Boards 1812. Fearing the lugger might succeed and thereby effect her escape, lieutenant Warrand gallantly ran July. the Ville-de-Caen on board, between her fore and and main chains. A close and furious engagement now the commenced, both with great guns and musketry, the Ville- privateer's men using a profusion of hand grenades Caen. to set the schooner on fire: instead of which, how carries de Loss on each side. Capt. squa ever, the lugger set herself on fire. Seeing this, Mr. James Beaver, the Sealark's acting master, at the head of a few men, sprang on board, and almost instantly carried, the Ville-de-Caen, after an action, nearly the whole time sides touching, of one hour and 30 minutes. The Sealark had her captain's clerk, (John Purnel,) five seamen, and one marine killed, her commander, one midshipman, (Alexander Gunn,) 17 seamen, and three marines wounded: a very serious loss, it must be owned, especially as several of the wounds were dangerous. The loss on the part of the Ville-deCaen amounted to her captain and 14 men found dead on her deck, and 16 wounded, most of them severely. The gallantry of this little action obtained for the Sealark's commander that reward, the prospect of which is a never-failing stimulant to deeds of valour, promotion. The case of captain Palmer of the Alacrity* may seem to militate against this principle; but, if we are rightly informed, and we see no reason to doubt our authority, he had his postcaptain's appointment in his pocket when he beganthe action with the Abeille. On the 6th of July, in the evening, as the british chases 64-gun ship Dictator, captain James Patteson Stewart, danish accompanied by the brig-sloops Calypso, 18, captain dron Henry Weir, and Podargus, 14, captain William into the Robilliard, and gun-brig Flamer, lieutenant Thomas of England, was off Mardoe on the Norway coast, the Lyngoe mast-heads of several vessels were seen over the rocks, known to be a danish squadron, consisting of creek * See vol. v. p. 535. the new 40-gun frigate Nayaden, carrying 24-pounders 1812. on the main deck, and 48 guns in all, and the 18-gun July. brigs Laaland, Samsoe, and Kiel. Having a man on board the Podargus acquainted with the place, captain Robilliard volunteered to lead in after the enemy; but the Podargus unfortunately took the ground, just as she had entered the passage. Leaving the Flamer to attend her, captain Stewart stood on with the 64 and the remaining brig. By 7 h. 30 m. P.M. the two vessels, the Calypso leading, had arrived within a mile of the danish frigate and her consorts, then running, under a press of sail, inside the rocks. Shortly afterwards the engagement began between the danish squadron and several gun-boats on one side, and the Dictator and Calypso, which latter, having grounded for a short time, was now astern of her consort, on the other. At 9 h. 30 m. P. M., after having run 12 miles through a passage, in some places scarcely wide enough to admit the Dictator's studding-sail booms to be out, Captain Stewart had the satisfaction to run his ship with her bow upon the shore, and her broadside bearing, within hailing distance, upon the danish frigate and three brigs, all of whom had anchored close together, with springs on their cables, in the small creek of Lyngoe. tacks con drives shore, The Calypso closely followed the Dictator; and such Atwas the well-directed fire opened from the two british Nayavessels, especially from the 64, that the Nayaden, den and according to the british official account, was "lite- sorts rally battered to atoms," the three brigs compelled and to haul down their colours, and such of the gun-boats, them as were not sunk, to seek their safety in flight. on Scarcely had the action ended, and the Dictator got &c. afloat, than the gun-boats rallied; but the latter were so warmly attacked by the Calypso, that they soon ceased their annoyance. Meanwhile the Podargus and Flamer, which latter had also grounded, were warmly engaged with the shore-batteries and another division of gun-boats. At length, by the indefatigable exertions of their respective officers and crews, Loss on each side. 1812. both the Podargus and Flamer got afloat, very much cut July. up. At 3 A. M. on the 7th the Dictator, Calypso, and the two prize-brigs, the Laaland, commanded by lieutenant James Wilkie of the Dictator, and the Kiel, by lieutenant Benjamin Hooper of the Calypso, in attempting to get through the passages, were assailed by a division of gun-boats from behind the rocks, so situated that not a gun could be brought to bear upon them from either vessel. In this attack, both prize-brigs, already complete wrecks, grounded; and, notwithstanding every exertion on the part of the lieutenants and men placed in them, they were obliged to be abandoned: that, too, without being set on fire, owing to the wounded men of their crews remaining on board. In this very bold and well-conducted enterprise, the British sustained a loss as follows: Dictator, three seamen, one marine, and one boy killed, one midshipman, (John Sackett Hooper,) one captain's clerk, (Thomas Farmer,) 16 seamen, two boys, and four marines wounded; Podargus, her purser, (George Garratt,) one first-class volunteer,(Thomas Robilliard,) and six seamen and one marine wounded; Calypso, one seaman and two marines killed, one seaman wounded, and two missing; and Flamer, one seaman killed, and one midshipman (James Powell) wounded; total, nine killed, 35 wounded, and two missing. The Danes acknowledged a loss, in killed and wounded together, of 300 officers and men. For their gallant conduct on this occasion, captain Weir was immediately, and captain Robilliard in the ensuing December, promoted to post-rank, and the Dictator's first lieutenant, William Buchanan, was made a commander. Briseis disco vers a mer chant On the 19th of June the british 10-gun brig-sloop Briseis, captain John Ross, by the orders of rearadmiral Thomas Byam Martin, stood into Pillau ship in roads in the Baltic, to communicate with the british merchant ship Urania, and found that she was in possession of the french troops, and that they intended to destroy her if the Briseis approached. Captain Pillau roads. Ross accordingly tacked and stood off, and at mid- 1812. night detached the pinnace, under the command of July. lieutenant Thomas Jones, the 2d, with midshipman William Palmer and 18 men, to endeavour to recapture the ship. pin lieut. lantly The instant she got within gun-shot of the ship, Her the pinnace was fired at by the French on board, nace who had six carriage-guns and four swivels mounted. under But every ob acle was overcome by the gallantry Jones of lieutenant Jones and his small party; who gave gal three cheers, boarded over the small-craft that were boards alongside, and drove the french troops off the decks and brings into their boats which were on the opposite side. her out. The cable was then cut, and the Urania was brought out, together with a french scout that had been employed in unlading her. In executing this dashing service, the British had one seaman killed, and Mr. Palmer and one seaman slightly wounded. Clinch detach es three boats On the 16th of July captain Timothy Clinch, of the Capt. 18-gun ship-sloop Osprey, cruising in company with of the the 10-gun brig-sloops Britomart and Leveret, cap- Osprey tains William Buckly Hunt and George Wickens Willes, detached a boat from each, under the respec- after a tive commands of lieutenants William Henry Dixon privaof the Britomart, William Malone (2) of the Osprey and Francis Darby Romney of the Leveret, in chase of a french lugger privateer about nine leagues to the north-west of the island of Heligoland. teer. ing the At 1 h. 30 m. P. M., when the three boats were about Leadfive leagues off, the lugger came to an anchor; but, boat shortly afterwards, on perceiving the boats, she got fires at under way and made sail. Lieutenant Dixon then french cheered the boats, and sallied on until 3h. 30 m. P.M.; lugger. when the Britomart's boat, being ahead, opened her fire, at about musket-shot distance, and received from the lugger, after she had hoisted french colours, a fire in return, which wounded one man. The Osprey's boat then closed; but lieutenant Dixon considered the lugger too powerful to be attempted without the aid of the Leveret's boat, then about half a mile 1812. distant. As soon as the latter came abreast of July. the two remaining boats, it was arranged that the Britomart's boat should attack the larboard, the Leveret's the starboard side, and the Osprey's the stern, of the french lugger. Lieuts. The British then cheered and prepared for boardand ing. At this moment the oars of the Leveret's boat Malone got foul of the Britomart's boat, and occasioned Tantly the former to drop astern. Lieuteronts Dixon and board Malone now grappled the lugger's stern, and, after and a 10 minutes' obstinate struggle, made good their gal carry her. boarding. But it was not until after a 10 minutes' further resistance on the lugger's deck, that her colours were hauled down. Even then the french crew continued firing pistols up the hatchway, and wounded one or two of the British. These at length silenced the enemy's fire, and hoisted the_english ensign. The lugger proved to be the Eole, of Dunkerque, pierced for 14 guns, but having only six mounted, with a crew on board of 31 officers and Their men. In this very spirited enterprise, the British loss on sustained a loss, in the two boats that made the casion. attack, of two secmen killed, lieutenant Dixon (slightly) and 11 men wounded. the oc es her Horatio On the 1st of August, as the british 38-gun frigate detach- Horatio, captain lord George Stuart, was in latiboats tude 70° 40′′ north, running down the coast of danish Norway, a small sail was seen from the mast-head cutter. close in with the land; and which, just before she after a disappeared among the rocks, was discovered to be an armed cutter. Considering it an object of some importance to attempt the destruction of the enemy's cruisers in this quarter, lord George despatched the barge and three cutters of the Horatio, with about 80 officers and men, commanded by lieutenant Abraham Mills Hawkins, assisted by lieutenant Thomas James Poole Masters, and lieutenant of marines George Syder, to execute the service. Gaining information on shore, that the cutter had gone to a village on an arm of the sea about 35 miles distant over land, |