which we are restricted. The difference in the time, 1808. and the rate at which the ships may be supposed to Nov. have been sailing, will show the impractibility of an adherence to truth in this unessential point.

of Tri

It was not until 45 minutes past midnight, after several prisoners had been received by the Amethyst, that her cable was cut and the Thétis disentangled. In five minutes afterwards the fore and main masts of the Thétis went over the side. At Arrival 1 h. 15 m. A. M. on the 11th a light was observed in umph the north-east, and the Triumph soon came up under Shana press of sail. In about another quarter of an hour non. the 38-gun frigate Shannon, captain Philip Bowes Vere Broke, joined from the westward, and, after receiving on board several prisoners, took the prize, now wholly dismasted, in tow.

and

&c. on

side.

The Amethyst had her rigging and sails cut to Dapieces, and, besides the fall of her mizenmast, had her agen fore and main masts greatly injured. She had also three each feet and a half water in the hold from the number of shot-holes in her hull. Her loss, out of a crew of 261 men and boys, amounted to one second lieutenant of marines, (Bernard Kindall,) 10 seamen, and eight marines killed, and one first lieutenant of marines, .(Samuel John Payne, dangerously,) one master's mate, (Richard Gibbings, mortally,) one midshipman, (Lawford Miles, severely,) her boatswain, (Leonard

1808. Taylor,) captain's clerk, (Thomas Gilson,) 32 seamen, Nov. 12 marines, and two boys wounded; total, 19 killed and 51 wounded. The Thétis was dreadfully shattered as well as dismasted; and, out of a crew, including 106 french soldiers, of 436 men and boys, had her captain, and 134 officers, seamen, and soldiers killed, and 102 wounded.

Re

marks

re

lative

Here stands another frigate action, in which the on the comparative statement, in every line of figures on the french side, exhibits a superiority of force, parforce. ticularly in crew. There is, however, a circumstance or two, which, fairly considered, will be allowed to bring the odds a little nearer to an equality. The object of the Thétis, from the first, was to gain her destination, not to fight; and even, had it been otherwise, an exchange of night-signals at the commencement of the chase must have informed her, that a friend to her antagonist, and consequently a foe to her, was not many miles distant. Still the Thétis fought manfully, and did not surrender till every hope had fled.

The crew of the Amethyst, in the heavy loss and damage they inflicted upon the Thétis, proved the high state of discipline to which they had been brought by their commander and his officers. If any thing can add to the merits of captain Seymour on the occasion, it is the modesty of his published account, and the handsome eulogium he pays to the gallantry of lieutenant Joseph Dedé, the surviving commander of the Thétis; who, he says, acted with singular firmness, and was the only Frenchman on the quarterdeck when the British boarded.

Unfortunately lieutenant Dedé lost the esteem of

french

his generous captor, by uniting with the two officers 1808. who were next to himself in command on board the Nov. Thétis, in swearing before the prize-court, by way Deposi of making the thing go down better with the french tions of government, that the Thétis was captured by a 74 officers and two frigates. This is easily disproved. When the Thétis had been, not only taken possession of by, but cut clear from, the Amethyst, the appearance of a large ship, coming down under a press of sail from the eastward, occasioned captain Seymour to ask lieutenant Dedé, if he had previously seen any ship, or expected any other to sail from Lorient. The lieutenant answered decidedly, that he had seen no ship, and did not know that any was to sail that night. But a more satisfactory refutation of the sworn assertion of the french officers is contained in the following extract from a letter written by an officer on board the Triumph, and published at or about the same time as captain Seymour's official letter. "At 12 they ceased firing, and at 1 A. M. we saw the two ships close to us." And the Shannon, it is admitted, did not join until a quarter of an hour or 20 minutes after the Triumph.

Soon after the return of the Amethyst to port, her first lieutenant, Mr. Goddard Blennerhasset, was promoted to the rank of commander. Captain Seymour, in his official letter, speaks also in high terms of his second and third lieutenants, William Hill and Edward Thomas Crouch; as well as of the master of the Amethyst, Mr. Robert Fair. The prize was purchased for the british navy, and, under the name of Brune, (a Thetis being already in the service,) was subsequently added, as a cruising frigate, to the large class of 38s.

frigates

Cher

...On the 12th of November the three new french40-gun French frigates Vénus, commodore Jacques-Félix-Emmanuel sail Hamelin, Junon, captain Jean-Baptiste-Augustin from Rousseau, and Amphitrite, with whose captain's name bourg we are unacquainted, accompanied by the brig-cor- for vettes Cigne and Papillon and two armed schooners, Indies: put to sea from the road of Cherbourg; the Vénus

West

1808. bound to the Isle of France, and the remaining two Nov. frigates and smaller vessels to Martinique and GuaCigne deloupe, with ordnance stores and provisions.

and

two

anchor

Just as this squadron reached the Antilles a sepaschoo- ration, either by accident or design, appears to have ners at taken place. At all events the Cigne, and the two off schooners, at 11 A. M. on the 12th of December, were Pearl discovered at anchor off the Pearl rock, by the gunMarti- brig Morne-Fortunée, lieutenant John Brown; who nique. immediately made a signal to that effect to captain

rock

and

drive

one

Francis Augustus Collier, of the 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Circe, the commodore of a small british squadron stationed between that rock and the town of St.-Pierre.

Immediately the Circe, accompanied by the 18gun ship-sloop Stork, captain George Le Geyt, 16-gun brig-sloop Epervier, captain Thomas Tudor Tucker, and advice-schooner Express, lieutenant William Dowers, made sail towards St.-Pierre's; Circe which one of the french schooners was endeavouring squa- to reach, by being towed alongshore under cover of dron a body of troops on the beach. Finding it impossible, owing to the near approach of the Stork, to schoo. get between the port of St. Pierre and the Circe, shore. the schooner ran on shore under a battery of four guns, flanked by two smaller ones, and defended also by the troops that had accompanied her from her anchorage at the Pearl. Immediately the Circe, followed by the Stork and Morne-Fortunée, stood in to attack the batteries; and, engaging them within pistol-shot, soon silenced the two smaller batteries and drove the troops from the beach.

ner on

Attack

and

Observing at this time, that the french brig and Cigue the schooner in her company were unlading, captain batte- Collier directed the Morne-Fortunée to watch the mories. tions of the schooner on shore, and to give similar

orders to the Epervier on her coming up; and then, with the Circe, Stork, and Express, he made sail towards the Cigne and her consort, now lying well to-windward, close to the rocks, and under the protection of four batteries and a considerable number

Nov.

of troops, with field-pieces, assembled on the beach. 1808. Having manned her barge and two cutters, with 68 officers and men, under the command of lieutenant Charles Henry Crooke, Mr. William Collman the purser, and Mr. William Smith the master, and directed lieutenant Crooke to lie off until the french brig's fire slackened, the Circe, followed by the Stork and Express, stood in and opened a close and well-directed fire upon the brig, the batteries, and the troops on the beach.

cessful

As soon as the Circe and Stork, which latter ship Unsuchad manned her boats to assist those of the former, boathad run past the batteries and brig, lieutenant Crooke, attack. without waiting for the Stork's boats, dashed on, in the most gallant manner, and boarded the Cigne. It happened in this instance, that gallantry did not meet its accustomed reward. The three boats were defeated with dreadful slaughter. One boat was taken, another sunk, and the third entirely disabled; and, out of the 68 men detached from her, the Circe lost nine killed, 21 wounded, and 26 missing: total 56, including, among the badly wounded, lieutenant Crooke, in four places, and Mr. Collman the purser. It being, when the issue of this unfortunate business was known, quite dark, the Circe stood off from the shore; leaving the 18-gun brig-sloop Amaranthe, captain Edward Pelham Brenton, who had just joined company, to watch the Cigne during the night.

ranthe

on

At daylight on the 13th the french brig got under Amaway, and, aided by her sweeps and boats, stood drives alongshore for St.-Pierre's. Captain Brenton, hav- Cigne ing in the handsomest manner volunteered to bring shore. out the Cigne, the Amaranthe, towed by the boats of the Circe and Stork, used her utmost endeavours to close with her. At 10 A. M. the Cigne grounded near several batteries to the northward of St.-Pierre's: whereupon the british brig tacked and worked in, under a heavy fire from the french brig, and particularly from the batteries, by which the Amaranthe had one man killed and five wounded. The Circe