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twelves. The inference meant to be drawn was, 1805. that the Cleopatra, in every respect, was the equal Feb. of the Ville-de-Milan; and that, therefore, the victory gained by the latter redounded to the honour of the french navy.

66

One admission has slipped out, which, as coming from a Frenchman, is rather important, and so precisely applicable to the case of the Cleopatra and Ville-de-Milan, that, offering our acknowledgments, we adopt the very words: We should seem here" (alluding to an opinion just given) "to be passing sentence upon several french captains, did we not hasten to remark, that, to be equal in force, it is not enough that two vessels be armed with the same guns, in number and caliber, but they ought to be of an equal strength in their hull, masts, and rigging." "Nous semblerions prononcer ici l'arrêt de plusieurs capitaines de vaisseau français, si nous ne nous hâtions de faire remarquer que, pour être égaux en force, il ne suffit pas que deux bâtimens soient armés d'une artillerie pareille, quant au nombre et au calibre, mais qu'ils doivent être d'une égale solidité dans leur coque, leur mâture, et leur gréement."*

asser

ing the

All curiosity about the circumstances that at- False tended the capture of the Ville-de-Milan herself tion reis stifled at once by the sweeping falsehood, that spectthe british 40-gun frigate Cambrian was aiding and camassisting the Leander in the very difficult task she brian. had to perform. And yet he, whom, after what has already appeared in these pages, it will be no libel to call the imperial fictionist, and who actually took some interest in this particular case, wholly overlooked the circumstance of the alleged interference of a second british ship. "Il paraît," says Napoléon, in a letter to his minister of marine, dated May 10, 1805, que la Ville-de-Milan a été prise, mais non la Cléopâtre qui s'est sauvée. Les renseignemens

* Victoires et Conquêtes, tome xvi. p. 66, note.

1805.

ас

que j'ai me donnent lieu de croire que la Cléopâtre Feb. était très-loin de la Ville-de-Milan, et n'a pu prendre part au léger combat qui a eu lieu contre le LéFrench andre; que le commandant de la Ville-de-Milan, counts. voyant que l'état de délabrement où elle était la compromettrait, lui fit le signal de s'éloigner, et que lorsqu'il la vit hors de danger, il amena son pavillon: c'est dans ce sens que vous devez en parler."* The last sentence of this account would lead us to infer, that Buonaparte had, in reality, received no intelligence, but was inventing a story to deceive his minister of marine, and, through him, the public.

Our assertion, that the Cambrian had parted company from the Leander on the night of the 15th, and, at the moment of the Ville-de-Milan's capture, was in the act of coming to an anchor in a harbour of the Bermudas, may not carry conviction to the quarter intended; but the depositions of the two principal surviving officers, late belonging to the french frigate, probably will. Both of them, then, have sworn and certified, and the documents are at hand to be referred to, that no other ship than the Leander was present, either at the recapture of the Cleopatra, or at the capture of the Ville-de-Milan. That the Ville-de-Milan's late officers were not the authors of the mistatement is clear from the fact, that the writer in the "Victoires et Conquêtes" complains of having no french official account to resort to, and of his consequent inability to specify the loss which the Ville-de-Milan had sustained.

Sir Robert Laurie, in his official letter, rather incautiously stated, that the Ville-de-Milan had "been intended for a 74." This, as being contrary to the fact, very naturally gave umbrage to the French. The truth is, the Ville-de-Milan was a regular frigate, and, instead of being, as a contemporary states, "1200 tons," was even a trifle smaller than several french frigates which had pre* Précis des Evénemens, tome xi. p. 259.

† Brenton, vol. iii. p. 509.

viously been captured. The ship was afterwards 1805. purchased for the british navy, and classed, under Feb. the same name, or rather, under that of Milan, as a 38-gun frigate. It affords us pleasure to state, that the first captain appointed to her was sir Robert Laurie himself; and that lieutenant Balfour, late senior lieutenant of the Cleopatra and already named among her wounded, received the promotion which he had so honourably earned.

and Gé

On the 20th of March the 18-gun ship-sloop March. Renard, captain Jeremiah Coghlan, being in latitude Renard 21° 14' north, longitude 71° 30′ west, discovered a neralship to-leeward, standing under easy sail to the Ernouf north-west. The Renard immediately chased, and the stranger, which was the french privateer GénéralErnouf, captain Lapointe, shortened sail to engage. At 2 h. 25 m. P. M., being on the weather bow of the Général-Ernouf, the Renard received her fire; but the latter reserved hers until she had dropped within pistol-shot of her opponent. The Renard then opened her broadside with such effect, that in 35 minutes the Général-Ernouf was set on fire, and in sion of 10 minutes more blew up with a tremendous explo- french sion. Every exertion was now made by the British to save the lives of their late enemies, and the only boat that could swim was launched for the purpose. By this means, 55 persons that were floating on the scattered remains of the wreck, the survivors of a crew of 160, were rescued from a watery grave.

The Renard's establishment of guns was 16 carronades, 18-pounders, and two long sixes, with a complement of 121 men and boys; none of whom are represented to have been hurt in the action. The Général-Ernouf had been the british sloop of war Lily, and was armed with 18 english 12-pounder carronades, (four more than she mounted when captured by the Dame-Ambert,*) and two long 6-pounders. The fatal precision of the Renard's fire shows the

* See vol. iii. p. 393.

Explo

vessel.

1805. high state of discipline of her crew; and the alreadyMarch. established gallantry of her commander* needs no assurance, that, had the Général-Ernouf been even more formidably armed, her officers and crew would have found it a difficult task to avoid becoming the prize of the Renard. It has appeared somewhere in print, that the Général-Ernouf, on first coming alongside, hailed the Renard, in english, desiring her to strike, and that captain Coghlan replied, he would strike, and dd hard too. If the account be true, the captain amply fulfilled his promise.

Boats

at Cape

On the 23d of March, as the british 18-gun shipof Stork sloop Stork, captain George Le Geyt, was cruising Roxo. off the port of Cape Roxo in the island of PortoRico, a large armed schooner was discovered lashed alongside a brig in the harbour. For the purpose of cutting out this vessel captain Le Geyt, in the evening, despatched the pinnace and cutter of the Stork, containing between them 18 men, under the command of lieutenant George Robertson, assisted by lieutenant James Murray.

April.

Boats

As the schooner, which was the dutch privateer Antelope, was preparing to heave down on the following day, her five guns were on board the brig, and the two vessels were defended by 40 out of her 54 in crew. Both the schooner and the brig were boarded simultaneously by the two boats, and gallantly carried, without any other casualty to the British than lieutenant Murray and one seaman slightly wounded. The privateer's men having taken to the water soon after the boats got alongside, 15 prisoners were all that were secured.

On the 5th of April, as the british 22-gun ship Bacchante, captain Charles Dashwood, was cruising of Bac. off Havana, island of Cuba, information was received chante that there were three french privateers lying in the riel. harbour of Mariel, a small convenient port situated a little to the westward, and defended by a round tower nearly 40 feet high, on the top of which were * See vol. ii. p. 64.

at Ma

April.

three long 24-pounders, and round its circumference 1805. numerous loop-holes for musketry. The daring and piratical conduct of these privateers, who plundered and maltreated Americans as well as Englishmen navigating the gulf, determined captain Dashwood, notwithstanding the strength of their position, to endeavour to cut them out. Accordingly, in the evening, he despatched on that service two boats, containing about 35 seamen and marines, under the command of lieutenant Thomas Oliver, assisted by lieutenant John Campbell, with directions to attack and carry the fort previously to entering the harbour, so as to secure a safe retreat.

behavi

Oliver.

The boats pushed off, and, on nearing the tower, were discovered and fired at. Seeing that no time was to be lost, lieutenant Oliver, without waiting for his companion, who was astern, pulled rapidly for the shore, in the face of a heavy fire, which badly wounded one man. Leaving in the boat a midship- Gallant man, the honourable Almeira De Courcy, and three our of men, including the one wounded, lieutenant Oliver, lieut. then, with 13 men, gallantly rushed to the foot of the tower, and, by means of a ladder which his men had brought, scaled, and without any further loss carried, the tower, although garrisoned by a spanish captain and 30 soldiers; of whom two were killed and three wounded. Having performed this noble exploit, left a sergeant of marines and six men as a guard at the fort, and been joined by lieutenant Campbell and his boat's crew, lieutenant Oliver proceeded to execute the second branch of the duty assigned him. To the mortification, however, of both lieutenants, the three privateers had, the day previous, sailed on a cruise.

Not to quit the harbour empty-handed, lieutenant Oliver took possession of two schooners laden with sugar; and which he gallantly brought away from alongside a wharf, in spite of several discharges of musketry from the troops and militia, that were pouring down in numbers from the surrounding

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