Mahon. On the 9th a detachment of 300 men, under Colonel Paget, marched to Mahon, and compelled Fort-Charles to surrender; whereby the colonel was enabled to remove the boom across the entrance of the harbour, and afford a free passage from without to the Aurora and Cormorant. The transports that had been in company with these ships, as well as those left in Addaya creek, had in the mean time been removed to Fournella, as a more safe and commodious harbour.

66

Late on the evening of the 11th Commodore Duckworth, who had shifted his broad-pendant back to the Leviathan, and then lay at anchor in Fournella, received information that four ships supposed to be of the line," were seen between the islands of Minorca and Majorca. The commodore instantly put to sea with the Leviathan, Centaur, and Argo, and the men-of-war transports, Calcutta, Coromandel, and Ulysses (each ship with a fifth of her crew on shore), and steered towards Ciudadella. At daybreak on the 13th, Ciudadella bearing east by south distant eight or nine miles, five ships were seen from the masthead, standing for that port. Chase was instantly given; whereupon the strange squadron, which consisted of the Spanish 40-gun frigates Flora and Proserpine, and 34-gun frigates SantaCazilda and Pomona, with their prize, the late British sloop Peterel, captured at noon on the preceding day, hauled to the wind for Majorca. The Peterel, hauling more up than the rest, was pursued and recaptured by the Argo; while the remainder of the British ships continued in chase of the four Spanish frigates. At 11 P.M. the Leviathan, taking with her the Calcutta and Ulysses, returned to Ciudadella; as, in the course of the next day, the 14th, did the Centaur and Coromandel, the Spanish frigates having completely outsailed their pursuers. It appears that the Spaniards had behaved extremely ill to the officers and crew of the Peterel, having plundered them of almost everything. The chief part of the clothes belonging to Captain Long and his officers, however, are represented to have been subsequently recovered. This charge of ill-usage was officially contradicted in the Madrid Gazette of the 12th of the following April, but was, nevertheless, essentially true.

Upon his return, on the morning of the 16th, off Ciudadella, Commodore Duckworth found that, owing to the active measures pursued by General Stuart, the town had been summoned on the 14th, and that on the 15th the whole island had surren dered on terms of capitulation, without the loss of a single British subject. The Spanish troops, composing the different

garrisons on the island, amounted to between 3000 and 4000 men. A great quantity of ordnance and ordnance-stores was taken in the forts; and in the arsenal at Mahon was found abundance of naval stores. No Spanish ship of war was afloat in any of the harbours; but the keel and stern-frame of a man-ofwar brig was found on the stocks at Port-Mahon, with the whole of her timbers and rigging, and a part of her clothing. The vessel was afterwards completed, and launched as the PortMahon. She measured 277 tons, and is now the police-depôt moored off Somerset House. Several gun-boats were also taken, but none of any value. Of merchant-vessels there were three; a ship of 540 tons, partly laden with cotton, gum, and drugs, a ship of 200 tons, in ballast, a xebec of 60 tons, laden with horn, and four small tartans.

The conduct of the British seamen and marines, that had been detached from their respective ships to serve on shore, was on this, as we have shown it to have been on many other occasions, of the most exemplary description; so much so, as to call forth from General Stuart the following written testimonial, addressed to Lieutenant William Buchanan, second of the Leviathan, under whose orders the men had been placed: "I have the honour to return you, and the gentlemen employed on shore under your command, my sincere thanks for your activity, zeal, and assistance, in forwarding the light artillery of the army; neither can too much praise be given to the seamen, for their friendly and cheerful exertions under very hard labour, exertions which were accompanied with a propriety of behaviour which I greatly attribute to your management, and which will ever merit my acknowledgments."

For his services on this occasion, General Stuart was made a knight of the bath; but Commodore Duckworth, who, according to a letter from Earl St. Vincent to Earl Spencer, expected to be created a baronet, received no mark of royal favour. Without waiting to discuss the merits of the commodore's claims, we shall merely state, that he found a false friend in him whom he requested to urge them. Let Earl St. Vincent be judged by his own words: "Commodore Duckworth will, I am sure, represent me as lukewarm to the profession if I do not at least state his expectations, which, I understand from Captain Digby, are, to be created a baronet. It is certainly very unusual for a person detached as he was, under a plan and instruction from his commander-in-chief, from which the circumstances attending the enterprise did not require the smallest deviation, to be dis

tinguished in the manner he looks for. Very different was the case of General Stuart, who received his instructions from the secretary of the war department, and was himself a commanderin-chief." Had Captain Brenton, whom no one can accuse of being "lukewarm" in Earl St. Vincent's cause, instead of publishing this letter, thrown it into the fire, he would have escaped the charge so expressively conveyed in the poet's deprecation, "Save me from my friends!"

So much had the Camperdown defeat damped the energies and crippled the resources of the Dutch, that no fleet which they could assemble dared to show itself outside of the Texel. Nor, even were every one of the 16 ships that had met Admiral Duncan restored to her station in the Batavian line, would the aggregate force have been able to contend against the united fleets, which now cruised between Holland and England. The command of the British North-sea fleet still remained with Admiral Lord Duncan; who had under his orders 16 sail of the line (four 74s and twelve 64s), besides more than double that number of 50-gun ships, frigates, and sloops. The Russian Viceadmiral Mackaroff cruised also on the same station, with 10 sail of the line, of which number seven were 74-gun ships.

Light Squadrons and Single Ships.

On the 3rd of January, at 6 A.M., the British armed sloop or tender, George, of six guns (3 or 4 pounders) and 40 men, commanded by Lieutenant Michael Mackey, being on her passage from Demerara to Martinique, discovered on her lee bow, and at once bore down upon, two sail, which proved to be Spanish privateers; one, a cutter, of 12 guns and 109 men, the other a schooner, of six guns and 68 men. An action immediately commenced between the George, then on the starboard, and the two privateers on the larboard tack. At the expiration of 40 minutes, the two latter evinced an intention to board. The helm of the George was instantly put a-lee, in order to preserve the weather-gage; but the sloop unfortunately missed stays, and, in the act of wearing, fell on board the cutter. The schooner having now gained a position on the George's weather-quarter, both vessels immediately grappled the sloop, and made two vigorous but unsuccessful attempts to board. Having, in these assaults, killed the George's sailing-master and seven men, and wounded her commander and 16 men, the two privateers, at the

1 Brenton, vol. ii., p. 348.

third attempt, carried the British vessel; but not without having paid dearly for their victory, their united loss amounting to 32 men killed, and many more wounded.

A more heroic defence than this little affair exhibits has seldom been witnessed. The George, at the moment her colours were struck, had lost more than half of her crew; that crew having been originally less by three-fourths than the number of her opponents.

On the 5th of January, at 11 P.M., Ushant bearing eastnorth-east distant 94 leagues, the British 18-pounder1 40-gun frigate Pomone, Captain Robert Carthew Reynolds, steering to the eastward with a fresh breeze at west-south-west, crossed a ship standing under easy sail to the north-west. Chase was instantly given; and, as the stranger, deceived probably by the thickness of the weather as to the Pomone's strength, made no effort to escape, the two ships were presently alongside. An action now commenced; nor was it until the strange ship, whose force was only 26 guns, had lost her mizenmast, and received eight shots between wind and water, that her crew called out for quarter.

Possession was forthwith taken of the Cheri privateer, from Nantes, Captain Chassin, mounting, on her main or single deck, twenty-six long 12, 18, and 24 pounders, mixed, with a complement of 230 men; of whom 15, including her gallant commander, were killed, and 19 wounded. The privateer's fire had done some injury to the Pomone, having killed one and wounded four of her men; and, besides cutting away much of her standing rigging, had so damaged the fore and main masts, that it became necessary for their immediate preservation to fish them.

As soon as the prisoners had been shifted, and the Pomone's carpenters had plugged the principal shot-holes in the prize, the Pomone prepared to take her in tow; when the officer in command hailed that she was sinking. All the boats of the frigate went immediately to the Cheri's assistance; but no efforts could save her. Scarcely had the Pomone's people and the wounded been taken from her, than the Cheri sank alongside; affording an indubitable proof that her unfortunate crew had not called for quarter until every hope of success had fled.

On the 8th of January, at daylight, the Burlings bearing east distant 50 leagues, the British 18-gun brig-sloop Kingfisher (6-pounders), Captain Charles Herbert Pierrepont, discovered on her weather-quarter a strange ship, which soon afterwards

1 See p. 118.

bore up and stood towards her. At 9 A.M. the Kingfisher tacked; and at 9 h. 30 m. A.M. the stranger, which was the French privateer Betsey, of 16 French 6-pounders, hoisted her colours and began firing. The Kingfisher, then on the opposite tack, opened her fire in passing; the Betsey did the same; but the cannonade was too distant to be very effective. The Betsey then wore round; and the Kingfisher, being unable to gain the weather-gage, shortened sail, in order that her opponent might get abreast of her. The Betsey was presently alongside to windward, and a smart action ensued. After it had continued for an hour and a quarter, the Kingfisher's jib-boom was shot away, and the Betsey, taking advantage of that, and of the prevailing light wind, ran ahead under all sail, firing her stern-chasers as soon as she could bring them to bear. Another jib-boom having been got out, and the wind freshening, the Kingfisher was enabled, by 1 P.M., to overtake her opponent, and renew the action. The latter held out for half an hour longer, and then surrendered.

In this well-contested and mutually creditable action, the Kingfisher sustained but very trifling damage in hull, rigging, or sails; and, out of a complement of 120 men and boys, had only one man slightly wounded. The Betsey, out of a complement of 118, lost one seaman killed, her first and second captains, and six seamen wounded, three of them mortally, and the remainder badly.

On the 16th of January, early in the morning, as the British 20-gun ship Babet, Captain Jammett Mainwaring, was cruising about midway between the islands of Martinique and Dominique, an armed schooner was observed standing towards her. Soon afterwards the wind died away; and the schooner, having made out the Babet to be a man-of-war, took to her sweeps and rowed off. This afforded to Mr. Samuel Pym, first-lieutenant of the ship, an opportunity of volunteering an attempt to capture the schooner by the boats. Accordingly Lieutenant Pym, with the pinnace and launch, containing between them 24 men, proceeded on the service.

After rowing four hours, and reaching a distance of three leagues from the ship, the boats arrived within gun-shot of the schooner, who immediately opened her fire upon them. The pinnace, having out-pulled the launch, was the first boat alongside. Lieutenant Pym and his 12 men at once boarded, and in spite of a very strenuous opposition, carried the schooner. She proved to be the Désirée, of six carriage-guns (4-pounders, pro

VOL. II.