1813. to repair immediately to him. The Amelia then bore away for Tamara to reconnoitre the enemy. Feb. Aré sails At 2 h. 30 m. P. M. the two french frigates were thuse observed to interchange signals; and at 3 h. 20 m. the Aréthuse weighed and made sail on the starboard Amelia tack, with a moderate breeze at south-south-west. stands The Amelia thereupon shortened sail, and hauled to and her parate the wind on the same tack as the Aréthuse. In a from few minutes the latter tacked to the westward, to her avoid a shoal, and the Amelia did the same. consort The two ma At 6 P. M. the Aréthuse bore from the Amelia northnorth-east distant six miles; at which time the Rubis, as supposed, but probably the Serra, was observed to have her topsails hoisted. At 6 h. 30 m. P. M. the north end of Tamara bore from the Amelia eastsouth-east distant five leagues. At 8 P. M. the Amelia lost sight of the Aréthuse; and at 8 h. 30 m., in order to keep off shore during the night, captain Irby tacked to the south-south-west, with the wind now from the westward. At 6. h. 45 m. A. M. on the 7th the Amelia discovered the Aréthuse about eight miles off in the south-east; but a calm, which came on at 8 A. M., kept both frigates stationary. At noon a light breeze sprang up from the west-north-west : whereupon the Aréthuse stood towards the Amelia, on the larboard tack, under all sail; the latter making sail also, in the hope to draw the Aréthuse from her consort, still supposed to be in a condition to follow and assist her. At 5 P. M., finding the wind beginning to fall, and ships conceiving that he had drawn the Aréthuse to a sufficient distance from her consort, captain Irby and the shortened sail, wore round, and, running under his action three topsails with the wind on the starboard quarmences ter, steered to pass, and then to cross the stern of, nœuvre com the Aréthuse; who was standing, under the same sail, close hauled on the larboard tack. To avoid being thus raked, captain Bouvet, at 7 h. 20 m, P. M., tacked to the south-west, and hoisted his colours; as the Amelia previously had hers, It was falls on now a fine moonlight night, with the wind very mo- 1813. derate, and the sea nearly as smooth as a millpond. Feb. At 7 h. 45 m., just as the Amelia had arrived within pistol-shot upon her starboard or weather bow, the Aréthuse opened her fire; which was immediately returned. After about three broadsides had been Amelia exchanged, the main topsail of the Amelia, in conse- board quence of the braces having been shot away, fell Aréaback. Owing to this accident, instead of crossing her opponent as she intended, the Amelia fell on board of her; the jib-boom of the Aréthuse carrying away the Amelia's jib and stay, and the french ship's bumpkin or anchor-flook, part of the british ship's larboard forecastle barricade. thuse. dote of her on thuse. The Aréthuse now opened a heavy fire of musketry from her tops and mast-heads, and threw several hand-grenades upon the Amelia's decks, hoping, in the confusion caused by such combustibles, to succeed in an attempt to board; for which purpose several of the Aréthuse's men had stationed themselves in her fore rigging. A man was now seen Anecon the spritsail yard of the Aréthuse, making strenu- a Hamous efforts to get on board the Amelia. Scarcely burghad the poor fellow called out, "For God's sake! board don't fire, I am not armed," when a musket-ball Aréfrom a british marine dropped him in the water. It was afterwards ascertained, that one of the crew of the Aréthuse, a Hamburgher, had formerly belonged to the Amelia, having been taken out of one of her prizes on the coast of Spain and forced to enter on board the french frigate. It appears that the man was so desirous to get back to his ship, that he requested a settler at the Isle de Los to secrete him till an opportunity offered of his reaching Sierra-Leone. The probability therefore is, that the man, so shot, while upon the spritsail yard of the Aréthuse, was the unfortunate Hamburgher. Finding that, owing in a great degree to the steady and well-directed fire kept up by the Amelia's marines, her object could not be accomplished, Amelia second 1813. the Aréthuse threw all aback and dropped clear. Feb. In doing this, her spritsail yard knocked lieutenant William Reeve, who had been invalided from, the falls on Kangaroo sloop, from the break of the forecastle board a into the waist. Setting her main topgallant and time. middle staysails, (her jib for the time being disabled,) the Amelia endeavoured again to get her head towards the bow of the Aréthuse. The Amelia at length did so, but, in attempting a second time to cross her antagonist, a second time fell on board of her; and the two ships now swang close alongside, the muzzles of their guns almost touching. This was at about 9 h. 15 m. P. M., and a scene of great mutual slaughter ensued. The two crews snatched the spunges out of each other's hands through the portholes, and cut at one another with the broadsword. The Amelia's men now attempted to lash the two frigates together, but were unable, on account of the heavy fire of musketry kept up from the Aréthuse's decks and tops; a fire that soon nearly cleared the Amelia's quarterdeck of Capt. both officers and men. Among those who fell on the occasion were the first and second lieutenants, badly wound- (John James Bates and John Pope,) and a lieutenant of marines. Captain Irby was also severely wounded, and obliged to leave the deck to the command of the third lieutenant, George Wells; who, shortly afterwards, was killed at his post, and Mr. Anthony De Mayne, the master, took the command. Irby ed. Ships mutu ally ceases. The mutual concussion of the guns at length forced the two frigates apart; and, in the almost draw calm state of the weather, they gradually receded anay from each other, with, however, their broadsides still action mutually bearing, until 11 h. 20 m. P. M..; when both combatants, being out of gun-shot, ceased firing. Each captain thus describes this crisis. Captain Irby says: "When she (the Aréthuse) bore up, having the advantage of being able to do so, leaving us in an ungovernable state, &c." Captain Bouvet says: At eleven o'clock the fire ceased on both sides; we were no longer within fair gun-shot, and 1818. the enemy, crowding sail, abandoned to us the field Feb. of battle."" A onze heures, le feu cessa de part et d'autre; nous n'étions plus à bonne portée, et l'ennemi se couvrit de voiles, nous abandonnant le champ de bataille."* and board The damages of the Amelia, although, chiefly Daon account of the smooth state of the sea, they did mage not include a single fallen spar, were very serious; loss on the frigate's masts and yards being all badly wounded, Amelia her rigging of every sort cut to pieces, and her hull much shattered. But her loss of men will best show how much the Amelia had suffered. Of her proper crew of 265 men, and 30 (including, as if 18 were not already enough, 12 established supernumerary) boys, and her 54 supernumerary men and boys, composed chiefly of the Daring's crew, the Amelia had her three lieutenants, (already named,) second lieutenant of marines, (Robert G. Grainger,) lieutenant Pascoe, late commander of the Daring, one midshipman, (Charles Kennicott,) the purser of the Thais, (John Bogue, of his second wound,) 29 seamen, seven marines, and three boys killed, her captain, (severely,) lieutenant Reeve, invalided from the Kangaroo sloop, the master, (already named,) first lieutenant of marines, (John Simpson,) purser, (John Collman,) boatswain, (John Parkinson, dangerously,) one master's mate, (Edward Robinson,) four midshipmen, (George Albert Rix, Thomas D. Buckle, George Thomas Gooch, and Arthur Beever,) 56 seamen, (two mortally,) 25 marines, (three mortally,) and three boys wounded; total, 51 killed and died of their wounds, and 90 wounded, dangerously, severely, and slightly. The Aréthuse, as well as her opponent, left off Same action with her masts standing; but they were all board * Mon. April 29. An english translator of captain Bouvet's letter has rendered "Nous n'étions plus à bonne portée" by "We were no longer in good condition." See Naval Chronicle, vol. xxix. p. 385. on Aré thuse. 1813. more or less wounded, and her rigging was much Feb. cut. Her hull must also have suffered considerably; as her acknowledged loss, out of a crew, including the boat's crew of the Rubis, of at least 340 men and boys, amounted to 31 killed, including 11 of her officers, and 74 wounded, including nearly the whole of her remaining officers. Guns, &c. of The guns of the Amelia (late french Proserpine*) the two were the same as those mounted by the Java, with ships. an additional pair of 32-pounder carronades, or 48 guns in all. The guns of the Aréthuse were the same, in number and caliber, as the Java mounted when captured as the french Renommée.† Although the total of men and boys on board the Amelia would be 349, yet, if we are to allow for the number of her men that were unable to attend their quarters, and for the feeble state of many of the remainder, among whom, including the Daring's, there were nearly 40 boys, 300 will be an ample allowance. The Aréthuse has been represented to have had a crew of 375 or 380 men, but we do not believe she had a man more of her proper crew than 330; making, with the boat's crew of the Rubis, 340. The Aréthuse was the sister-frigate of the Renommée : consequently the tonnage of the Java will suffice. COMPARATIVE FORCE OF THE COMBATANTS. Remarks Here was a long and bloody action between on the two (taking guns and men together) nearly action. equal opponents, which gave a victory to nei ther. Each combatant withdrew exhausted from the fight; and each, as is usual in the few cases of drawn battles that have occurred, claimed the merit of having forced the other to the measure. But it * See vol. i. p. 174. † See p. 31. |