1806. "cruise" in the first style of court-panegyric. Aug. No inducement, however, could prevail upon the young naval hero to trust himself again at sea in a fighting ship; and he very soon afterwards, we believe, quitted the profession. M. Willaumez now demands our attention.

laumez

of Jé

Daylight on the 1st of August discovered to the french admiral the absence of the Vétéran; and, fully sensible of the danger to which the fugitive M.Wil- prince would be exposed, M. Willaumez cruised in sails in every direction to find him. Meanwhile the Jamaica search fleet, consisting of 109 vessels, under convoy of a rôme. 64, two frigates, and a sloop or two, had sailed from the west end of that island on the 28th of July, to go foiled by the gulf, instead of the windward, passage, and in his was then rounding Cape Antonio. Having returned upon from his unsuccessful search, M. Willaumez conthe Ja- tinued to cruise for the Jamaica fleet, until, at the fleet. expiration of some days, a neutral assured him that his hopes were at an end.

Is

views

maica

Narrow

sir

ren.

This delay on the part of M. Willaumez, in all escape probability, would have led to a rencontre between from him and sir John Borlase Warren, had not the latter, John on quitting Barbadoes, where he had arrived on the War- 12th of July, kept too much to the eastward. After having returned to Spithead from his first cruise off Madeira, sir John had sailed, on the 4th of June, with the Foudroyant and four of his five 74s,* along with an additional 74, the Fame, captain Richard Henry Alexander Bennett, in lieu of the Repulse, of the same force. The vice-admiral took with him, on the same occasion, but one frigate, the Amazon. So that, sir John had under his command one 80, five 74s, and one frigate; and, before Jérôme parted, M. Willaumez had also one 80, five 74s, and one frigate. By a singular coincidence, too, both 80-gun ships bore the same name.

Steers

for

The french admiral now prepared to execute the New- remaining objects of his cruise. These were, to proland to ceed to the coast of Newfoundland, there to capture * See p. 266.

found

ries.

the fishing-vessels and destroy the fisheries; then to 1806. take up a favourable station for intercepting the Sept. english trade from Labrador, Greenland, and Ice- destroy land, and to be ready, by the middle of October, to fisheenter a port of France.* Scarcely had the french ships turned their heads to the northward, when M. Willaumez encountered a greater misfortune than any he had experienced since his departure His from home. On the night of the 18th of August, ships in latitude 22° north, longitude 63° west, a gale or persed hurricane overtook the squadron, scattering the ships storm. in every direction, and dismasting and damaging the whole of them.

dis

in a

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ant

with

When the gale subsided, the french admiral found himself entirely alone. Having contrived a substitute for her lost rudder, and erected jury-masts in lieu of those which had been carried away, the Foudroyant steered straight for Havana. On the Fou15th of September, at daylight, when within three leagues of his destined port, M. Willaumez fell falls in in with the british 44-gun frigate Anson, captain Anson. Charles Lydiard, then about six miles distant, running along-shore from the Matanzas, and standing directly for the Foudroyant. At 7 h. 30 m. A. M. the latter hoisted the french ensign and a rearadmiral's flag, Havana at this time bearing from the Anson west-south-west distant between three and four leagues. At 8h. 15 m., then nearly calmn, the french 80 shortened sail, and despatched a boat into the harbour. At 10 h. 15 m. A. M., a light air springing up from the south by east, each ship crowded all the sail she could set. At noon Point Moro bore from the Anson west by south four or five miles. At 1 P. M. the Foudrovant fired a gun to-windward, and at 1h. 10 m. the Anson shortened sail. In a minute or two afterwards the Foudroyant did the same, and hove to, as if awaiting the frigate's approach., At 1h. 15 m. P. M. the Attacks Foudroyant opened her fire, and received in return and the fire of the Anson; both ships standing on the her off. * Victoires et Conquêtes, tome xvii. p. 302.

beats

1806. starboard tack, the Anson to-windward. The cannonSept. ade continued until about 1 h. 45 m. P.M.; when, finding she was not able to cope with her antagonist, the Anson tacked, ceased firing, and made sail, with the loss of two seamen killed and seven seamen and one marine wounded, besides having the starboard leech of her fore topsail and the slings of the main yard shot away, and her standing and running rigging and sails much cut. The Anson had also received Hava several shot in the hull. What damage or loss the Foudroyant sustained has not been recorded: all we know is, that in a very short time after the action had ceased, she was at an anchor in Havana.

Enters

na.

Re

ac

counts.

A french 80-gun ship, in weight of metal, number marks. of men, and size, is, be it remembered, a full match for a british 98; and, although the Foudroyant was disabled in her masts, she was not, (for, if she had been, the French themselves would quickly have made it known) in her guns. Hence a tolerable idea may be formed of what chance the Anson would have stood, had she persevered in the contest. The French were so sensible of the disparity between the combatants, and of the little honour which had French been gained by the larger vessel, that they not only described the british frigate as a "cut down line-of-battle ship, carrying two whole batteries," but stated her to have been in company with other british men of war; and this, although it was well known at Havana that the Anson was cruising alone. "Dans les environs de ce port, says the french account, "le Foudroyant fut attaqué par une division anglaise, à la tête de laquelle se trouvait le vaisseau rasé l'Anson."* Now, the Anson's captain, with more propriety, might have stated, that he was "attacked by a franco-spanish division, at the head of which was the Foudroyant;" for the spanish 74 San-Lorenzo and several gun-boats, just as the Anson had ceased firing, were seen coming out of Havana to assist the french ship. Resolved, for

* Victoires et Conquêtes, tome xvii. p. 303.

this gasconade, to pay the French in their own coin, 1806. captain Brenton declares, that the Anson, "after a severe action, drove him (M. Willaumez) for protection under the guns of the Moro castle."*

and se

of sir

Stra

chan

Of the two british squadrons despatched in dif- First ferent directions in pursuit of the supposed single cond squadron which had put to sea from Brest, that under cruises sir John Warren has already had its proceedings in Rich. part detailed. The squadron of sir Richard Strachan Sin had returned to Plymouth equally unsuccessful. pursuit From certain information that M. Willaumez, after quitting St.-Salvador in April, had steered to the north-west, sir Richard was again ordered in pursuit. It had by this time been found that a 98-gun ship was no acquisition to a flying squadron. The St.-George was therefore to he left at home; as was also the Centaur, on account of sir Samuel Hood's appointment to the command off Rochefort. In lieu of those two ships, three others were added, which made sir Richard's squadron as follows:

by a

On the 19th of May this squadron sailed from His Plymouth, and on the 8th of August, after having squa cruised some time off Madeira and the Canary disislands, sir Richard anchored in Carlisle bay, Bar- persed badoes. On the 13th that persevering officer again gale of set sail in search of M. Willaumez; of whose cruising ground he had received so good information, that the night of the 18th of August fell upon both

*Brenton, vol. iv. p. 59.

wind.

1806. squadrons nearly in the same latitude, and within a Sept. degree of the same longitude, the British experi

lona

Impé

on

encing the gale in latitude 21° 25′ north, longitude 62° west, the French, as has already been stated, in latitude 22° north, longitude 63° west. The accidental circumstance of a day's earlier departure from Barbadoes might have enabled sir Richard to have crossed the path of M. Willaumez, as the latter was returning to his cruising ground from the eastward, where he had been seeking prince Jérôme, who had so unceremoniously quitted his protection. Belle- On the 14th of September, at daybreak, Cape isle and Henry in the United States of America bearing westnorth-west distant 12leagues, the british 74-gun ships drive Belleisle and Bellona, and frigate Melampus, being tueux on the appointed rendezvous, in search of the Cæsar shore. and the other ships of their squadron, which had been separated by the gale, discovered to-leeward of them, and immediately chased, a strange sail under jury-masts, steering straight for the Chesapeake. This was the french 74-gun ship Impétueux, next to the Foudroyant, the most disabled ship of M. Willaumez's squadron. In the crippled state of his ship, M. Le Veyer had no alternative but to bear up towards the land. Accordingly, at 8h. 15m. A. M., the Impétueux hoisted french colours, and ran herself on shore. Soon afterwards the Melampus shortened sail, and, having hove to on the larboard tack, fired a broadside at the french ship, who thereupon hauled down her ensign and pendant. At 10 A. M. the british ships anchored about a mile from the shore, in five fathoms' water, and with their boats took possession of the Impétueux. At noon two suspicious sail in the offing induced captain Hargood to get under way with the Belleisle and Bellona, leaving the Melampus to remove the french Herde- prisoners and set fire to the prize. By 8 P. M. that struc- service was accomplished, and the frigate weighed and stood after her consorts.

tion.

The capture and destruction of the Impétueux