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1813. and six or seven men wounded. Strange to say, Dec. the french frigate herself did not seem disposed to renew the action, but wore and made all sail to the westward.

Alba

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small

At 1 P. M., the Pickle having closed and a light and breeze having sprung up from the southward, the Albacore again made sail, and at 3 P. M. was joined vessels in the chase by the 12-gun brig-sloop (late gun-brig) renew Borer, captain Richard Coote, and 4-gun cutter attack. Landrail, lieutenant John Hill. At 5 P. M. the Al

the

frigate

bacore began firing her bow-chasers; as, on coming up, did two out of her three (for the Landrail to have fired her 12-pounder carronades would have been a farce) formidable consorts. To this alarming cannonade, the Gloire replied with her sternchasers, and continued running from the "escadrille," as if each of her four pursuers had been a French frigate like herself. Thus the chase continued, but effects without any firing after 7 P. M., until midnight on the 19th; when this dastardly french frigate, who, it apescape. pears, did not have a man hurt on the occasion, had run herself completely out of sight. Captain Davies merited great praise for his gallantry and perseverance; and there cannot be a doubt that, by the boldness of the Albacore in chasing and attacking the Gloire, several merchant vessels were saved from capture.

her

Gloire

tures

Spy

store

ship.

On the following day, the 20th, the Gloire capсар- tured the Spy armed store-ship, from Halifax, NovaScotia, and, disarming her, sent her to England as a cartel. Captain Roussin then steered for the coast of Spain and Portugal, and on the 28th, off the rock of Lisbon, was chased for a short time by two ships. of war. Ón the 1st of February he arrived to-windward of Barbadoes, and returned soon afterwards to Europe. On the 25th, in the chops of the Channel, the wind blowing a gale with a raging sea, the Gloire fell in with the british 14-gun brig Linnet, lieuFalls in tenant John Tracey. Bearing up under her foresail Linnet. and close-reefed main topsail, the Gloire, at 2 h. 30 m. P. M., arrived within hail of the Linnet and

with

mas

nœu

lieut.

ordered her to strike. Instead of doing so, the brig 1813. boldly crossed the bows of the french frigate, and, regardless of a heavy fire which the latter com- Bold menced, got to-windward of her. As the Gloire and outsailed the Linnet on every point, all that lieu- terly tenant Tracey could now do, was to endeavour to ma outmanœuvre her. This he did by making short vres of tacks; well aware that, owing to her great length, Tracey. the frigate could not come about so quickly as a brig of less than 200 tons. In practising this manoeuvre, the Linnet had to cross the bows of the Gloire a second and a third time, (the second time so near as to carry away the frigate's jib-boom,) and was all the while exposed to her fire; but which, owing to the ill-direction of the shot from the roughness of the sea, did no great execution. At length, at 3 h. 30 m. P. M., having succeeded in cutting away some of the Linnet's rigging, the Gloire got nearly alongside of her; but the resolute lieutenant would not yet haul down the british colours. The Linnet suddenly bore up athwart the hawse of the frigate; and the Gloire, had she not as suddenly luffed up, must, Linnet captain Roussin says, have passed completely over the brig. Being now under the guns of the Gloire, two of the latter's broadsides carried away the fore yard, gaff, and bowsprit of the Linnet, and compelled the brig to surrender. Such seamanship and intrepidity, on the part of lieutenant Tracey, show where the Gloire would have been, had he encountered her in a frigate. To do M. Roussin justice, he complimented his prisoner highly for the skill and perseverance he had shown; and all must allow, that the captain of the Gloire was an excellent judge of the best means to effect an escape.

is cap

tured.

Lieut.

and

On the 27th the Gloire and her prize anchored at Tracey Brest; and lieutenant Tracey and his officers and tried crew remained as prisoners until the spring of the proensuing year. On the 31st of May, 1814, a court-mar- moted tial was held on board the Gladiator at Portsmouth, to try the late officers and crew of the Linnet for her loss. On that occasion, lieutenant Tracey received,

ست

1813. along with an honourable acquittal, the most unSept. qualified praise for his conduct; and in 11 days afterwards, as we see by the list, was deservedly made a commander.

Mutine

chases,

en

On the 17th of April, in the morning, the british 16-gun brig-sloop Mutine, captain Nevinson De gages, Courcy, cruising in the bay of Biscay, discovered сар- and chased a strange ship on her lee bow. At 2 P. M. tures the ship, which was the Invincible privateer, of cible. Bayonne, Captain Martin Jortis, mounting 16 guns,

and

Invin

chases

and en

Renard

(twelve french 18-pounder carronades and four long sixes,) with a crew on board of 86 men, partly Americans, hoisted french colours, and commenced a fire from her stern-guns; which, disabling the Mutine in her sails and rigging, occasioned her to drop astern. The Mutine immediately commenced refitting herself, and at 8 h. 40 m. again arrived within gun-shot; when the Invincible hoisted a light and opened a fire from her broadside. In this way the running fight was maintained until 10 h. 45 m. P. M.; when, the ship having had her main topgallantmast and jib shot away, the Mutine was enabled to close. Still it was not until after a spirited resistance of 50 minutes, which made it 11 h. 30 m. P. M., that the Invincible hauled down her colours. The Mutine is represented to have had two men wounded in the action, but the loss, if any, sustained by the Invincible appears to have been omitted in captain De Courcy's letter.

Alphea On the 9th of September, at 3 P. M., the british schooner Alphea, of eight 18-pounder carronades, gages and 41 men and boys, lieutenant Thomas William Jones, fell in with and chased the french 14-gun privateer schooner Renard, captain De Roux, belonging to Cherbourg, and acknowledged to have had on board a crew of 50 men. At midnight the Alphea commenced firing her chase-guns; and at 1 A. M. on the 10th a close and spirited action commenced. After a while, the Alphea, by the calm and the heavy swell that prevailed, became forced under the bows of the Renard. The crew of the privateer

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immediately threw into the Alphea several hand- 1813. grenades and made an attempt to board, but were Sept. gallantly repulsed by the crew of the british

schooner; which latter then poured in a most destructive fire of grape-shot, that swept the whole of the Renard's forecastle. A second boarding attempt was made, and the Frenchmen were again beaten off.

The two schooners soon afterwards burst the Alphea grapplings. by which they had been held together, blows and separated to a short distance; both still main- the

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whole

taining a furious cannonade. At 3 h. 30 m. A. M., of her

owing in a great measure to the number of hand-crev. grenades which had been thrown into her, the Alphea blew up; and along with her perished the whole of her gallant crew. Three or four men were seen on a piece of the wreck, but the Renard, having had her jollyboat sunk by shot as it was towing astern, and her launch cut to pieces as it lay on the booms, could render no assistance; nor could the poor fellows find their way to the privateer, although repeatedly hailed to do so, as they had lost their eyesight by the explosion.

board

The loss on board the Renard, as acknowledged Loss on by her officers, amounted to five men killed and 31 Renard badly wounded, including the captain with the loss of an arm, and three of his lieutenants. There was also a fourth lieutenant, who took the command when captain Le Roux was wounded. It is not unlikely, therefore, that the "50 men" refer to the sailors only, and that, officers included, the Renard bad from 70 to 80 men. As mounting "14 guns," this schooner must have been about 200 tons measurement: whereas the Alphea, one of the bermudian vessels, was only 111 tons. The execution admitted to have been done by the Alphea to her antagonist, was highly creditable to the gunnery of the british crew, and renders it probable that, had not the fatal accident happened, the Alphea would have made a prize of the Renard, although the latter was SO much superior to her in force.

It was, indeed, a lamentable occurrence;

1813. and, to heighten the misfortune, lieutenant Jones Oct. was a very deserving officer.

Flibus

tier

weighs

from

Jean

In the early part of October the french brigcorvette Flibustier, mounting fourteen 24-pounder carronades and two long sixes or eights, and comSt.- manded by lieutenant de vaisseau Jean-Jacquesde-Luz Léonore Daniel, lay at St.-Jean-de-Luz, about three leagues north-east of the bar of Bayonne, watching an opportunity to put to sea, with treasure, arms, ammunition, salt-provisions, and a few troops, for the garrison of Santona. The near approach of the marquess of Wellington's army at last made it necessary to move; and, taking advantage of the dark and stormy state of the weather, the Flibustier, at midnight on the 12th, attended by three "trincadores," or armed fishing-boats, weighed and stood alongshore to the south-west. At daylight on the 13th the french brig, then lying becalmed close under the heights near the mouth of Bayonne river, Is was seen and chased by the british schooner Teleby graph, of twelve 12-pounder carronades, lieutenant thritish Timothy Scriven, also by the 18-gun brig-sloop vessels. Challenger, captain Frederick Vernon, and 12-gun

chased

Telegraph

brig Constant, lieutenant John Stokes; the latter about six, the former upwards of eight, miles distant in the offing.

Favoured by a partial breeze, the Telegraph rapidly gho approached the Flibustier, who had by this time anchored under the distant protection of some batteries; attacks and at 6 h. 45 m. P. M. the schooner commenced

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her.

cannonading the brig in a raking position ahead. The Flibustier returned the Telegraph's broadside with such of her guns as would bear. The action continued in this way until about 7 P. M.; when, finding the two british brigs in the offing approachFrench ing to take a part in the combat, the french brig set herself on fire. The schooner continued discharging sel on her guns for about half an hour longer. Lieutenant Scriven then ceased firing, and sent his boats to endeavour to save the vessel, whose crew had already reached the shore in their boats. The

crew

set ves

fire.

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