,  295  n.,  529, 

557 
Trent,  159,  538 

Trenie-et-Vn-Mai,  204  n.,  225,  226 
Trepassey,  65,  Qij,  98,  111,  198  n. 
Tresahar,  Lieut.  .John,  549 
Treslong,  R.-Ad.  Johan  Arnold  Bloijs  van, 

326,  329 
Tres  Marias  Islands,  148 
Treville,  V.-Ad.  Kene  Madeleine  Le  Yassor 

de  La  Touche,  71,  87,  89,  444  and  n. 
Trial,  342,  343 
Triangles,  The,  551 
Tribune,  335,  498,  499,  549,  554 
Tricolor,  The  French,  ISO,  215 
Ti  irolor,  204  n.,  552 
Trident,  57,  58,  295  n. 
Trigge,  Capt.  John,  203  n. 
Trigge,  Lieut.-Genl.  !-ir  Thomas,  41,"),  470, 

and  n. 
Trincomale,  76,  114,  282,  548 
Triitcohudc,  525,  550,  556 
Trinidad,  333,  334,  472,  551,  560 
Triomp/iant,  203 n.,  552. 
Tripoli,  450  n. 
Triiip,  Capt.  George,  550 
Triton,  21,  94,  197  n.,  507,  508,  525,  526, 

556,  557,  560 
Trium!  h,  255  n.,  256,  257,  258,  326,  329, 

331,  387  n. 
Tiogoff,  ll.-Ad.  Comte  de,  204,  205  and  n. 
Trois  Couleurs,  499,  554 
Trois  Rivieres,  Guadeloupe,  535 
TroUope,  Capi.  George  Barne,  331 
Trollope,  Admiral  i-ir  Henry  (1),  80,   115, 

195,  283,  325,  326,  327,  332,  501 
Trumj)  (and   Maarten  Hurperttz  Tromp), 

76,  154,  295  n. 
'J'ronipeiise,  549,  550,  552 
Troudhjem,  554 
Tiunjuly,  Coumiod.,  19 
Trotter,  Com.  Richard,  51 
Troubridge,    E.-Ad.    Sir  Thomas,   19,   42, 
103    n.,    167,   182,    203   n.,    217,    240, 
274  n.,  279,  290,  309  n.,  310,  318,  322, 
323,  355,  357,  363,  373,  374,  386,  390, 
395,  396,  399  and  n.,  400,  401,  420,  444, 
485,  548,  568 


Troudc,  li.-Ad.  Aimable  Gilles,  406  n., 
469  and  n. 

Tronde,  the  historian,  quoted,  16  u.,  17  n., 
22  and  n.,  25,  27,  43,  57,  70,  85,  90,  95, 
96,  409  n.,  515  and  n.,  520,  525,  539 

True  Briton,  110 

True  Love,  collier,  123 

Truguct,  A'.-Ad.  Laurent  Jean  Francois, 
297,  370  n. 

TruUet,  Capt.  J.  F.  T.  (1),  357 

Trullet,  Capt.  J.  F.  T.  (2),  357 

TrumhuU,  72,  73,  97,  98,  113 

Truscott,  Com.  Francis,  466  n. 

Truscott,  R.-Ad.  WiUiam,  19.'),  2.".7  ii. 

Trussell,  Lieut.  George,  158 

Trusttj,  197  n.,  213,  454  n.,  487 

Tubuai  Island,  104,  138 

Tucker,  Com.  Tudor,  549 

Tucker,  Mr.  Benjamin,  lol 

Tucker,  U.S.N.,  Capt.  — ,  113 

Tucket,  Jlids.  Hon.  George,  4.'!9 

Tullidge,  Com.  R.,  112 

Tunis,  284,  554 

Tupia,  the  Tahitan,  125,  129 

Tupper,  Lieut.  Cary,  245 

Tupper,  Lieut.  Charles,  210 

Turin,  418 

Turkey,  352,  371,  373,  375,  377,  379,  389, 
390,  393,  394,  400,  403,  404,  400,  423, 
454,  455,  450,  457,  458,  472,  510,  550, 
■      558 

Turk's  Island,  95,  115 

Turner,  Cora.  Joseph,  278 

Turner,  Lieut.  John  (1),  404J 

Turnur,  Capt.  Jolm,  295  n. 

Turquand,  Com.  William  James,  349  and 
n.,  530,  551 

Tuscany,  285,  339,  354,  389,  415,  450, 
452 

Twysden,  Capt.  Thomas,  349,  525,  548 

Tybee  Island,  32 

Tyler,  Admiral  Sir  Charles  (1),  203  n., 
269  n.,  274  n.,  431,  549,  555 

Tyne,  River,  35 

Typing,  or  Myako-sinia,  564 
Tyrannicide,    113,  223,  226,  227  n.,  255, 
447  n. 

Tyrason,  Capt.  Don  Miguel,  321 
Tyrrel,  Lieut.  Edward,  198  n.,  548 

U.\DIDI,  the  Bolabolan,  131,  133 

riiatea  Island,  131,  133,  139 

Ulysses,  58,  69  and  n.,  70,  247  n.,  377  n. 

Undaunted,  204  n.,  247  n.,  248,  291  u.,  549, 

552  (2),  559 
Unicorn,  20  and  n.,  21,  25,  57,  63  n,  97, 

110,  113,  302,  304  u.,  389  n.,  498,  499, 

545,  554,  555,  558 
Unie,  409,  559 
Uniform,  Naval,  182 
Union,  209,  548 

Union  Flag,  The,  188-190,  222,  420 
Union  oi  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  426 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


621 


Unite,  154,  213,  412,  495,  4'JG  (2)  and  n., 

548,  554  (2),  555 
United  States  of  America,  473 
rppleby,  Cajit.  Saniuel,  17,  111 
Upton,  Capt.  Clotwoi-thy,  430 
Urania,  481  n.,  506 
Uranie,  389  n.,  480,  481,  530,  558 
rVca  Cargadora,  500 
Urchin,  551 

Urtesebal,  Ca])t.  Don  M.,  333  n. 
Ushakotr,  V.-Ad.  F.  P.,  375  and  n. 
Usliant,  Cape,  24,  40,  53,  55,  110,  114,  210, 

237,  256,   298,   300   and  n.,   302,   304, 

336  n.,  367  n.,  380,  414,  482,  550,  552- 

556 
Utih',  499,  551,  554 
Utrecht,  410,  559 

Vado  Bay,  277,  284,  385  and  n.,  386,  558 

Vailtant,  554 

Vaillant,  Capt.  Isaac,  111 

VaiUante,  504,  513,  550,  556 

Valence,  Town  and  Bay,  273,  389  n. 

Valetta,  374,  418,  419,  421,  422,  423,  557 

Valeur,  25,  114 

Valiant,  47  n.,  60,  222,  226,  227,  230,  234, 

260n.,  261,334n.,  555 
Valiente,  5G0 
Va/k,  409,  559  (2) 
Vallvenburg,  Com.  Jan,  295  n. 
Vaikyrien,  431  n.,  433,  561 
Valle,  Admiral  de,  241 
Vallongue,  Capt.  de,  87 
Valparaiso,  148,  149 
A'alteaii,  Capt.,  501 
Vancouver,  Capt.   George,  130,  138,    145- 

149,  562,  568,  571 
Vancouver's  Island,  107,  1.^9,  146,  149 
Vanii.angel,  Capt.,  220 
Vandeput,  Admiral  George,  192,  290,  335, 

379,  414 
Van  Diemen's  Land,  or  Tasmania,  l.'U,  138 
Vandongen,  Capt.,  476 
Vanguard,  73,  250,  351,  352  n.,  353,  357, 

361,  362,  364,  369  and  n.,  372,  373,  374, 

375,  390,  391,  494,  546,  553,  554 
Vanneav,  549,  552 
Vansittart,  The  Hon.  Nicholas,  428 
Vausittart,  V.-Ad.  Henry,  561 
Vanstabel,  1!.-Ad.  Pierre  Jean,  201  and  u., 

202,  215,  216,  217,  221,  237,  239 
Van.  Trorap,  559 
Varborg,  428,  551 
Variante,  495  n. 
Vasco  da  Cfama,  255  n. 
Vashon,  Admiral  James,  203  n. 
Vashon,  Capt.  James  Giles,  562,  563,  564 

and  n.,  571 
Vassall,  Com.  Nathaniel,  369 
Vaubois,  Genl.,  353,   356,   374,   418,  419, 

420,  422,  423 
Vautour,  298  n.,  447  n.,  466  n.,  506 
Vedette,  557 


Vegetables,  169,  171 

I'eiosa  Aragonesa,  560 

Veloz,  561 

Vence,    ]!.-Ad.  Jean   Gaspar,  255   and   n., 

256 
Vendeens  refuse  to  fight  for  France,  496 
Venerable,   173,   324,  326,   329,  331,  388, 

389  n.,  460,  461,   462,   463,   464,   465, 

466  n.,  467,  468,  469 
Venereal  diseases,  158 
Venezuela,  527 
Venqeance,   33,   35,   47,   58,   247    n.,  250, 

333  n.,  502  (2),  506,  522,  523,  533,  546, 

557 
Vengeur  and  Vengeur  du  Peuple,  226,  228, 

231,  232,  233,  234,  235,  236  and  n.,  242, 

252,  483,  496,  528  and  n.,  552  (2\  553, 

557 
Venice,  324,  338,  356  n.,  375  n.,  558 
Ventiirier,  555 

Venus,  58,  217,  226,  291,  409,  476,  559 
Venus,  313,  351,  534,  557 
Venus,  'I'ransit  of,  122,  123,  125 
Vera  Cruz,  562 
Verde,  Isla,  461,  462,  463 
Verdooren,  Capt.  G.,  326 
Vernon,  Admiral  Sir  Edward  (2),  114,  191 
Vernon,  71,  72,  77  and  n.,  78,  79,  247  n. 
Verplanks  Point,  26 
Verta,  502,  503,  510,  512 
Verwachting,  409,  559 
Vestal,  57,  89,  109,  174  n.,  175,  341  u.,  417, 

453,  454  n.,  493,  555,  558 
Vestale,  268,  270,  494,  504,  506,  523,  545, 

549,  555,  556 
Vesui-c,  341  n.,  343,  553 
Vesuvius,  247  n.,  342,  343 
Veteran,  247  n.,  248,  250,  326,  331,  408  n., 

410,  431,  435  n. 
Vexer,  247 
Vioe-Admiral  of  England,  222 

Vickers,  Lieut.  L ,  111 

Victoire,  25,  204  n.,  270,  271,  277,  286 
Victor,  6,  58,  110,  408  n.,  410,  541,  542, 

558 
Victorieuse,  333  and  n.,  454  n.,  457,  493, 

517,  552,  554 
Victorious,  280  n.,  502,  503 
Victory,  14,  203  n.,  204,  205,  245,  246,  274 

and  n.,  275,  276,  277,  279,  308  n.,  309 

and  n.,  311,  312,  314,  316,  321 
Victualling  Yard,  187 
Vigie,  St.  Lucia,  293 
Vigilant,  4,  32,  110,  341  u. 
Vigilante,  548,  554  (2) 
Vigny,  Capt.  de,  86 
Vigo  Bay,  551,  561 
Viiaine,  River,  447 
Vilettes,  Lieut.-Col.,  244 
Villa  Nova,  83  n. 
Villa  Vieja,  Tower  of,  461 
A'illaret-Joyeuse,    V.-Ad.    Louis    Thomas, 

95,  215  and  n.,  216-239    252,  255  and 


622 


IXDEX    rO    VOI.VME   IV. 


n.,  25G,  259,  2G0,  2G1,  264,  266,  297,  380 

n.,  488 
Villi-  de  Lf/rkiit,  298  ii.,  :50i  n.,  555 
Ville  de  Marseille,  418,  419,  557 
Ville  de  Piirin,  87,  88,  112,  114,  154,  177, 

321,  384  and  n.,  385,  414  n. 
Ville  Fraud  e  or  Villa  Franca,  212,  243 
Villencuvc,  Cipt.  Jean,  357,  422,  51(> 
Villeneuve,   Y.-Ad.    P.  C.  J.    li.   S.,   289, 

297  and  n.,  300  n.,  353,  357,  368,  372, 

374,  423,  514 
Villeon,  Capt.  P.,  483 
Vimel,  Lieut.,  447  n. 
I'incejo,  452,  557,  500 
Vincent,  Admiral  Nicholas,  10,  113,  191 
I'iitdictii'e,  295  n.,  559 
Viper,  110,  532,  557 
Vij)ere,  548,  549,  552 
Virginia,  4,  549 
Virginia,  28,  48,  113 
Virqinie,  254,  255  n.,  257,  490,  497,  554, 

5'59 
Vitre,  Lieut.  John  Denis  de,  341  n. 
Vivo,  561 
Vizagajiatam,  555 
Vlicland,  550,  559 
Vlieter,  The,  409,  410,  559 
Vliefer,  410.559 
VliK/heid,  493,  558 
VoJcan,  446,  497,  498,  554 
Volcano,  389  n.,  430 
Vohntaire,  486,  553 
Vi.Higcur,  298  n. 
Vi  lunteers,  159,  100  n. 
VrieslaTid,  558 

Yrijheld,  94,  154,  326,  329  and  n.,  330,  559 
Vrouw  Mari'i,  295  n.,  559 
Vulcan,  61,  75,  111,  203  n.,  209,  548 
Vulture,  71  and  n  ,  72 
Vyvian  (Mar.),  Lieut.  AVilliam,  535  n. 

Wcvikzaamhcid,  326,  510,  517,  559 

Wafer,  the  navij;ator,  122 

Waqer,  118 

Wiiges,  50  and  n.,  51,  72,   159,  169,   170, 

172 
Waghorn,  Capt.  Jlartin,  112 
Waikiki  Bay,  145,  563 
II '.(H-er,  559 

Walbeoff,  Com.  Thomas,  20,  109,  110 
Waldeck,  Com.  J.  H.,  410 
Waldegrave,   The   Hon.    Sir  William  (1)  : 

see  Kadstock,  Loi-d 
Wales,  the  astronomer,  Mr.,  129,  133 
\\'alker,  of  Whitby,  Messrs.,  123 
Walker,  U.-Ad.  James  (2),  326,  430 
Walker,  C'a|it.  Samuel  Hood,  111 
Walker,  Lieut.  William,  159 
Wallace,  Admiral  Sir   James   (1),   20,  25, 

32,  53,  65,  110,  114,  192,  214,  290 
Wallace,  Com.  John,  111 
Wallace,  the  mutineer,  176 
Waller,  Capt.  Edmund,  407  n. 


Waller,  Capt.  Thomas  Moutrav,  321,  .".22, 

323,  351,  373  n.,  385,  5.30,  531 
Wallis,  Capt.  James  (1),  519,  ,550 
Wallis,  Quartermaster  Henry,  .540 
Wallis,    Admiral   of  the   lleet   Sir   Provo 

William  Parrv,  161 
Wallis,  Capt.  Samuel,  119-121,  122.    124, 

;29,  151,  571 
Walruses,  139 
Walsingham  (formerh/    Boyle),  Capt.    the 

Hon.' Robert' Boyle,  'ill,  182 
Waller,  Master's  Mate  Peter,  .309 
War:    with    France,   16,    143,    197;    with 

Spain,  143,  286 
Ward,  Lieut.-Col.,  342 
AVardlaw,  Com.  William,  110 
Warliam,  Lieut.  Ambrose,  158 

■Warrc,  Com.  C ,  109 

Warre,  Capt.  Henry,  494 
W.arren,   Admiral   Sir   .Tohn   Borlase,    195, 
252,  254,  200,  261,  260  and  n.,  267,  305, 
345-351,   424,  425,  448,  449,  450,  451, 
452,  453,  459  and  n.,  483,  480,  495,  502, 
507,  508,  ,509,  531,  552  (2),  553  (3),  554 
(5),  555  (5),  556,  557 
Warren,  Ca]it   S.amuel  (1),  7 
Warren,  Mids.  Itobert,  540  n. 
]Varren,  28,  29,  113 
Warrior,  384  n.,  4:-tl 
Warwick,  60,  89,  110 
Washington,  Genl.  Creorge,  75 
Washington,  03 
Washimiton,  4, 113,  410,  559 
Wasii,  113,  531  n.,  5.50 
Wassenaar,  :','1G,  329  aiid  n.,  55!i 
Water  for  ships,  188 
Waterfall,  .''.OI 
Waterford,  100,  112 
AVaters,  Com.  John  Lawes,  370  n. 
Waterspouts,  57 

Watkiiis,  Admiral  Fre.lerick,  2S0,  425 
Watrin,  Genl.,  451,  452 
Wiitson,  Capt.  James  (1),  430,  550 
AVatson,  Capt.  Joshua  Rowley,  549 
Watson,  V.-Ad.  Robert,  493  ' 

A\'atson,  Lieut. ,  548 

Watlignies,  255  n.,  202,  298  n. 

Watts,  Mids.  Robert,  324 

Weatlier  Gage,  The,  222,  223,  270,  511 

Weatherhead,  Lieut.  John,  324 

Weazel,  7,  8,  22,  110,  203  n.,  550 

AVebb,  Mids.  Charles  James,  ^103 

AVebber,  the  draftsman,  Mr.,  K:!8 

Webley  {after irards  Parry),  AVilliam  Henry 

(s  (■  'Parry,  R.-.Vd.  AV.  H.  W.). 
Webster,  Lieut.  Hubert,  331 
AVebster,  Master  William,  228 
AVedgborough,  of  H.E.L  Co.'s  Service,  Mr., 

143,  144  " 
Weerwraak,  559 

AVeight   of  Metal,    Importance   of,    90-99, 
513,  544 
.  AVellingtou,  New  Zealand,  126 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME   IV. 


623 


Wells,  Adiniral  Sii-  John,  112,  M'-'G 

Wells,  V.-Ad.  'J'liuiuas  (1),  111,  274  n.,  483 

Wells,  Capt.  William  (2),  247  u. 

\\'est,  Com.  Humijlirev,  197  n. 

West,  Admiral  Tbomas,  10,  110,  195 

AVestbeacli,  Com.  Joseph,  o33  u. 

AVest  Capelle,  330 

Westcott,  Capt.  George  Blagden,  22(1,  357, 
369  and  n.,  560 

Western,  11.- Ad.  Thomas,  412,  523,  556 

West  Florida,  110 

West  India  llegiment,  379 

West  Indies,  10,  22,  24,  31,  47,  50,  51,  52, 
55,  57,  03,  69,  72,  91,  94,  102,  107,  109- 
112,  114-116,  119,  144,  145,  166,  174, 
179  n.,  181,  200  and  n.,  201,  202,  215, 
240-251,  267,  280,  289,  291  u.,  345,  449, 
472,  470,  482,  486,  491,  492,  494,  503, 
504, 517, 523,  548-554,  557,  560-562, 566 

West  Square,  186 

Wexford,  76 

Weymouth,  350  n.,  487 

Weymouth,  550 

Whale  fisheries,  493 

A\'harton,  I!.-Ad.  (retired)  Sir  William 
James  Lloyd,  the  Hydrographer,  quoted, 
124,  126,  133 

Wheate,  Capt.  Sir  Jacob,  112 

Whipple,  U.S.N.,  Capt.  Abraham,  113 

Whiston,  Lieut.  John,  377  ii. 

Whitbv,  123,  124,  129 

Whitby,  Capt.  John,  198  n.,  214, 241,  255  n. 

White,  Brig.-Genl.,  251 

White,  Capt.  Charles,  341  n.,  493,  o.'io 

White,  V.-Ad.  Sir  John  Chambers,  345, 
389  n.,  449,  452,  502,  508,  556,  558 

White  (Mar.),  Capt.  Joseph,  337 

White,  Cajjt.  Thomas  (2),  ,369  n. 

While,  Lieut.  Thomas  (.''.),  550 

White,  of  H.E.I.  Co.'s  Service,  Mr.,  143, 
144 

White  Ensign,  The,  362  and  n. 

AVhitehaven,  11,  12,  100 

Whitehead,  Lieut.  Richard,  426  n. 

Whitshed  (formerly  Ha\s-kins),  Admiral  of 
the  Fleet  Sir  James  Hawkins,  111,  194, 
309  n.,  384,  385  n. 

Whitter,  Com.  Render,  430 

Whitter,  Com.  Tristram,  277 

Whittle,  Lieut.  — ,  550 

Wlutworth,  Lord,  427 

Whvte,  Maj.-Genl.  John,  291 

Wickos,  U.S.N.,  Capt.  Lambert,  113 

AVicke\',  Adnural  John,  195 

Widows,  157,  158 

Wiggerts,  Capt.  0.,  326 

Wi^ht,  Isle  of,  24,  110,  550,  551 

Wild  Cat,  27,  110 

Wildiny,  556 

Wilhelmiiia,  517,  559 

Wilkinson,  Capt.  George,  112 

\\'ilUinson  (afterwards  Stephens),  Admiral 
Philip,  389  n. 


Wilkinson,  Capt.  William,  369,  430 

Wdks,  Lieut.  Thomas,  439 

Willemoes,  439 

Willemoes,  Lieut.,  439  and  n. 

Willemstad,  281,  558 

WiUemstadt,  281 

William  Henry,  Adnural  of  the  Fleet  Prince, 

Duke  of  Clarence,  191 
William  Pitt,  483  n.,  550 

Williams  (Mar.),  Lieut.  James  D ,  404 

Williams,  Master  John,  468 

Williams  (Mass.  Navv),  Capt.  John  Foster, 

113 
Williams,  1!.-Ad.  Robert  (1),  309  n. 
Williams,  Advuiral   Sir   Thomas  (4),  302, 

498,  554,  558,  5li0 
Williams,  Capt.  William,  19  and  n.,  110 
Williams  (afteru-ard^   Freeman),    Admiral 

of  the  Fleet  William  Peere,  55,  66,  68, 

69,  114,  116,  192 
Williamson,   Capt.   John  (1),  i:>8  and  n., 

326,  329,  3.30  and  u.,  332 
Wilmington,  61 

Wilmot,  Capt.  David,  401,  404  and  n. 
Wilson,  Capt.  Alexander,  454  u. 
Wilson,  Adnural  George  (1),  194,  237  n., 

280,  333  n.,  553 
Wilson,  Com.  Henr\'  Smith,  550 
Wilson,  of  H.E.I.  Co.'s  Service,  Henry,  143 
Wilson,  Com.  Thomas  (1),  454  u. 
Wilson,  Com.  Thomas  Henrv,  247  n.,  248, 

429 
Winchelsea,  198  n.,  247  u.,  248,  250 
Windham      (formerly      Lukin),      V.-Ad. 

William,  415,  557 
AV indsor,  Capt.  the  Hon.  Thomas,  20, 110 
Windsor   Castle,   167,   168,   203    u.,   246, 

269  n.,  272,  274  n.,  277 
Windsor,  Knights  of,  158 
Winne,  Capt.  John,  226 
Winter,  V.-AcL  J.  W.  De :  see  De  Winter. 
Winthrop,  V.-Ad.    Robert,  341  n,  408  u., 

409,  424,  549,  551,  554,  559 
Winthuysen,  Capt.  Don  F.,  04 
Wixon,  Master's  Mate  Joseph,  317 
Wodehouse,  A'.-Ad.  Hon.  Philip,  549 
Wolf,  47  n. 

Woiley,  Capt.  Isaac,  250 
Wolley,  V.-Ad.  Thomas,  214,  333  u.,  507, 

555 
WoLelev,  .Vdudral  Charles,  166,  191 
Wolseley,  Admiral  William,  77, 112,  203  n., 

212  n.,  243,  244,  414 
Wolverine,  341  n.,  342,  519,  524,  544,  559 
Womeu  on  board  shi]i,  184 
Wood,   R.-Ad.   Sir  James   Athol,  333   n., 

549 
Woodford,  50G 
Woodley,  Capt.  John,  203  u.,  212  u  ,  243, 

549 
Wooldridge,  Capt.  Fiancis,  110,  558 
Wooldridge,  Capt.  AViUiam  (1),  400,  540, 

550 


624 


JNDEX    TO    VOLUME  IV. 


Woolwich,  lo4 

Woolwich,  247  n. 

Wort,  128 

Worth,  Capt.  James  Andrew,  385  ami  ii., 

556 
Wounded  men,  Treatment  of,  160,  170,  171 
Wrath,  Cape,  35 
Wrav,  Com.  Hcnrv,  247  n. 
Wreiicli,  Com.  Matthew,  210,  549 
Wri-ht,  Com.  John  (2),  109 
Wriiiht,    Capt.    John    Wesley,    401,    402, 

4% 
Wiirttember<r,  Tlie  Princess  of,  173 

Yames,  Likut.  J ,  551 

Yarmouth,  10  and  n.,  113 

Yarmoutli,  Great,  112,  187,  283,  325,  408, 

419  n.,  428,  444,  550 
Yarmouth  Road,  325 
Yauldeu.  MasterV  Mate  Henry,  439 
YeHand.  Capt.  John,  430 
Yellow  fever,  523 
Yesso  Island,  563,  564 
Yeu,  Isle  of,  267 
Yonge  Frans,  559 
Yonqe  Lanskr,  559 
York,  109,  110,  154,  .560 
Yorl<,  H.E.H.  Field-Marshal  the  Duke  of, 

184,408,411,  412  and  n. 
Y'ork  River,  72 


Yorke,  Admiral  Sir  Joseph  Sydney,  387, 493 

Yorkshire,  186 

Yorktown,  75,  76 

Young,  Mids.  Edward,  102,  104  n. 

Young,  Lieut.  Geori;e  Forbes  Freeman,  562 

Young,  Lieut. ,  137 

Young,  Admiral  Sir  George,  193 
Young  (Mar.),  Capt.  George,  446  n. 
Younn,  V.-Ad.  James  (2),  452,  525,  560 
Young,  U.S.X.,  Capt.  John,  113 
Young,  Admiral  Sir  AVilliam  (I'l,  169,  193, 
■     203  n.,  243,  269  n.,  274  n. 
Yovmg,  Y.-Ad.  William  (2),  454  n. 
Yule,  Com.  John,  370  n. 

Zaste,  324 

Zealand,  558 

Zealous,  290,  3'^5,  322,  356,  357,  360,  361, 

362,  364,  368,  369  n.,  373,  377  n.,  390, 

401,  427  n.,  556 
Zebra,  110,  247  n.,  248,  333  and   n.,  430, 

553,  554 
Zeeland,  558 

Zeemeeuiv,  291  and  n.,  558 
Zejir,  558 

Zegers,  Capt.  J.  B.,  326 
Zele,  17,  32,  255  n.,  262 
Zephtjr,  19,  58,  110,  114,  430,  432,  517 
Zoetemans,  Cora.  Jacob,  295  n. 
Zuider  Zee,  412,  559 


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