the french ner. 1810. Jenkin Jones and six men, to find the passage Sept. through which the aviso had run. The barge, under boats the command of lieutenant Robert Forder, quickly among followed the jollyboat; and the two boats pulled into rocks the creek. It was now discovered, that the rocks after a and beach were lined with soldiers, who imschoo- mediately opened a heavy fire of musketry on the British. The fire was quickly returned by the marines, but with little or no effect, the French sheltering themselves behind the rocks. The barge grounded; but the jollyboat, drawing less water, succeeded in boarding the schooner. Not finding on board any thing which would serve to set her on fire, the party of seven endeavoured to stave the vessel by throwing her guns down the hatchway. This was scarcely done, when, having no other arms than their cutlasses, the British were compelled to relinquish the prize with the loss of five, out of the six, Serious men badly, and the master's mate slightly wounded. conse- Meanwhile the barge, owing to her immovable state, quence had become a dead mark for the french soldiers; loss in Disco vers two off Isle and, before she could extricate herself, two of her men were killed, one lieutenant of marines, (James Jackson, the 2d, slightly,) one midshipman, (Henry Sewell, severely,) and eight men wounded; making a total loss in the two boats, of two men killed and 16 wounded; which was within six or eight of the whole party that had been sent upon this hazardous, and, even had it fully succeeded, inadequate service. With the assistance afforded her from the shore, the aviso soon got afloat, and on the following day proceeded, without further molestation, to the port of her destination. As soon as her two boats returned, which was not until 1 h. 30 m. P. M., the Africaine bore up for Isle frigates Bourbon, and at 4 A. M. on the morning of the 12th Bour made the island. At 6 A. M. the Africaine observed two ships in the offing of St.-Dénis, and at 7 a. M. learnt from a transport at anchor in the bay, that they were french, as well as a man-of-war brig now bon. 1810. also seen to-windward of the frigates. At 8 A. M. captain Corbett went on shore; and the Africaine Sept. continued standing on and off the bay, clearing herself for action. At 10 A. M. the two frigates, which were, as may be conjectured, the Iphigénie and Astrée, telegraphed each other; and then the Entreprenant, the brig in company, made sail to the north-east, and was soon out of sight. The Astrée and Iphigénie stood in upon the larboard tack, as if disposed to offer battle: whereupon captain Corbett, who was employed in landing his badly wounded, that they might be sent to the hospital, hoisted a broad pendant and red ensign. The object of doing this was, by deceiving the French into a belief that the Africaine was their old acquaintance the Boadicea, to conceal the fact of any additional british force having arrived on the station. mo ley in of same gates. At noon, or shortly afterwards, the Boadicea Comherself weighed from the bay of St.-Paul, and accom- dore panied by the 16-gun ship-sloop Otter, captain James RowTomkinson, and gun-brig Staunch, lieutenant Ben- projamin Street, proceeded in chase of the two french ceeds frigates, also seen by them in the offing to-windward, chase At 2 P. M. the Boadicea and her two consorts rounded Pointe du Galet, having the wind well from the south- twofriward; while the Iphigénie and Astrée were under all sail on the starboard tack, with the wind, a common occurrence in the vicinity of Madagascar, fresh from the eastward. The instant she cleared the bay of St.-Paul, the Boadicea was descried, and, making her number, became at once recognised Afriby the Africaine; from whom the french frigates recogat this time bore north distant eight miles. Com- nise modore Rowley, when getting under way, had other. received an intimation from lieutenant-colonel Keating, the lieutenant-governor of Isle Bourbon, that an english frigate, reported to be the Africaine, had arrived at St.-Dénis: he therefore knew that the frigate in sight was the Africaine. Captain Corbett now returned on board his frigate, attended Boadi caine each 1810. by major A. Barry of the honourable company's Sept. service, and captain Elliott of the british regulars. At about the same time the frigate received from the shore a lieutenant and 25 soldiers of the 86th regiment, to replace her wounded, most of whom were able seamen. Africaine The Africaine immediately made sail to the topchases gallantsails, close on a wind, upon the starboard Iphigé tack, the same as that on which the french ships Astrée. were standing. These, at about 3 P. M., had de nie and to the cea. scried the Boadicea and her two consorts. The latter captain Bouvet knew were the Otter and Staunch; but the Boadicea, on account of the ruse practised by the Africaine in the morning, he took to be the Windham, equipped as a ship of war. By 6 P. M. the Otter and Staunch had so dropped astern in the chase, as to be entirely out of sight of the Africaine; and about the same time the Boadicea, being headed by the east wind, took in her studdingsails and braced up. This brought her about eight miles on the Africaine's lee quarter. At 6 h. 20 m. P. M. the Africaine lost sight of the Boadicea; and in 10 minutes more the latter lost sight, in the opposite direction, of the Otter and Staunch. The weathermost french frigate, finding the Africaine approaching fast, bore up to join her consort; and at 7 h. 30 m. P. M. the Africaine was about two miles and a half on the weather quarter of the two frigates, with such a decided superiority in sailing, as to keep way with them under topsails and foresail, while they were carrying topgallantsails and courses. Makes Proceeding thus under easy sail, in order to allow signals the Boadicea time to get up, the Africaine, as soon Boadi- as it grew dark, began firing rockets and burning blue-lights, to point out her situation to the Boadicea, between whom and the Africaine no signals, beyond the answering pendant of the latter to the Boadicea's number, had yet been exchanged. At 9 P. M. the Boadicea saw a flash in the south-east, and at 9 h. 30 m. P. M. observed the two french frigates and the 1810. Africaine burn blue-lights. At 1 h. 50 m. A. M. on Sept. the 13th, in the midst of a fresh squall, the french frigates bore up; and immediately the Africaine, fearing their intention might be to run or wear, bore up also, and manned her starboard guns. At 2 h. 10 m. A. M. the Astrée and Iphigénie again hauled to the wind on the same tack; and the Africaine, having hauled up likewise, found herself within less than musket-shot distance on the Astrée's weather quarter. The Boadicea was now four or five miles distant on Atthe lee quarter of the Africaine; but, having been the two thrown, by accident, into so good a position, and french knowing that a run of two or three hours more would gates. bring the French to Port-Louis, captain Corbett could not refrain from becoming the assailant. tacks fri. Cor mor ed. Accordingly, at 2 h. 20 m. A. M., the Africaine fired her larboard guns, loaded with two round shot each, into the starboard and weather quarter of the Astrée, Capt. who immediately returned the fire. The second bett broadside from the Astrée mortally wounded captain tally Corbett, a shot striking off his right foot above the woundancle, and a blow from a splinter causing a compound fracture of the thigh of the same leg. The command of the Africaine now devolved upon lieutenant Joseph Crew Tullidge; who was ordered by captain Corbett, as he was removing below, to bring the enemy to close action. At 2 h. 30 m. A. M., having had her jib-boom and the weather clue of her fore topsail shot away, and fearing that her bowsprit had suffered, the Astrée ranged ahead clear of the Africaine's guns. On this the men at the Africaine's foremost maindeck guns began hurraing, and the remainder of the ship's company caught and repeated the cheer. The lightness of the breeze, which had been gradually falling since the firing commenced, would have deprived the Africaine of her former advantage in point of sailing, even had the Astrée's fire not cut away the greater part of her running rigging hence the Africaine had scarcely steerage 1810. way through the water. The Iphigénie, meanwhile, Sept. had bore up, and now took a station on the lee quarter of her consort. The breeze freshening a little at this time, the Africaine made sail, and running alongside the Iphigénie to-windward, recommenced the action, having the Astrée on her weather bow. A sudden fall in the wind enabled the latter ship to retain her position; and thus lay the Africaine, with one ship of equal force within half pistolshot on her larboard beam, and another, of the same or a greater force, close on her starboard bow, raking her with a most destructive fire of round, grape, and langridge. At 3 h. 30 m. A. M. the Africaine had her jib-boom and fore topmast shot away, and shortly afterwards her mizen topmast. Lieutenant Tullidge, by this time, had been severely wounded in four places, but could not be persuaded to go below. Lieutenant Forder, the next officer in seniority, had been shot through the breast with a musket-ball, and taken below; and at 4 P. M. the master had his head carried off by a round shot. Still the Africaine continued the action; but her fire gradually grew feebler, until about 4 h. 45 m. A. M., when it entirely ceased. The ship was now with her three lower masts reduced to a tottering state, her hull pierced in all directions, her quarterdeck nearly cleared of officers and men, and her main deck so thinned, that only six guns could be properly manned. Being in this disabled state; seeing also, from the calm state of the weather, no chance of relief from the Boadicea, whom the opening daylight discovered about four or five miles off, and having no hope of escape, nor means of further Afri- resistance, the Africaine, at a few minutes before caine 5 A. M., hauled down her colours. Although this was ders. done, and every light extinguished, the French, surren contrary to the law of arms, continued, for nearly 15 minutes, to fire into the british frigate; whereby captain Elliott of the army (by a grape-shot at the back of his head) and several men were killed. |