1800. morning, the 16th, to fetch under Fort Conquête in March. Camaret bay, where they anchored the ship. Jackson then sent the jollyboat on board the french 16-gun brig-corvette Colombe, at anchor in the bay; and which brig on the 14th, along with a convoy under her charge, had been chased in there by the Danaé herself. At 2 P. M. the first lieutenant of the Colombe, accompanied by a detachment of soldiers, went on board the Danaé, and asked lord Proby to whom he surrendered. His lordship replied, "To the french nation, but not to mutineers." Both vessels then steered for Brest, where they arrived on the 17th, after having been chased during several hours by the frigates Anson and Boadicea, captains Philip Charles Durham and Richard Goodwin Keats; who, deceived by Jackson's hoisting the horary and numerical signals, supposed the Danaé to be in chase of an enemy. Lord Proby had, however, thrown out of the cabin-window, and sunk with lead attached to it, the box containing the private signals.

The officers of the Danaé were landed at Brest; but the ship's company, including the mutineers, were, to the astonishment and chagrin of the latter, marched to Dinan prison. Vice-admiral Bruix, together with the commandant of marines and all the other french officers at the port, behaved with great politeness and attention to lord Proby and his officers; the whole of the former expressing their utter detestation of the conduct of the mutineers. Captain Louis-Léon Jacob, formerly of the 36-gun frigate Bellone, captured along with the Hoche in the year 1798, nobly offered to give louis d'ors for all the bank of England notes of the officers. Several of the latter, soon afterwards, were permitted to return to England on their parole.

On the 20th of March, in the evening, as the british 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Mermaid, captain Robert Dudley Oliver, and 16-gun ship-sloop Peterel, (armed like the Fairy,) captain Francis William Austen, were cruising in the bay of Marseille,

captain Oliver directed the Peterel to keep close 1800. in-shore by way of deception, thereby to capture March. any vessels that might be running along the coast.

On the next morning some vessels of a convoy of 50 sail, from Cette bound to Toulon and Marseille, under the protection of an armed ship, brig, and xebec, were descried and chased, and two of them, a bark and bombard, both laden with wheat, captured. On the same afternoon, when near to Cape Couronne, the Peterel came to action with the three armed vessels; but which, after a short contest, observing the Mermaid, although at a great distance, beating up from to-leeward, made sail to get away. The ship and xebec, one, the Cerf of 14 long brass 6-pounders and about 90 men, the other, the Lejoille, (named after the captain of the Généreux,) commanded by the commodore of the division, captain (de vais.) Pierre-Paul Raccord, and mounting six long brass 6-pounders and about 50 men, effected their escape by running on shore. The brig-corvette, which was the Ligurienne of 14 long 6-pounders and two 36-pounder carronades, all brass, and 104 men, lieutenant François-Auguste Pelabond, after sustaining the fire of the Peterel, in a running fight of an hour and a half's duration, within 250 yards, and sometimes half that distance only, of the shore, struck her colours: at which time the Peterel was within six miles of the town of Marseille.

Although this service was performed under a heavy fire from a battery of four 24 or 18 pounders; and although, for a few minutes of the time, the sloop remained on a rock, which her stern had touched, the Peterel's damages were confined to a few shotholes in her sails, and to the upsetting of four of her (12-pounder) carronades. Her first lieutenant, gunner, and 30 men being absent in prizes, the Peterel had on board but 89 men and boys; of whom she did not have a man hurt. The Ligurienne had her commander and one seaman killed, and one seaman and one marine wounded.

1800.

Admitting the active interference of the battery March, on shore to be a fair set-off to the mere appearance of the Mermaid to-leeward, this affair was very. creditable to the officers and crew of the Peterel. Lieutenant Pelabond, had he lived, would doubtless have expressed his sentiments on the premature flight of his two consorts. As it was, the conduct of captain Raccord, although among the members of his court-martial we observe the fighting names of Bombart and Infernet, was pronounced "irreproachable." One thing we are bound to state: the Cerf is there described as "une demie-chebeck," and not as a ship-corvette. The vessel, whatever may have been her rig or force, was, we believe, totally wrecked; but the Lejoille afterwards got off and reached Marseille.

Aug.

The Ligurienne was a fine vessel of her class, well equipped with stores of all kinds, in excellent repair, and not two years old. She was built in a very peculiar manner, being fastened throughout with screw-bolts, so that she might be taken to pieces, and set up again, with ease; and was originally intended, according to the account given by the prisoners, to follow Buonaparte to Egypt. Screw-bolts were not qualifications required in a british cruiser; and therefore the Ligurienne, being found unadapted in other respects, was not purchased into the service.

Before quitting captain Austen, we shall relate another instance of his good conduct; and in which, without coming to actual blows, he performed an important, and not wholly imperilous service. On the 13th of August, at 10 A. M., as the Peterel, being then attached to the squadron of sir Sidney Smith on the coast of Egypt, was standing in towards Alexandria, with the wind at north-north-west, a ship of the line, totally dismasted, was perceived aground between Aboukir island and the fort or castle. The Peterel immediately hauled to the wind, and stood in the direction of the grounded

vessel; which was a turkish 80-gun ship, of remark- 1800. able beauty, commanded by Indjee-Bey.

At noon the Peterel anchored in four fathoms, about a mile and a half to the south-east of Aboukir island; and a number of djerms were seen to put off from the ship and pull towards the shore. At halfpast noon three turkish corvettes, that had come from the eastward, anchored about a mile outside of the Peterel. By this time the latter had hoisted out her pinnace; and in it was immediately despatched the master, Mr. John Thompson, with nine men, to endeavour to set the ship on fire, and prevent the French from obtaining any of the stores, guns, or ammunition.

The master was soon on board; and by 2 h. 30 m. P. M. he and his active party had completely set the ship in flames. In another hour Mr. Thompson returned to the Peterel, bringing with him 13 Greeks, all that remained of the 80-gun ship's crew; one part, with the commander, having surrendered to the French, and the other part having managed to escape to the three corvettes. To the nearest of these, not one of which, from an alleged dread of being fired at from the shore, would afford the slightest assistance in preventing the French from plundering the wreck, captain Austen sent the 13 Greeks. As a proof that the captain's promptitude had been of use, the French had already got out of the ship one of the quarterdeck guns, and were taking measures, when the Peterel entered the bay, to remove the remainder. At 5 P. M. the Peterel weighed, and stood back to the westward; and, not long afterwards, the captain pacha testified his sense of the service captain Austen had performed, by presenting him with a handsome sabre and rich pelisse.

Aug.

On the 5th of April, in the afternoon, as a british April. squadron, composed of the 74-gun ships Leviathan, captain James Carpenter, bearing the flag of rearadmiral John Thomas Duckworth, and Swiftsure,

1900. captain Benjamin Hallowell, and the 18-pounder April. 36-gun frigate Emerald, captain Thomas Moutray Waller, was cruising in the neighbourhood of the bay of Cadiz, 12 sail were discovered from the masthead. Chase was given; and at 3 A. M. on the 6th the Emerald crossed and captured a spanish ship, of 10 guns and 70 men, part of a convoy of 13 ships and brigs, which had sailed on the 3d from Cadiz, bound to South America, under the protection of three frigates, two of which were the Carmen, captain don Fraquin Porcel, and Florentina, captain don Manuel Norates, both of the 34-gun or 12-pounder class.

At daybreak all the spanish convoy had disappeared except a brig; and she was so near and the weather so calm, that the boats of the Leviathan and Emerald, under the orders of lieutenant Charles March Gregory, second of the Leviathan, were detached in pursuit of her. After "a smart skirmish of forty minutes," but in which no loss appears to have been sustained on either side, the "Los-Anglese," or Barcelona, of 14 carriage-guns, six swivels, and 46 men, laden with bale goods, was captured by lieutenant Gregory and his boat-party.

By the time this brig had been secured, three sail were seen east, west, and south. The Swiftsure, being to-leeward, (the wind very light from the northward,) was directed to chase south, and the Emerald, east; while the Leviathan herself steered to the westward. At noon the Emerald made the signal for six sail in the north-east. On this the Leviathan put about and stood after the Emerald, and at dusk saw nine sail from the mast-head.

It was at this time nearly calm; but at 11 P. M. a fresh breeze sprang up from the north-west. Profiting by it, the Leviathan and Emerald steered north, in the hope soon to cross the strangers. At midnight three sail were seen; and at 2 A. M. on the 7th two of them were ascertained to be frigates, standing to the north-north-west, and close together. The british 74 and frigate now steered a parallel course,