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"it was the misfortune of captain Bingham" to be 1811. engaged in,* were greeted with applause by every Feb. generous mind, some in America not excepted; and on Prothe 7th of February, 1812, as a proof that the lords of motion the admiralty were far from displeased with his con- Bingduct, captain Bingham was promoted to post-rank.

of capt.

ham.

que

sails

the

Isle of

On the 2d of February, at 5 P. M., the three french 40-gun frigates Renommée, commodore François Roquebert, and Clorinde and Néréide, captains Jacques Saint-Cricq and Jean-François Lemaresquier, M. Rosailed from Brest, each having on board 200 troops and bert a supply of munitions of war, bound, in the first instance, from to the Isle of France; the capture of which, in the pre- Brest ceding December, was of course unknown, although for the as a contingency provided against, by the port of France. Batavia's being named for the succedaneous destination. Bad weather nearly separated the frigates the first night; and a continuance of contrary winds occasioned the squadron to be 18 days going the first 200 leagues of the voyage. On the 24th of February, by some Lisbon newspapers found on board a portuguese ship, the french commodore gained intelligence, that an attack was intended, and had perhaps already been made, upon the island to which he was first destined. The favourable change in the wind was taken immediate advantage of, and all sail crowded upon the three ships. On the 13th of March the frigates crossed the line; on the 18th of April, in latitude 38°, doubled the Cape of Good Hope; and on the 6th of May, at 11 P. M., being the ninety-third day since their departure from Arrives Brest, arrived within five miles of Isle de la Passe, d situated, as already known, at the entrance of Grand-Passe. Port, or Port-Sud-Est. Soon after midnight a boat from each frigate was despatched to the shore, to gain intelligence.

off Isle

that the

The night was calm, and yet not a musket could Discobe heard. This encouraged the hope, that the island vers was still in french possession. Daylight on the 7th colony arrived, and the colours hoisted at the fort upon

* Brenton, vol. iv. p. 555.

is in

the

1811. Isle de la Passe were french; but they were unacMay. companied by the private signals. This gave the posses- first serious alarm to commodore Roquebert and his sion of companions. At sunrise five sail successively hove British in sight to leeward; and about the same time was observed, at Isle de la Passe and along the coast, the signal of three french frigates being to-windward: a signal fully understood by the latter, as being made according to the code in use at the island previously to its surrender.

British

dron

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Covers

dron.

Two of the five sail thus seen were unarmed squa- vessels, probably coasters; but the remaining three were the british 18-pounder 36-gun frigates Phoebe french and Galatea, captains James Hillyar and Woodley squa- Losack, and 18-gun brig-sloop Racehorse, captain James De Rippe, part of a squadron which had been ordered by rear-admiral the honourable Robert Stopford, the commander in chief on the Cape station, to cruise off the Isle of France, to endeavour to intercept these very frigates, and two others, in all probability, the new 40-gun frigates Nymphe and Méduse, from Nantes, of whose expected arrival intelligence had been received. The british ships were presently under all sail upon a wind in chase; the Galatea's gig, with the intelligence, having previously been despatched to captain Charles Marsh Schomberg, of the 18-pounder 36-gun frigate Astrea, lying in Port-Louis.

In the course of the forenoon the Renommée's boat returned on board, with information of what had befallen the colony; the details of which were communicated by two negroes whom the boat had Pro- brought off. The boats of the Clorinde and Néréide ceeds appear to have been captured. The three french frichase. gates now tacked and stood to the eastward, followed

in

by the two british frigates and brig-sloop. At 3 P. M. the French hoisted their colours, and the British soon afterwards did the same. At sunset the french squadron bore south-east of the british, distant about three leagues, the wind a moderate breeze from the same quarter.

chased

parties

On the 8th, at 4 A. M., the distance between the 1811. two hostile squadrons was diminished to six or seven May. miles; and at 8 A. M. the french frigates bore up, and, Is with a light air of wind, stood towards the Phoebe in turn. and Galatea. These, along with the Racehorse, shortly afterwards wore and steered to the westward, in the direction of Isle Ronde, then distant five or six leagues. Wishing, with the odds against him, Both to have a commanding breeze to manoeuvre with, and sepaexpecting every moment to be joined by the Astrea rate by from Port-Louis, captain Hillyar rather avoided than consent sought an engagement; and towards evening, when the two squadrons were scarcely five miles apart, commodore Roquebert, considering it, as he states, unsafe to follow the british ships into the current that runs between Isle Ronde and Isle Serpent, discontinued the chase and hauled up to the eastward.

mutual

disap

On the 9th, at daylight, the two squadrons regained French a distant sight of each other; but, the Phoebe and ships Galatea bearing up about noon to join the Astrea, pear. the french ships disappeared. The three british frigates then steered for Port-Louis, and on the 12th came to anchor. off the harbour. It appears that, at one period, while the two squadrons, before the junction of the Astrea, were in the presence of each other, the ship's company of the Galatea went aft and requested their captain to bring the enemy to dote of action. In order to concert with his senior officer Galaupon that or some other subject, captain Losack went on board the Phoebe; and, on his return, the crew of the Galatea, supposing their wishes were about to be gratified, gave him three cheers.

Anec

tea's

crew.

mo

que

Commodore Roquebert reduced the crews of Comhis ships to two-thirds allowance of provisions, and dore resolved to attempt a surprise upon some post on the Rowindward side of Isle Bourbon. Having, by the bert 11th, passed 20 leagues to-windward of the Isle of takes France, the three french frigates bore up for Isle sion of Bourbon, and on the same night made the land. The Tamaboats of the squadron, having on board a division of

posses→

tave.

1811. the troops, attempted to disembark at a post that May. was known to be weakly manned, but were prevented by the heavy surf. Thus disappointed, the french commodore stood across to the coast of Madagascar, to endeavour to obtain a supply of provisions. On the 19th the ships made the isle of Prunes, and the same evening surprised the small settlement of Tamatave, in Madagascar; the garrison of which consisted of about 100 officers and men of the 22d regiment, and, except a small proportion, were sick with the endemial fever of the country. This settlement had been taken from the French on the 12th of the preceding February, by the above detachment of british troops, sent thither by Mr. Farquhar, the governor of the Isle of France, in the 18-gun brig-sloop Eclipse, captain William Jones Lye.

Is fallen in

with by

Schom

On the 20th, at daybreak, captain Schomberg, with his three frigates and brig-sloop, and who, very captain judiciously, had sailed from Port-Louis on the berg. 14th direct for this spot, discovered himself to M. Roquebert; then, with his three frigates, close to the land near Foul point, and directly to-windward of the former. The british ships immediately made all sail in chase, with a light breeze from off the land, or from the west by north; but the french ships continued lying to, to await the return of two of their boats from Tamatave. The Renommée's boat at length came off; and at noon the french commodore formed his three frigates in line of battle, placing the Renommée in the centre, the Clorinde ahead, and the Néréide astern. The British, in the mean while, were closing their opponents as fast as the light and variable winds would permit, formed in the following order: Astrea, Phoebe, Galatea, in line ahead, and the Racehorse nearly abreast of the Phoebe, or centre-ship, to-leeward.

Action

com

mences

At 3 h. 50 m. P. M. the french frigates, being on the larboard tack, wore together, and, after keeping away for a short time, hauled up again on the same tack. The british ships were now approaching on the

opposite or starboard tack; and, as soon as the Astrea, 1811. who was considerably ahead of her second astern, had May. arrived abreast of the Renommée, the latter opened her fire at long range. At a few minutes before 4 P. M. the Astrea returned this fire; as did also the Phoebe and Galatea, as they advanced in succession. Thus :

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Having passed out of gun-shot astern of the Néréide, the Astrea prepared to tack and renew the action; but, as was to have been expected so near to the land, particularly Madagascar, the cannonade produced an almost instantaneous calm to-leeward. Having, in consequence, missed stays, the Astrea Ships attempted to wear, and had scarcely accomplished calmed that, ere there was an entire cessation of the breeze. From their weatherly position, the french ships of course felt its influence the longest; and the breeze did not quite leave them until the Clorinde and Renommée had bore up and stationed themselves, in a most destructive position, across the starboard quarters and sterns of the Phoebe and Galatea. Now was the time for the Racehorse, with her facility of sweeping, to have distinguished herself, by taking a position close athwart the hawse of the

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