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captain John Harper. The loss on the occasion was 1814. comparatively trifling, amounting to only one seaman Jan. killed, and lieutenant of marines William Haig, slightly wounded. Captain Hoste, in his letter to rear-admiral Fremantle on the subject, speaks in high terms of the following officers: captain Harper, lieutenants John Hancock and Charles Robert Milbourne, acting lieutenant William Lee Rees, Mr. Stephen Vale, the Bacchante's master, lieutenant Haig, and midshipman Charles Bruce. On the 28th Ragusa surrendered to the Bacchante and Saracen, and to a body of british and austrian troops who were besieging the fortress; and on the 13th of February, the island of Paxo surrendered, without resistance, to the british 38-gun frigate Apollo, captain Bridges Watkinson Taylor, and a detachment of troops under lieutenant-colonel Church.

islands

tic.

and

In the course of January and February, indeed, by Other the active and gallant exertions of the different in the ships composing the squadron of rear-admiral AdriaFremantle in the Adriatic, aided by detachments of austrian troops, every place belonging to the French in Dalmatia, Croatia, Istria, and the Frioul, with all the islands in that sea, surrendered to the allies; as, in the month of March and April, did Spezzia and Also of Genoa to a small squadron under the command of Spezzia sir Josias Rowley, aided by a detachment of british Genoa. troops and a division of sicilian gun-boats. At Genoa the British gained possession of the french 74-gun ship Brilliant ready for launching, another 74 in frame, and four brig-corvettes, of which the Renard that had engaged the Swallow was one. The Brilliant was a ship of 1883 tons, and, being built of good oak, became an acquisition to the british navy; in which she still continues under the name of Genoa.

squa

In order to cooperate with the british army under British the marquess of Wellington, which, on the 20th of dron February, had reached the banks of the Adour, a off the small squadron had been stationed off the mouth of

Adour.

w

Feb.

Passage

dan

british

to co

1814. the river, under the command of rear-admiral Charles Vinicombe Penrose; who, to get nearer to the scene of operations, had embarked on board the 24-gun ship Porcupine, captain John Coode. On the morning of the 23d, which was as early as the ships and the boats collected for the service could arrive off the river, the latter were detached to endeavour to find a passage through the tremendous surf that beats over the bar. At this time the british troops were seen from the ships, crossing over to the north side of the river, but greatly in want of the boats intended for their assistance. Thus stimulated, of the captain Dowell O'Reilly, of the 10-gun brig-sloop gerous Lyra, in a spanish-built boat selected as the most bar by safe for the purpose, and having with him the boats principal pilot, was the first to make the attempt to cross the bar, but the boat overset. Captain O'Reilly, operate however, and we believe the whole boat's crew british were so fortunate as to gain the shore. Lieutenant John Debenham, in a six-oared cutter, succeeded in reaching the beach; but, as it was scarcely possible that one boat in 50 could then have crossed, the other boats returned, to await the result of the next tide. The tide being at length at a proper height, and all the vessels well up for the attempt, several boats drew near the bar, but hauled off again, until at last lieutenant George Cheyne, of the 10-gun brig-sloop Woodlark, in a spanish boat, with five british seamen, crossed the surf and ran up the river. The next was a prize-boat, manned from a transport, closely followed by a gun-boat, commanded by lieutenant John Chesshire, who was the first that Serious hoisted the british colours in the Adour. The loss on remainder of the boats and vessels followed in rapid casion. succession, "the zeal and science of the officers

army.

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triumphing over all the difficulties of the navigation;" but this arduous and most perilous undertaking was not accomplished without a heavy loss of life. : Captain Elliot of the brig-sloop Martial, Mr. Henry Bloye, master's mate of the Lyra, and 11 seamen of

the Porcupine, Martial, and Lyra, drowned; three 1814. transport boats lost, number of men unknown; also April. a spanish chasse-marée, the whole crew of which perished in an instant.

The british army afterwards crossed the Adour British and invested Bayonne; and, early in March, a the Giships in detachment under marshal Beresford moved forward ronde. towards Bordeaux. On the 21st rear-admiral Penrose, with the 74-gun ship Egmont, to which he had now shifted his flag, anchored in the Gironde. On the 2d of April captain Coode of the Porcupine, who had ascended the Gironde above Pouillac, detached his boats under the orders of lieutenant Robert Graham Dunlop, in pursuit of a french flotilla which Boats was observed proceeding down from Blaye to of Por Tallemont. On the approach of the boats, the flotilla take a ran on shore; and about 200 troops from Blaye lined fondly the beach to protect the vessels; but lieutenant Dunlop, landing with a detachment of seamen and marines, drove the French with great loss into the woods, and remained until the tide allowed the greater part of the vessels to be brought off. One gun-brig, six gun-boats, one armed schooner, three chasse-marées, and an imperial barge, were captured; and one gun-brig, two gun-boats, and one chassemarée burned. This service was performed with the loss of two seamen missing, and 14 seamen and marines wounded.

french

convoy

tion of

gulus.

On the evening of the 6th the 74-gun ship Centaur, Decaptain John Chambers White, anchored in the struc Gironde, in company with the Egmont; and prepa- french rations were immediately made for attacking the 74 Ré french 74-gun ship Régulus, three brig-corvettes, and other vessels lying near her, as well as the batteries that protected them; but at midnight the French set fire to the Régulus and her companions, and the whole were destroyed. Before the 9th the batteries of Pointe Coubre, Pointe Nègre, Royan, Sonlac, and Mèche were successively entered and destroyed by a detachment of seamen and marines

1814. under captain George Harris of the 38-gun frigate Belle-Poule.

Preli

ries of

The entry of the allies into Paris on the 31st of mina- March, and the preliminary treaty entered into peace, between England and France on the 24th of April, &c. put a temporary stop to the miseries of war in Europe. Louis XVIII. landed at Calais from Dover the same day; and on the 28th of April Napoléon embarked at Fréjus in Provence on board the british 38-gun frigate Undaunted, captain Thomas Ussher, who, on the 4th of May, landed his passenger in safety at Porto-Ferraro in the isle of Elba.

Divi

Scheldt

fleet.

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In the succeeding August the Scheldt fleet was sion of divided in the following manner: 12 sail of the line were allowed to be retained by France; three were restored to Holland, as having formerly belonged to her; and seven others were also given to her, to be held in trust, until the congress at Vienna should decide how they were to be disposed of. The ships, generally, were a good deal broken in the sheer, and, having been constructed of green wood, were in bad condition. The nine sail of the line, including two three-deckers on the stocks, were to be broken up.

Iphi

and

sail

bourg.

LIGHT SQUADRONS AND SINGLE SHIPS.

On the 20th of October, 1813, the two french génie 40-gun frigates Iphigénie and Alcmène, captains Ale Jacques-Léon Emeric and Alexandre Ducrest de mène Villeneuve, sailed from Cherbourg on a six months' from cruise. The two frigates proceeded first off the Cher- Western Isles, and then to the coast of Africa; where they captured two guineamen, laden with elephants' teeth, &c. After taking out the most valuable parts of the cargoes, captain Emeric burnt the ships. From Africa the Iphigénie and Alcmène Are sailed to the Canary Isles, in the vicinity of which by Ve- they took six other prizes. On the 16th of January, nerable at 7 A. M., when cruising off these islands, the two Cyane. french frigates fell in with the british 74-gun ship

chased

and

Venerable, captain James Andrew Worth, bearing 1814. the flag of rear-admiral Philip Charles Durham, on Jan. his way to take the chief command at the LeewardIslands, 22-gun ship Cyane, captain Thomas Forrest, and prize-brig Jason, a french letter-of-marque captured 17 days before, and now, with two guns (having thrown 12 overboard in chase) and 22 men, in charge of lieutenant Thomas Moffat, belonging to the Venerable.

mène

board

The two frigates, when first descried, were in the north-east; and the Cyane, the wind then blowing from the east-south-east, was ordered to reconnoitre them. Having shortened sail and hauled to the wind on the starboard tack, the Cyane, at 9 A. M., ascertained that they were enemies, and made a signal to that effect to the Venerable, who immediately went in chase. The chase continued throughout the day, so much to the advantage of the 74, that, at 6 h. 15 m. P. M., the Venerable arrived within hail of the Alcmène, the leewardmost frigate. After having hailed twice in vain, the Venerable Alcopened her guns as they would bear; when the runs on french frigate immediately put her helm up, and, Veneunder all sail, laid the british 74 on board, captain rable Villeneuve, as was understood, expecting that his and is commodore, in compliance with a previous agreement, would second him in the bold attempt. According to another statement, and which has more the air of probability, the object of the Alcmène in bearing up was to cross the 74's bows, and, by disabling her bowsprit and foremast, to deprive her of the means of pursuit. Whether captain Emeric had agreed to cooperate or not, the Iphigénie now hauled sharp up, and left the Alcmène to her fate. A very short struggle decided the business, and before 6 h. 25 m. the french colours were hauled down by the british boarders, headed by captain Worth. The conflict, although short, had been severe, especially to the Alcmène; who, out of a crew of 319 men and boys, lost two petty officers

taken.

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