1806. tain. The Sheldrake had one seaman killed and two Sept. wounded, and the Strenuous, who had her fore topLoss on mast shot away, one midshipman (Robert Bond) board and four seamen and marines wounded; making the vessels. total of the british loss 10 killed and 23 wounded, british Sala man exclusive of 38 officers and men that were made prisoners in an unsuccessful attempt to save the Constance, on her again floating at the rising of the tide. The Salamandre, mounting, as already stated, 26 guns with a crew, as admitted, of 80 men,* lost her captain, M. Salomon, and it was supposed about 29 men killed. Of her loss in wounded, all that can be stated is that nine, of whom two afterwards died, gets on were received on board the Sheldrake. The Salaand is mandre went on shore almost immediately after she de- had surrendered; and the British, not being able to get her off, set fire to and destroyed her. dre shore stroyed letter Official Between the above account, and that given by of capt. Captain Thicknesse in his letter to the admiralty, Thick- there are some, as respects the part performed by the nesse. Constance, not unimportant variations. The official letter states, that the surrender of the Salamandre occurred at 4 P. M., and that the first lieutenant of the Sheldrake took possession of the prize. As it no where appears, in that letter, at what time the Constance struck the ground, the inference may be that she did so pending the action with the french ship; whereas, according to the testimony of an officer of the Constance, the latter did not touch the ground until two hours after the Salamandre had hauled down her colours and the master been sent to take possession. It was the shot from the french Con- battery that, by cutting her cables, drove the Constance stance on shore. According to the official letter, the is got force of the Salamandre was "26 long 12 and 18 French pounders;" but we still believe our account to be carried correct. The Constance is also represented as off by and into St. a perfect wreck;" whereas the French, on the * The british official account says 150 men. Malo. third day, as we understand, got the Constance into 1806. St.-Malo and afterwards repaired her for sea. In the month of September commodore sir Samuel Hood cruised off Rochefort with the following squadron: Sept. dron On the 25th, at 1 A. M., as the above squadron, with the wind at north by east, was stretching in upon the larboard tack for Chasseron lighthouse, then distant six or seven leagues, seven sail were discovered toleeward. At this time the Revenge was to-windward of the Centaur, the Monarch, who had first made the British signal for an enemy, to-leeward and a mile and a squahalf ahead of her, and the Mars on her starboard chases bow. The remaining ships of the british squadron five were considerably in the rear. In expectation that frigates the strangers, or a part of them, were line-of-battle ships, a signal was made to form the line; but the almost immediate discovery, that they were frigates, caused the signal for a general chase to be substituted. The strangers were a french squadron, which had escaped the preceding evening from Rochefort, bound to the West Indies, and consisted of the gun-frig. french Brig-corvettes, Lynx and Sylphe. Jean-Jacques-Jude Langlois. Nearly as soon as seen, the french squadron bore up, and steered south-south-west under all sail. The Sept. Mo. narch en gages Armide 1806. british ships bore away also; whereby the Revenge, who lay well to-windward, was thrown very far astern. At 4 A. M., when the french squadron was about eight miles ahead of the Centaur, the Monarch had arrived nearly within gun-shot of the rearmost frigate, the Armide. At 5 A. M. the Monarch began firing her bow-chasers at the latter; who returned the fire with her stern-guns, the frigates having previously hoisted french colours, and the Mars commodore his broad pendant. At 6 A. M. the Infatigable, which was the weathermost frigate, hauled Infati- to the northward, and was pursued by the Mars; while the leewardmost frigate, the Thémis, accomof The- panied by the two brigs, bore up to the southward, and, no unengaged ship being near enough to pursue them, effected their escape. pur sues gable. Escape mis. Cen taur into The three remaining french frigates, the Gloire, Armide, and Minerve, now kept in close order, for mutual support. At about 10 A. M. the Monarch opened her starboard guns upon the two rearmost frigates, and a very heavy cannonade ensued between her and them; so much to the disadvantage of the Monarch, chiefly because the heavy swell prevented her, during a great part of the time, from opening her lowerdeck ports, that, in about 20 minutes, she was much disabled, and scarcely manageable. At 11 A. M. the Centaur got up, and commenced a gets heavy fire from her larboard guns upon the Gloire action. and Årmide; while the Monarch contínued engaging the Minerve. All three frigates kept up a smart render and harassing fire in return. At 11 h. 45m. A. M. the of Ar- Armide struck to the Centaur; and, soon after noon, Mi- the Minerve struck to the Monarch. By this time nerve, the Mars had also overtaken and captured the Infafati- tigable. Thus left to herself, in the midst of foes so gable. numerous and powerful, the Gloire, as a last resource, hauled up, and made sail to the westward. The Centaur, carrying all the canvass she was enabled to set, pursued her. At 2 h. 30 m. P. M. the Mars, who had joined in the chase, and who, from the entire Sur mide, and In state of her rigging and sails, was at this time the 1806. most effective ship, opened her fire upon the Gloire, Sept. and at 3 P. M. compelled the latter to haul down Also of her colours. Gloire. damage, So determined a resistance on the part of the Mutual french frigates, of the three, at least, that kept toge- &c. ther, was not without its effect, The Centaur had eight of her fore, and five of her main shrouds shot away; also the main spring-stay, slings of the main yard, the chief part of the topmast and topgallant rigging, and bob-stays, together with her jib-boom. Her bowsprit, foremast, fore yard, mainmast, and main yard, were each shot through in several places; and her running rigging and sails cut to pieces. As a proof that the Frenchmen had chiefly this object in view, the Centaur's loss amounted to only one seaman and two marines killed, her captain and three seamen wounded. Sir Samuel's wound was a very serious one. While leaning with his right hand on the Sir railing of the quarterdeck, giving orders, a musket- woundball entered and passed through between the wrist ed. and the elbow, lodging below the shoulder. The shattered condition of the arm rendered amputation necessary. The damages of the Monarch were of a similar description to those of the Centaur, except that the former had her main topgallantmast shot away, and was more hit in the hull. The Monarch's loss amounted to one midshipman (William Buddin) and three seamen killed, one lieutenant, (John Anderson,) her boatswain, (Peter Duffy,) one midshipman, (John Geary,) 15 seamen, and seven marines wounded; total, on board the two ships, nine killed and 29 wounded. The Mars, the only ship, besides these, that took, or could take, any part in the engagement, sustained a slight injury in her sails and rigging, but, although hulled eight or ten times, escaped without any loss. The Gloire mounted 46 guns, and each of the other french frigates 44; long 18s on the main deck, Samuel 1806. and long eights, with iron 36-pounder carronades, Sept. on the quarterdeck and forecastle. They each had Force, on board, including troops, about 650 men, and &c. of were full of stores, arms, ammunition, and provitured sions. No doubt it was owing to their being so frigates deeply laden, that these frigates were not able, in the first instance, to escape from the line-of-battle ships, cap Sir Samuel, in his official letter, promises to make a return, as soon as possible, of the loss sustained by the captured frigates; merely stating, that the No ac- result of their "obstinate resistance was attended count of with much slaughter." No doubt the Gloire, Arfrench mide, and Minerve severally suffered a very heavy loss. loss, and were proportionably cut up in rigging, masts, and hull. Such gallant conduct on the part of the french ships merited a circumstantial account of the state, in point of damage and loss, in which they were at their surrender; and, admitting that the promised return was transmitted to the admiralty, it ought to have been published in the Gazette, if only as an act of justice towards a brave enemy. mod. These captured frigates were of very large dimensions. The Minerve measured 1101, the Armide 1104, the Gloire 1153, and the Infatigable 1157 tons. They were all added to the british navy; the first under the name of Alceste, the last, of Immortalité, and the other two under their french names. On the 31st of October, 1805, a french squadron, composed of the new 74-gun ship Régulus, 40-gun frigates Présidente and Cybèle, and brig-corvette Com- Surveillant, under the orders of commodore JeanL'Her- Marthe-Adrien L'Hermitte, sailed out of the port of mitte Lorient, on a predatory cruise, first along the western from coast of Africa, and subsequently in the Antilles. It Brest. had been Napoléon's intention to have embarked on sails board this squadron, to which another frigate or two were to have been added, 1000 men, for the purpose of taking one of the british african settlements, thereby to have drawn off a division of the Channel fleet. The command, both afloat and on shore, was to |