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1812. of being laid on board by several such opponents at March, once, captain Harvey, with the signal flying for an enemy, bore up to a brig which he then observed in the offing. The moment the latter, which was the brig-sloop Griffon, of fourteen 24-pounder carronades and two sixes, captain George Trollope, answered the signal, the Rosario again hauled to the wind, and at 40 minutes past noon recommenced harassing the rear of the flotilla, then endeavouring, under all sail, to get into Dieppe. The Rosario tacked and wore occasionally, in order to close, receiving each time tacks the fire of the whole line. At 1 h. 30 m. P. M., being flotilla, far enough to-windward, the Rosario most gallantly drives ran into the body of the french flotilla, and, by brig on cutting away the running rigging of the two nearest brigs, drove them on board each other: she then, 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 and fore topmast by the board, dropped her anchor. Passing her, the Rosario drove the next brig in the line on shore. Two more brigs of the flotilla yet remained to-leeward. Bearing up for these, the Rosario, at that time not more than three quarters of a mile from the shore, ran the nearest brig on board, and quickly carried her.

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So far the Rosario had acted alone, the Griffon, drives with all her exertions, not having yet arrived within 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, and drove the french brig on shore near St.-Aubin, under a very heavy fire from the batteries. Seeing no probability of the Griffon's being able to destroy the brig, captain Harvey, who was occupied in removing his prisoners and repairing the running rigging of the Rosario, signalled the Griffon to

attack the remaining nine brigs of the flotilla in the 1812. south-east, then anchoring close in-shore. In obe- March. 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.

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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 account of 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 reaches 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.

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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 shore 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,

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.

Apelles

French 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 alongBer- shore under jury-sails. At 9 A. M. the Bermuda muda- and Rinaldo closed with the brig, and, after a few

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broadsides, drove her on shore under a battery about two miles nearer to Etaples. As the tide was falling, captain Cunningham discontinued the attack, in consequence of the advantage which the French would have in placing their field-pieces and small-arm men close to the Apelles at low-water mark. Before the tide served to renew the attack, captain Cunningham was joined by the Castilian, also by the 14-gun brigsloop Phipps, captain Thomas Wells.

At 2 h. 30 m. P. M. the Bermuda, followed in line from of battle by the other brigs, stood in close under the the battery; each sloop, as she got abreast of the and the Apelles, pouring in her broadside. By these vigorbrig re ous means, the french troops who were on board the ed. Apelles were driven out of her. The boats of the

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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.

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

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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.

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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 louck sir William Bolton. In about an hour afterwards the from latter, who was to-leeward, exchanged numbers with mion the 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.

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Having thus effected their escape, the french fri- Comgates very soon commenced their depredations upon rious commerce; plundering and destroying, not only eng- deprelish 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.

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The vessel, which rear-admiral sir Harry Neale selected to cruise off the port of Lorient for the umberpurpose in view, was the 74-gun ship Northumber- discoland, captain the honourable Henry Hotham; and vers

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1812. certainly an officer, possessed of more zeal, ability, May. and local as well as general experience, could not have been chosen. On the 19th of May the Northumberchases land parted company from the Boyne and squadron off Ushant, and made sail for her destination. On the 22d, at 10 A. M., the north-west point of Isle Groix. Groix bearing north distant 10 miles, and the wind a

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very light breeze from west by north, the Northumberland discovered the three objects of her search in the north-west, crowding all sail before the wind for Lorient. Captain Hotham endeavoured to cut off the french squadron to-windward of the island, and signalled the british 12-gun brig Growler, lieutenant John Weeks, then about seven miles in the south-west, to chase; but, finding it impossible to accomplish that object, the Northumberland pushed, under all sail, round the south-east end of Groix, and, hauling to the wind close to-leeward of the island, was enabled to fetch to-windward of the harbour of Lorient before the french squadron could reach it.

Seeing himself thus cut off from his port, M. Le Foretier, at 2 h. 30 m. P.M., signalled his consorts to pass within hail, and then hauled up on the larboard tack to-windward of Pointe Taleet. Meanwhile the Northumberland, eager to close, continued beating to-windward between Groix and the continent, unavoidably exposed to the batteries on each side, when standing within their reach. At 2 h. 49 m. P. M., the wind considerably fresher than it had been and blowing about west-north-west, the Arienne, Andromaque, and Mamelouck, formed in close line ahead, bore up, under every sail, with the bold intention, favoured by the wind and covered by the numerous batteries along that part of the coast, to pass between the Northumberland and the shore.

The british 74 immediately stood in as close as she could to Pointe de Pierre-Laye, and there, with her head to the shore and main topsail shivering, took her station, ready to meet the frigates; but

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