Ata tacks drives one e of the perplich the #: and mat of the and zed by he the Rosa 1812. of being laid on board by several such opponents at enemy, bore up to a brig which he then observed in the fire of the whole line. At 1 h. 30 m. P. M., being fotilla, far enough to-windward, the Rosario most gallantly ran into the body of the french flotilla, and, by bri con cutting away the running rigging of the two nearest brigs, drove them on board each other: she then, takes backing her main topsail, engaged them within musketother. shot, until they were clear, and afterwards stood on and engaged a third brig; who, losing her mainmast So far the Rosario had acted alone, the Griffon, gun-shot. While, however, the Rosario was bearing shore away with her prize, clear of the batteries, captain Harvey passed and hailed his friend, directing him to chase the remaining brig of the two which the other. Rosario had last attacked with so much success. The Griffon immediately proceeded on the service, Griffon also drives one on and takes an March. takes a third attack the remaining nine brigs of the flotilla in the 1812. south-east, then anchoring close in-shore. In obe-born dience to this signal, the Griffon ran in-shore of one of the brigs at anchor near the centre, and, in the most gallant manner boarded and carried her. Captain Trollope then cut the cables of his prize, and stood out with her, in the face of a heavy fire from the batteries, and from the remaining eight french brigs. Finding, as the Griffon passed him, that she was Griffon too much disabled in her rigging immediately to renew the attack, yet determined, although his pri- brig. soners already equalled his sloop's company, to have another of the brigs, captain Harvey ran on board the brig which the Rosario, by her fire, had previously dismasted ; and which, unknown to him at the time, on accountof the darkness of the evening, had just been abandoned by her crew. While, with their three prizes, the Rosario and Griffon stood out to the offing, leaving two other brigs on shore, the french French commodore, with the seven remaining brigs of his moflotilla, got under way and entered Dieppe. In this dore truly gallant exploit, no other loss appears to have Dieppe been sustained on the british side, than one midshipman, Jonathan Widdicomb Dyer, who conducted himself most nobly, and four men wounded, on board the Rosario. It is pleasant to be able to state, that merit met its reward: captain Harvey was made post, and Mr. Dyer a lieutenant, on the same day, the 31st of March. On the 3d of May, in the afternoon, receiving a Skytelegraphic communication from the 18-gun brig- and sloop Castilian, captain David Braimer, at Dungeness, Apelles that the 16-gun brig-sloop Skylark, captain James Boxer, and 14-gun brig-sloop Apelles, captain Frederick Hoffman, were on shore to the westward of logne. Boulogne, captain Alexander Cunningham, of the 10gun brig-sloop Bermuda, accompanied by the Rinaldo of the same force, captain sir William George Parker, got under way and hastened towards the french coast, on shore near Bou French attack ed by Ber mudaand consorts. French driven from the 1812. in the hope to be able to render assistance to the two May. brigs, particularly the Apelles, whose fate was more uncertain than that of her consorts. On the 4th, at daybreak, the Rinaldo discovered get off, and chased the Apelles, which had just been got but are afloat by the French, from a spot about five miles to the eastward of Etaples, and was now steering along- At 2 h. 30 m. P, M. the Bermuda, followed in line battery; each sloop, as she got abreast of the Apelles and the Apelles, pouring in her broadside. By these vigorbrig re. ous means, the french troops who were on board the Apelles were driven out of her. The boats of the squadron, as had been previously arranged, under the orders of lieutenant Thomas Saunders, first of the Bermuda, then pushed for, and, covered by the fire of the sloops, boarded the grounded brig; and, although for a considerable time exposed to a galling fire of shot and shells from the battery and from a collection of field-pieces on the beach, lieutenant Saunders and his party, by 4 P. M., succeeded in getting the Apelles afloat and restoring her to the service. Notwithstanding the unremitting fire kept up from the shore, not a man, either in the brigs or the boats, was hurt on the occasion. Sky Four of the french soldiers, not having time to escape, were taken in the Apelles; as well as the whole stroyed of her late crew, except captain Hoffman and 19 men. by her The officers and crew of the Skylark, after having ter 4: captured. lar.c de crew. louck escape Leo set their vessel on fire, also arrived in safety on 1812, board the little squadron. For his zeal and promp- Jan. titude in executing this service, captain Cunningham was shortly afterwards promoted to post-rank. On the 9th of January the two french 40-gun frigates Arienne and Andromaque, and 16-gun brigcorvette Mamelouck, under the orders of commo- Aridore Martin Le Foretier, sailed from Nantes upon Androa cruise. On the 15th, at noon, in latitude 44° 10' maque, north, longitude 14° 14' west, they fell in with the Mamebritish 24-pounder 40-gun frigate Endymion, captain sir William Bolton. In about an hour afterwards the from latter, who was to-leeward, exchanged numbers with Endythe 50-gun ship Leopard, captain William Henry and Dillon, having under her protection a convoy from pard. Lisbon. At 2 P. M. the Endymion, one of the fastest sailing ships in the british navy, tacked after the two french frigates and brig, and at 4 P. M. was joined in the chase by the Leopard; who had previously signalled her convoy to make the best of their way into port. At 4 h. 30 m. P. M. the french vessels were observed to be under easy sail, as if in no dread of being overtaken. At 5 P. M. the Endymion ran the Leopard out of sight, and at 8 P. M. the french squadron ran her out of sight. Having thus effected their escape, the french fri- Comgates very soon commenced their depredations upon rious commerce; plundering and destroying, not only eng- de biens lish merchant vessels, but those of Spain, Portugal, and the United States of America. Intelligence of com all this reaching the board of admiralty, the commander in chief of the Channel fleet, admiral lord Keith, then resident at Plymouth, was directed to order the officer in command off the port of Brest, to detach a force to endeavour to intercept these french frigates on their return to France. The vessel, which rear-admiral sir Harry Neale The selected to cruise off the port of Lorient for the umberpurpose in view, was the 74-gun ship Northumberland, captain the honourable Henry Hotham; and vers on merce. land disco and near 1812. certainly an officer, possessed of more zeal, ability, and local as well as general experience,could not have been chosen. On the 19th of May the Northumber- off Ushant, and made sail for her destination. On Seeing himself thus cut off from his port, M. Le Northumberland, eager to close, continued beating to-windward between Groix and the continent, un- The british 74 immediately stood in as close as the clouds French commodore tries to run past e mast ithin the the to 74. in the ri forme work in a wyboard |