inimical to the French than the Egyptians, and better armed. As the enemy returned our fire by musquetry only, it was evident they had not brought cannon with them, which were therefore to be expected by sea, and measures were taken accordingly for intercepting them; the Theseus was already detached off Jaffa (Joppa). The enemy's flotilla which came in from sea fell in with and captured the Torride, and was coming round Mount Carmel, when it was discovered from the Tigre, consisting of a corvette and nine sail of gun vessels; on seeing us they hauled off. The alacrity of the ship's company in making sail after them was highly praise-worthy; our guns soon reached them, and seven, as per inclosed list, struck; the corvette, containing Buonaparte's private property, and two small vessels escaped, since it became an object to secure the prizes without chacing further; their ca goes, consisting of the battering train of artillery, ammunition, platforms, &c. destined for the siege of Acre, being much wanted for its defence. The prizes were accordingly an chored off the town, manned from the ships, and immediately employed in harassing the enemy's posts, impeding his approaches, and covering the ship's. boats sent further in shore to cut off his supplies of provisions conveyed coastwise. They have been constantly occupied in these services for these five days and nights past; and such has been the zeal of the crews, that they requested not to be relieved, after many hours excessive labour at their guns and oars. I am sorry to say that we had met with some loss, as per inclosed list, which, however, is balanced by greater on the part of the enemy, by the encouragement given to the Turkish troops from our example, and by the time that is gained for the arrival of a sufficient force to render Buonaparte's whole project abortive. I have had reason to be perfectly satisfied with the gallantry and perseverance of Lieutenants Bushby, Inglefield, Knight, tokes, and Lieutenant Burton, of the Marines, and of the petty officers and men under their orders. I have the honour to be, &c. W. SYDNEY SMITH. Right Hon. Earl St. Vincent. Les Deux Freres, of 4 guns, and 23 men. La Torride taken in the morning of that day and retaken) of 2 guns, and 30 men. Total-7 gun-boats, 34 guns, and 238 men, These gun-boats were loaded, besides their own complements, with battering cannon, ammunition, and every kind of siege equipage, for Buonaparte's army before Acre. W. S. SMITH. N. B. The Marianne gun-boat was taken previously, and the transport, No. 1, subsequently by the Tigre. Return of the Killed and Wounded in the Boats of his Majesty's Ships the Tigre and Theseus, and in the Gun Vessels employed against the French Army before Acre, from the 17th to the 23d March 1799. Tigre Mr. Arthur Lambert, Mr. John Goodman, and Mr. John Gell, midshipmen, and 8 seamen, killed; 20 seamen wounded, of which 8 are among the 20 prisoners. Theseus Mr. John Carra, midshipman, killed; John Waters, midshipman, and 6 seamen, wounded. Total-4 midshipmen and 8 seamen, killed; and 1 midshipman and 26 seamen, wounded. On board his Majesty's Ship Tigre, before Acre, March 23, 1799. W. S. SMITH. N. B. The officers, petty officers, and seamen employed on this service were volunteers. The dead bodies of Mr. Gell, and Peter M'Kircher, seaman, which fell into the hands of the enemy, were buried by them with the honour. of war. Copy of a Letter from the Right Hon. Lord Keith, Vice Admiral of the Red, to Evan Nepean, Esq. dated on board the Barficur, off Cadiz, April 27. SIR, I have the honour to inclose a copy of a letter received from Captain Hope, of his Majesty's ship Majestic, announcing his having destroyed a French ship privateer, mounting 16 long guns and carronades, which I have also commynicated to the commander in chief.-I have the honour to be, &c. MY LORD, ΚΕΙΤΗ. Majestic, April 6. I have the honour of informing your Lordship, that a French ship privateer, coppered, and mounting 16 long guns, carronades, was yesterday drove on shore by his Majesty's ship Majestic and Transfer brig, under cover of a fort a few leagues to the eastward of Velez Malaga, where, finding it impossible to get her off, she was destroyed by the boats of the Majestic, under the command of Lieut. Boger. I have the honour to be, &c. ADMIRALTY OFFICE, JULY 2. GEO. HOPE. Copy of a Letter from Mr. W. Le Lacheur; Commander of the Gutter private Ship of War the Resolution, to Evan Nepean, Esq. dated at Guernsey, the 20th ult. SIR, I DEEM it my duty to acquaint you, for the information of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that on the 25th of May, in lat. 43 N. long. 16 W. I fell in with and captured the French schooner privateer La Vigie, of 14 long four-pounders, and 71 men, belonging to Bourdeaux, last from Corunna, from which place she had been out 8 days, and had taken nothing: the vessel is quite new, coppered, and was completely fitted for a three months cruize. I have the honour to be, &c. W. LE LACHEUR. Copy of a Letter from Captain Graham Eden Hamond, Commander of his Majesty's Ship Champion, to Evan Nepean, Esq. dated in Yarmouth Roads the 1st inst. SIR, I beg leave to enclose, for the information of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, a copy of a letter I have written to Lord Viscount Duncan, and have the honour to be, &c. SIR, G. E. HAMOND. Champion, Yarmouth Roads, June 30. I beg leave to inform your Lordship, that on the morning of the 26th inst. being off the Dudgeon, a brig was observed from his Majesty's ship under my command, boarding two merchant vessels to leeward. After a chace of three days and two nights I had the satisfaction to capture the Anacreon French privateer, commanded by Citizen Blanckeman, belonging to Dunkirk, of 16 guns, and 125 men, 74 of whom were away in prizes she had made this cruise. She is almost a new vessel, sails remarkably fast, is copper-bottomed, and seems fit for his Majesty's service. I feel myself very happy in this capture, as she has been a great annoyance to the trade on the Northern coast. I have the honour to be, &c. Admiral Lord Duncan. ADMIRALTY OFFICE, JULY 6. G, E. HAMOND. Copy of a Letter from Vice Admiral Harvey, Commander in Chief of bis Majesty's Ships and Vessels at the Leeward Islands, to Evan Nepean, Esq. dated at Port Royal Bay, Martinique, May 17, 1799. SIR, YOU will be pleased to acquaint their Lordships, that the following merchant vessels belonging to the enemy have been captured by the ships and vessels of his Majesty's squadron under my command, as against their several names expressed. By the Bittern-The Spanish ship Amistad letter of marque, from Giejon in Spain, bound to Guira, laden with wine, brandy, &c. By the Lapwing-I'wo French schooners, La Revanche and L'Aimable, the former from St. Thomas and the latter from St. Bartholomews, bound to Guadaloupe, laden with dry goods, provisions, &c. By the Concorde-The French schooner La Recherche, from Guadaloupe to St. Thomas, with sugar and coffee. By the Southampton-The French schooner Caroline, from St. Domingo to St. Thomas, with coffee. By the Pearl-The Dutch schooner Maria, from Curasoe to Surinam, with salt. By the Victorieuse-A small Spanish schooner from Margaritta to the Oronoque, with salt. You will further acquaint their Lordships, that since my letter to you of the 8th September last, three British and twelve American vessels, of different denominations, have been recaptured, and fourteen vessels under neutral colours, detained on suspicion of having enemy's property on board, by the squadron under my command.-I have the honour to be, sir, &c. ADMIRALTY OFFICE, JULY 6. HENRY HARVEY, Extract of a Letter from Lord Viscount Duncan, Admiral of the White, &c. to Evan I ENCLOSE, for their Lordships' information, a letter I received yesterday from Captain Winthrop, of his Majesty's ship Circe. MY LORD, Circe, at Sea, June 29. Having received information that several Dutch gun-vessels were lying at the back of the Island of Ameland, and Captains Temple and Boorder, of his Majesty's sloops Jalouse and L'Espeigle having very handsomely volunteered their services to cut them out, I ordered the boats of his Majesty's ships named in the margin to proceed under their command on the night of the 27th inst. for that purpose, and anchored with the ships as near the shore as possible, in readiness to afford every assistance in my power. i am sorry to say it now appears that the gun-vessels had previously shifted their birth with the ebb-tide, and were lying a-ground when the boats got in, at a place where it was impossible to get near them. The officers and men were therefore ordered to cut out as many vessels from the Wadde as it might be practicable to bring away, and I have the satisfaction to add, they succeeded in getting out twelve, without a man being killed or wounded, though the enemy annoyed them as much as possible from their batteries. Six of the vessels have valuable cargoes, and were bound to Amsterdam; the others are in ballast. I have the honour to remain, &c. ADMIRALTY OFFICE, JULY 16. R. WINTHROP. Extract of a Letter from Captain Griffiths, Commander of his Majesty's Ship Diamond, to Evan Nepean, Esq. dated at Spithead, the 12th inst. ON the 20th ult. the Revolutionaire captured l'Hippolite French letter of marque, from Cayenne, bound to Nantes, and in lat. 46 deg. N. and long. 24 deg. W. we recaptured the brig Margaret, from Greenock bound to Savannah, who had been taken but a few hours before by the Determine French ship privateer then in sight, and which, after a chace of 14 hours, was captured by the Revolutionaire. have brought her to pithead she is a very complete vessel, sails uncommonly fast, and is well calculated for his Majesty's service: she is pierced for 24 guns, mounts 18 brass twelve and nineteen pounders, and had 163 men on board when taken. Circe, Jalouse, Pylades, L'Espeigle, Tys phone. Engagements BETWEEN PRIVATEERS AND MERCHANT SHIPS, &c. Copy of a Letter from Captain John Watts, of the American Ship Planter, dated off Dover, July 15. "I SAILED from Hampton Roads, June 18th, in company with The Ship Merchant, loaded by J. Brown, of Richmond, and consigned to Lamb and Younger, London, bound for your place. We, outsailing her much, lost sight of her the same day. Nothing particular occurred for 24 days: but when in the lat. of 49. 2. and long. 17. 30. on the 10th day of july, at two P. M. espied a lofty ship to the southward in chace of us. By her appearance we were all fully convinced she was an enemy, and being likewise certain we could not outsail her, at four P. M. had all ready for action, down all small sails, up courses, spread boarding nettings, &c. At half past five P. M. we backed our maintop-sail, and laid by for her, all hands giving her three cheers; she then bore down under our starboard quarter, fired one gun into us, and showed National colours; we found her to be a privateer of 22 guns, twelves, nines, and sixes, with small arms in the tops, and full of men. We immediately rounded to, and gave her a broadside, which commenced the action on both sides; the first broadside we received cut away all our halyards, top-sheets, and braces, and killed three men on the quarter-deck. We kept up a constant fire for two glasses and a half, when she steered off to repair damages; and in about one glass returned to board us, with his bloody flag hoisted: we were all in readiness to receive him, got our broadsides to bear upon him, and poured in our langrishe and grape shot with great success. A heavy fire kept up on both sides for three glasses this second time; in all, the engagement continued firing for five glasses; at last he found we would not give out, and night coming on, sheered off, and stood to the south-west. His loss, no doubt, was considerable, as the last two glasses we were so nigh each other, that our fire must have done great execution. My ship's company acted with a degree of courage which does credit to the flag. I cannot help mentioning the good conduct of my passengers during the action: Mr. M'Kennon and Mr. Hodgson, with small arms, stood to their quarters with a degree of noble spirit; my two lady passengers, Mrs. McDowell and Miss Mary Harley, kept conveying the cartridges from the magazine to the deck, and were very attentive to the wounded, both during and after the action, in dressing their wounds, and administering every comfort the ship could afford, in which we were not deficient for a merchant ship, "When he sheered off, saw him heaving dead bodies overboard in abundance. Our ship is damaged in the hull; one twelve-pound shot under the starboard cat-head, splintered the sides much; one double headed shot through the longboat; sails, rigging, spars, prodigiously injured. We had four killed, and eight wounded. men.' The force of the Planter was 12 nine-pounders and 6 six-pounders-43 Extract from a Letter relative to the above Action. "Mrs. Macdowall, and Miss Mary Harley, who lately distinguished themselves so much in the gallant defence of The Ship Planter, of Liverpool, against an enemy of very superior force, off Dover, are now at Whitehaven. These ladies were remarkable, not only for their solicitude and tenderness for the wounded, but also for their contempt of personal danger, serving the scamen with animunition, and encouraging them by their presence. The merchants of that town have accordingly acknowledged their services in the handsomest manner, and have also instituted an enquiry for the parents of one William Aickin, a native of that town, who was killed in the action, after signalisinghimself in the most exemplary manner. Early in the conflict he received two wounds, one of which almost separated his hand from the arm, notwithstanding which, without any other assistance than the application of some styptic, and a bandage by Mrs. Macdowall and her companion, he returned to his station and continued his exertions in defence of the ship, till he fell in a manner covered with wounds, from a broadside too successfully directed by the adversary. He was then carried below, where he expired in a few minutes, after requesting Mrs Macdowall to convey his duty to his parents, and to let them know that "he died in a good cause." The owners of the Earl St. Vincent schooner, belonging to Falmouth, have received accounts from Capt. Smith, her commander, of a very gallant action fought between her and two french privateers, supported by four large Spanish gun-boats, about six leagues S. S E. off Cape Spartel, on the 28th of June last. Capt. Smith, on finding he could not weather them, at first bore down on the two headmost, which proved to be French privateers, mounting from 8 to 12 guns, and having from 60 to 80 men each, in hopes of being able to disable them before the gun-boats could get up; but this he could not effect; for, after a close action of about an hour, the gun-boats came up, and the whole commenced a heavy fire of great guns and musquetry upon him. Finding it useless to contend with such superior force, he ordered his stern and quarters to be cut, and made a battery of his stern chace, from which he kept up a constant fire on the enemy, making at the same time all the sail he could to reach Tangier Bay, which he did, after an action, in the whole, of five hours and a quarter. The Earl St. Vincent carries eighteen guns, four and six-pounders, and forty men. She had no men killed, and only three wounded. The following intelligence is communicated to us by a gentleman who went out passenger in the ship Benson, Capt Croasdale, for Jamaica :—“ At daylight in the morning of Thursday the 6th December last, St. Kitt's N. N. É. about 18 leagues, we descried two vessels on the starboard bow, which at eight we could plainly discover to be a ship and a brig, under a press of sail, standing towards us; at half after ten the latter past us about a mile a stern, under American colours, standing to the southward; and the ship, which we could by: this time observe to be a vessel of force, upon our weather quarter, coming up with us fast, under English colours: at a quarter before eleven she fired a shot, at us, and shewed the tri-coloured flag, when we in studding-sails, and lay-to for her coming up, prepared to give her a warm reception; at eleven the action commenced, within pistol shot of each other, and continued without intermission' till about thirty minutes past twelve, when the firing ceased, and both vessels, ' which had been quite ungovernable, lay-to for the purpose of refitting. "At twenty minutes past one, the action again commenced, and continued till about a quarter past two, when our opponent hauled his wind to the southward, and left us in such a crippled state in our rigging, masts, and sails, as to be unable to follow. Fortunately no lives were lost in the contest, from the excellent quarters our wood hoops afforded, and the enemy chiefly aiming to disable us aloft. A neutral vessel we spoke the same evening, informed us the ship we had engaged was a national corvette, lately from France, and that she mounted twenty nine pounders, and was manned with 170 men, this was afterwards corroborated by a gentleman, a prisoner at that time on board, who got down to Jamaica shortly afterwards, and says that they had twelve killed, and ten wounded." The Townley, of Liverpool, was, on the 4th of July, captured by a French privateer, of 14 guns, which took out her crew, except Mr. W. Atkinson, the chief mate, and John Overton, and put six men on board her. On the 7th, Mr. Atkinson, assisted by Overton, took an opportunity to fasten three of the Frenchmen below, and attacked the rest; the prize master fired his pistols without effect, and fell in the conflict, when his men submitted; and on the 14th, the two English took their ship safe into Viola Sound in Shetland.. |
