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schooner's boat got on board; and so, it is believed, 1813. did some boats from the Challenger and Constant, Oct. but too late to save the Flibustier; which at about Flibus8h. 10 m. P. M. exploded, in sight of the english and ties french armies encamped on the east side of the up. Adour. The Telegraph had not a man hurt, nor, as it appears, a spar or a shroud shot away.

blows

of lieut.

For his gallantry in advancing to attack a force so Promuch superior to his own, lieutenant Scriven was motion promoted to the rank of commander; and the Scriven Telegraph, by his continuing to be captain of her, became a sloop of war. Lest we should appear to have underrated the force of the Flibustier, we are bound to state, that the official account of her destruction assigns her a force of 16 carronades and two nines, with a brass howitzer, and four brass 3-pounders. The swivels and howitzer she may have mounted; but we doubt if the Flibustier carried more than 14 carronades, chiefly because we know not of a single instance, (the Abeille, as already stated, had been a foreign-built vessel,*) in which a regular french brig-corvette mounted more than 16 guns, similar to the Renard, Oreste, and a great many others that have appeared in these pages. Moreover, very little time was allowed for the British, to take an accurate account of the force of the Flibustier.

Weser

Texel

in a

On the 30th of September the two franco-batavian Trave 40-gun frigates Trave and Weser, captains Jacob and Van-Maren and Paul-Roelof Cantz-Laar, put to sea sail from the Texel, on a cruise off the Western Isles. from On the 16th of October a violent gale of wind dis- and semasted both frigates, and separated them from each parate other. On the 18th, towards 1 A. M., latitude 47° gale. 30′ north, longitude 9° 18′ west, the british 18-gun brig-sloop Scylla, captain Colin Macdonald, fell in with the Weser, then with the loss of her main and mizen masts and fore topmast, steering east by north, on her way to Brest. After hailing the frigate several times, the Scylla received a broadside from * See vol. v. p. 538.

Sept.

1813. her. On this the brig made sail ahead. At daylight both vessels hoisted their colours; but captain Macdonald judged it not prudent to attack a ship tha, although crippled in her masts, was so decidedly his superior in guns and men; especially, as the Scylla might herself get crippled, and, in the severe state of the weather, be thereby prevented from keeping sight of the frigate: a service on which the brig now assiduously employed herself.

Weser

ed by

tacked

and

ist.

On the 19th, at daylight, having passed the night watch- in burning blue lights, firing guns, and throwing up Scylla rockets, to indicate that she was in chase of an enemy, and at the Scylla found herself alone, the thick weather by her obscuring the Weser from her view. Steering, Royal- during that day and night, a course deemed the most likely to rejoin the french frigate, the Scylla, at daylight on the morning of the 20th, fell in with the. british 18-gun brig-sloop_Royalist, captain James John Gordon Bremer. The latter volunteering, the two brigs, with the wind from the south-west, bore away to seek and engage the enemy, then supposed to be in the east-north-east. At 9 h. 30 m. A. M. the Weser was discovered in the north-east, and chased; atitude at noon 48° 28′ north, longitude 6° 18′ west. At 3h. 30 m. P. M. the two brigs brigs opened their fire, the Royalist stationing haul off herself on the frigate's starboard bow, and the Scylla pair da- on her starboard quarter. At 5 P. M., being much mages. cut up in their sails and rigging, and the Scylla

The

two

to re

Rippon

ing,

renew

having her mainmast shot through, and the Royalist five men badly wounded, the two brigs hauled off to repair their damages.

Since 1 h. 30 m. P. M. a sail had been observed appear-to-leeward. This was the british 74-gun ship Rippon, the two captain sir Christopher Cole, using her utmost efforts brigs to take a part in the action. Captain Macdonald the now detached captain Bremer to reconnoitre the ship attack, to-leeward. The Royalist accordingly bore up, and Weser the Scylla continued following the french frigate. surren- On the 21st, at a little before daylight, the Royalist spoke the Rippon, and again made all sail on a wind

and

ders.

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Sept.

to close the Scylla and frigate. At 9 h. 30 m. A. M. 1818. the Scylla, taking a raking position, recommenced firing at the Weser; and the Royalist, placing her self on the latter's larboard bow, soon joined in the action. In 10 minutes, finding that the Rippon was nearly within gun-shot on her lee quarter, and that all hopes of escape were at an end, the Weser fired her larboard guns at the Royalist, and, standing on towards the Rippon, hauled down her colours. A boat from the Royalist immediately boarded the french frigate; and the Rippon, on arriving up, took the prize in tow and conducted her to Falmouth.

board

In this creditable performance on the part of the Loss on two brigs, the Scylla had two seamen wounded, Scylla and the Royalist two seamen killed, her first lieu- and tenant, (James Waring,) master, (William Wilson, Royalseverely,) five seamen, one marine, and one boy wounded; total, on board the two brigs, two killed and 11 wounded. As a proof that the carronades of Same the brigs had produced some effect, the Weser, out board of a crew of 340 men and boys, had four men killed Weser. and 15 wounded.

on

is at

Acha

tes.

On the morning of the same day on which the Trave Weser was captured, the british brig-sloop Achates, tacked of fourteen 24-pounder carronades and two sixes, by captain Isaac Hawkins Morrison, standing to the south-south-east with the wind at south-west, fell in with the Trave, upon her weather beam. The Achates immediately made sail in chase, and, as soon as she had fore-reached sufficiently, wore and stood for the french frigate. At 7 h. 50 m. A. M. the Achates gallantly engaged the Trave in passing, and received in return a fire that much injured her sails and rigging. At 8 A. M. a large ship was discovered bearing down. The Achates immediately hauled towards her and made the private signal; but the stranger, instead of answering it, tacked from the brig and hauled close to the wind. In the mean time the Trave had bore up to the eastward. At noon, latitude 46° 37' north, longitude 7° 26' west, the Achates was again near enough to exchange shots

1813. with the Trave, and continued engaging in an advanOct. tageous position on her quarter, until about 8 P. M.; when dark and squally weather concealed the Trave Escapes from her view. In this very spirited as well as dark. skilful attack, captain Morrison had the good fortune not to lose a man; but the fire of the Achates had wounded two seamen belonging to the Trave.

in the

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by An

Favoured by the darkness, the french frigate contacked tinued her course without further interruption, until, on the afternoon of the 23d, she encountered the mache british 18-pounder 36-gun frigate Andromache, capsurren- tain George Tobin. At 3 h. 30 m. P. M. the Trave

dro

and

ders.

Weser and

opened a fire from her stern-chasers, but the Andromache did not return it until 4 h. 15m. P. M.; by which time she had gained a position on the french frigate's weather quarter. The fire which the Andromache now commenced was so close and well directed, that in a quarter of an hour the Trave hauled down her colours. Indeed, had the latter been an efficient instead of a dismasted ship, further resistance would have been vain, as the british 24-pounder 38-gun frigate Eurotas, captain John Phillimore, was approaching in the north-east. Out of her 321 men and boys, the Trave had one seaman killed, her captain, second lieutenant, two midshipmen, (one mortally,) and 24 seamen wounded. The Andromache's loss consisted of only two wounded, but one was her first lieutenant, Thomas Dickinson, severely.

Both the Weser and Trave, being new frigates, one of 1081, the other of 1076 tons, were added to Trave the british navy. It was considered rather singular, to the that frigates of that size should have been armed navy. upon the quarterdeck and forecastle with carronades

added

british

Thunder de

of so light and ineffective a caliber as 18-pounders. Of these, each frigate mounted 16, making, with her 28 long 18-pounders, 44 guns.

On the 9th of October, at 8 h. 30 m. A. M., the coys a Owers light bearing north-north-east, the british lugger bomb-vessel Thunder, captain Watkin Owen Pell, being on her way from Spithead to Woolwich, board. observed a large armed lugger to-windward under

to run

her on

easy sail. His vessel being of a class likely to effect 1813. more by decoying than chasing an enemy, captain oct Pell altered his course towards the shore and took in his studding-sails. The bait took, and the lugger, which was the Neptune, of Dunkerque, mounting 16 guns, with a crew on board of 65 men, bore up in chase. At 10 h. 30 m. A. M., having arrived on the Thunder's larboard quarter, the french captain hailed the supposed merchantman to bring to, and strike.

and

the

tune.

With her numerous crew all ready, the Neptune Boards then put up her helm, to lay her anticipated prize capon board. The Thunder at the same moment put tures her helm down, and had barely time to fire her four Nepcarronades and a volley of musketry, when the lugger fell on board. A portion of the british crew were on her decks in a trice; and, after a severe conflict, in which four Frenchmen were killed and 10 wounded, including one mortally and five very severely, the Thunder made a prize of the Neptune, and that with so slight a loss as two men wounded.

with

lugger

teers.

On the 1st of November, in the morning, St.- Snap Vallery on the coast of France bearing south-south-falls in east distant five miles, the 16-gun brig-sloop, five Snap, captain William Bateman Dashwood, dis- french covered five french armed luggers, three in the privanorth-west close to-windward, and two considerably to-leeward. The Snap immediately wore and stood for the three weathermost luggers, but captain Dashwood had very soon the mortification to observe their separation, and then their escape by superior sailing. At 9 A. M. the Snap bore up in pursuit of the Entices two leewardmost vessels, and, after using various alongdeceptions, enticed one alongside. The british brig side immediately opened her fire, and, at the end of a 10 capminutes' cannonade, captured, without the loss of a man, the french privateer Lion, of Boulogne, mounting 16 guns, with 69 men; of whom the captain and four men were killed, and six severely wounded.

The british squadron, stationed off the north coast

one

tures

her.

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