567

NAVAL HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

LIGHT SQUADRONS AND SINGLE SHIPS.

ON the 1st of January, 1809, at daylight, the British brig-sloop Onyx, of eight 18-pounder carronades and two sixes, with 75 men and boys, Captain Charles Gill, cruising in latitude 53° 30° north, longitude 30 east, discovered on her lee bow a sail standing to the southward. As soon as the Onyx had made the private signal, the stranger, which was the Dutch brig-sloop Manly, of 12 English 18-pounder carronades and four brass sixes (two of them stern-chasers), with 94 men and boys, Captainlieutenant W. Heneyman, of the Dutch navy, hoisted her colours and hove to, as if prepared for battle. The British brig kept her wind until 8 A.M.; then, being perfectly ready, bore down and brought the Dutch brig to close action. The Manly made several attempts to rake the Onyx, but the superior manoeuvring of the latter frustrated every attempt. At 10 h. 30 m. A.M., being much cut up in sails and rigging, and having most of her guns disabled by the close and well-directed fire of her antagonist, the Manly hauled down her colours, with the loss of five men killed and six wounded; while that on the part of the Onyx amounted to only three men wounded: a difference in execution very creditable to the latter's young ship's company, especially considering the difficulty of pointing the guns, in the turbulent state of the sea.

The slight superiority of force was on the side to render the parties about equally matched; and the officers and crew of the Onyx were entitled to great credit for the bravery, as well as skill, they displayed. It gives us pleasure to be able to add, that Captain Gill was immediately made a post captain, and that Lieutenant Edward William Garrett, first of the Onyx, be

VOL. V.

B

came also promoted to the rank of commander. Having, previously to her capture by the Dutch in the river Ems, been the British gun-brig of the same name, the Manly was permitted to resume her station among her old class-mates in the British

navy.

On the 2nd of January, at 11 A.M., being off the Welbank near the Texel, standing to the southward, the British 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Aimable, Captain Lord George Stuart, discovered a strange sail upon her weather-quarter, standing to the northward and eastward. Suspecting her to be an enemy, the Aimable wore round and made all sail; and, at 4 P.M. on the 3rd, after a chase of 24 hours, came alongside of the French ship-corvette Iris, of 22 carronades, 24-pounders, and two long 12 or 8 pounders, with a complement of 140 men, commanded by Captain Joseph-Jean Macquet. After a running fight of a few minutes, the Iris hauled down her colours.

To the credit of the French crew in the use of their guns, the Aimable had her mainmast shot in the head, mainyard shot away in the slings, mizenmast head, mizentopmast, and trysailmast shot away, and her rigging and sails greatly cut up. With all this damage, however, damage which very nearly caused the escape of the French ship, the Aimable had only one seaman and one marine slightly wounded. The loss on board the Iris amounted to two killed and eight wounded.

The Iris had sailed from Dunkerque on the 29th of December, with 640 casks of flour on board, bound to Martinique. She was a ship of 587 tons, launched at Dunkerque, October 12, 1806, and became added to the British navy by the name (an Iris being already in the service) of Rainbow. Her English armament was 20 carronades, 32-pounders, on the main deck, and six carronades, 18-pounders, and two long sixes on the quarter-deck and forecastle, total 28 guns: with a net complement of 173 men and boys.

On the 5th of January, at noon, latitude 39° 24′ north, and longitude 11° 41' west, the British 38-gun frigate Loire, Captain Alexander Wilmot Schomberg, fell in with the French ship-corvette Hébé, of 18 carronades, 24-pounders, and two long twelves, with a crew of 160 men, commanded by Lieutenant Guillaume Botherel-Labretonnière, in the act of taking a ship and brig. On the Loire's approach, the Hébé bore up and made all sail, deserting her two prizes, and leaving the brig destitute of men. The Loire went immediately in chase, and at 8 P.M. got alongside of the French ship and brought her to close action. The

Hébé defended herself for about 20 minutes, and then hauled down her colours. Neither ship appears to have had a man hurt.

The Hébé was from Bordeaux bound to Santo-Domingo, with 600 barrels of flour. She measured 601 tons, and was afterwards added to the British navy by the name (a Hebe being already in the service) of Ganymede. The armament established upon her was 22 carronades, 32-pounders, on the main deck, and 10 carronades, 18-pounders, and two sixes, on the quarterdeck and forecastle, total 34 guns; with a net complement of 173 men and boys.

On the 22nd of January, at 7 A.M., the British 18-gun shipsloop Hazard, Captain Hugh Cameron, cruising off Guadaloupe, discovered in the south-west a ship and schooner standing in for the land. The schooner presently steered a different course, seemingly to induce the Hazard to follow her; but the British sloop, in a very gallant manner, bore up for the ship, which was the French 40-gun frigate Topaze, Captain Pierre-Nicolas Lahalle, from Brest since the early part of December, with 1,100 barrels of flour, bound to Cayenne; but, having found that port blockaded by a "superior force," she was now on her way to Guadaloupe. At 9 A.M. the British 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Cleopatra, Captain Samuel John Pechell, hove in sight, in the south-east, and about the same time the 38-gun frigate Jason, Captain William Maude, made her appearance to the southward. Thus hemmed in, the Topaze had no alternative but to haul close in-shore; which she accordingly did, and at 11 A.M. came to an anchor, with springs, under a small battery a little to the southward of Pointe-Noire.

Owing to light and baffling winds, the chasing ships made very slow progress, until about 2 h. 30 m. P. M.; when the regular sea breeze, or east-north-east wind, enabled the Cleopatra to begin working up towards the enemy. At about 4 h. 30 m. P.M. the Cleopatra got within 200 yards of the shore, and within half-musket shot of the Topaze. The latter immediately opened her fire; and, as soon as she had anchored with springs upon her opponent's starboard bow, the Cleopatra did the same. In a short time, having had her outside spring shot away, the Topaze swang in-shore, with her head towards the Cleopatra ; who thereupon raked the French frigate with destructive effect, and so well maintained her position, that the Topaze could not, at any time afterwards, get more than half her broadside to bear. At the expiration of 40 minutes from the commencement

of the firing, in which the battery on shore had, from the first, taken a part, the Jason and Hazard came up. While the Hazard cannonaded the battery, the Jason brought to on the starboard quarter of the Topaze, and opened a fire from her bow guns. Thus assailed, the French frigate had no chance of escape, and therefore, at 5 h. 20 m. P.M., hauled down her colours.

Neither the Jason nor the Hazard sustained any injury from the frigate or the battery; and the damages of the Cleopatra, on account of the secure position she had taken and the high firing of her antagonist, were chiefly confined to her rigging. The loss on board the Cleopatra, for the same reason, amounted to only two seamen killed and one wounded. The Topaze was tolerably struck in the hull, especially about the bows, and had, as acknowledged by her officers, 12 men killed and 14 wounded, out of a complement, including 100 soldiers, of about 430 men. One-third of these, when the frigates surrendered, took to the water; and several must have been drowned, or killed by the Jason's shot, in attempting to reach the shore. The Topaze, the same that, in July 1805, captured the Blanche,1 was added to the British navy under the name of Alcmène, a Topaze being already in the service.

On the 8th of February, at 2 P.M., the British 16-gun brigsloop Asp, Captain Robert F. Preston, and 14-gun brig-sloop Supérieure (with only, it appears, four of her carronades, 18-pounders, on board), Captain William Ferrie, cruising to the southward of the Virgin islands, discovered and chased a ship standing to the northward, with the wind at east-north-east. At 3 P.M. the leading brig, the Supérieure, having got into the latter's wake, tacked and stood directly for her. The ship, then about seven miles ahead, was the French 40-gun frigate Junon, Captain Jean-Baptiste-Augustin Rousseau, from the Saintes four days, bound to France. At 11 h. 30 m. P.M., when distant full four miles to windward of her consort, and about two astern of the Junon, the Supérieure fired a shot at the latter to bring her to; but the frigate, very naturally, disregarded the summons and pursued her route to the northward. In the course of the night the Asp dropped completely out of sight, and at daylight on the 9th the Supérieure and Junon were left to themselves At 8 A.M., just as the Virgin-Gorda bore from the Supérieure north-west by north distant five or six miles, the latter fired several shot at 'the frigate; who, at 10 A.M., hoisted French 1 See vol, iv., p. 39.

colours, and fired two harmless broadsides at the brig, then about two miles off, on her lee-quarter. Even this did not check the ardour of Captain Ferrie. The Supérieure merely tacked to avoid a repetition of the salute, and then again pursued the French frigate; who, after bearing away to fire, hauled up again on the starboard tack, with the wind now at north-east by east. In the afternoon the 38-gun frigate, Latona, Captain Hugh Pigott, made her appearance to leeward, and joined in the chase.

On the 10th, at daylight, the Supérieure had the Junon on her starboard and weather-bow 12 miles off, and the Latona at about the same distance on her lee-quarter; all three vessels upon a wind, as before, steering about north by west. The brig soon shortened her distance from the Junon, but the Latona rather increased hers; and, from her great superiority of sailing over the latter, the Junon would no doubt have escaped, had not, at 10 h. 30 m. A.M., latitude 19° 50' north, longitude 61° 30' west, an enemy suddenly hove in sight upon her weather bow. This was the British 38-gun frigate Horatio, Captain George Scott, steering on the opposite or larboard tack south by east, and having astern of her, at the distance of about 15 miles, the 18-gun ship-sloop Driver, Captain Charles Claridge. At noon, having made out the Horatio to be an enemy's frigate, the Junon put right before the wind; but, in less than half an hour, perceiving the Latona standing across her path, hauled up again, and, having previously hoisted French colours, resumed her course to the northward, Captain Rousseau rightly considering that, if he could disable the weathermost frigate, he should, in all probability, be able to outsail the one that was to leeward.

At 36 minutes past noon the Horatio and Junon met on opposite tacks, and exchanged broadsides in passing. The Horatio then wore, with the intention of engaging her opponent to leeward; but the Junon wore almost at the same instant, and, having run a short distance to leeward, hauled up again on the starboard tack. In the meanwhile the Horatio, having come round more quickly, raked the Junon astern with her larboard broadside. The Horatio then ranged up alongside of her antagonist to windward; and the two frigates, running on upon the starboard tack, became closely and warmly engaged. At O h. 50 m. P.M. Lieutenant Manley Hall Dixon, first of the Horatio, was badly wounded by a musket-ball, which entered his left groin and passed through his thigh; and at 1 h. 10 m. P.M.