1809. blame in the wrong quarter. A publisher is seldom May. very scrupulous on these points; but a british officer, although liable to be charged with every printed

mistatement relating to his own action, is too honourable to countenance such barefaced cheatery. Gold- On the 17th of May, at noon, latitude 44° 6' north, chases longitude 11° 20′ west, the british 10-gun brig-sloop and en- Goldfinch, (eight 18-pounder carronades and two Mouche Sixes, with 75 men and boys,) captain Fitzherbert

finch

gages

George Skinner, standing close hauled on the larboard tack with the wind from the north-east by north, discovered and chased a ship directly to-windward. This ship was the french corvette Mouche, of 16 long brass 8-pounders and 180 men and boys, commanded by lieutenant de vaisseau Antoine Allègre; and, although of so decided a superiority of force, M. Allègre suffered himself to be chased all the afternoon and night, and until 3 A. M. on the 18th, when the Goldfinch gallantly brought the Mouche to action. The two vessels continued to engage on opposite tacks, but at too great a distance for the contest brig's carronades to produce their proper effect, until 7 A. M.; when the corvette, with the head of her fore topmast shot away, made off to-windward, leaving the Goldfinch with the loss of three men killed and three severely wounded, and her masts, rigging, and sails a good deal cut up.

Mouche

abandons the

Exchanges

a fire with

BlackJoke.

On the 21st, off the north coast of Spain, the Mouche fell in with the british hired armed lugger Black-Joke, lieutenant Moses Cannadey, and, after exchanging broadsides with her, stood away for the harbour of San-Andero. Here the Mouche, along with a french gun-brig and schooner, was found and Is cap- captured, on the 10th of June, by the british 38-gun tured frigates Amelia, captain the honourable Frederick Andero Paul Irby, and Statira, captain Charles Worsley

at St.

Boys; who had arrived off that port to cooperate with the spanish patriots under general Ballesteros in expelling the French from their territory.

On the 23d of April, while the british 38-gun

con

sorts

Pesaro.

frigate Spartan, captain Jahleel Brenton, 18-pounder 1809. 32-gun frigate Amphion, captain William Hoste, April. and 28-gun frigate Mercury, captain the honourable SparHenry Duncan, were cruising off the town of Pesaro, tan and in the gulf of Venice, a number of vessels were observed to be lying in the mole. Deeming it prac- anchor ticable to take possession of these, captain Brenton off anchored his three frigates, with springs on their cables, within half a mile of the town; and, having placed the boats of the squadron under the orders of lieutenant George Wickens Willes, first of the Spartan, and formed them into two divisions, he directed the first division, composed of the launches with their carronades, and other boats carrying field-pieces, and commanded by lieutenant Charles George Rodney Phillott, first of the Amphion, to take a station to the northward, and the second division, composed of rocket-boats, and commanded by lieutenant William Augustus Baumgardt of the Spartan, to the southward, of the town.

surren

vessels

in port.

As soon as these arrangements were made, cap- Detain Brenton sent a flag of truce on shore, to demand mand the surrender of all the vessels; adding, that should der of any resistance be offered, the governor must be answerable for the consequences. At 11 h. 30 m. A. M. the officer returned to the Spartan, with a message from the commandant of Pesaro, stating that, in half an hour, the english commodore should have an' answer. At the end of 35 minutes, observing no flag of truce flying on shore, but that troops were assembling in the streets and on the quays, and the inhabitants employed in dismantling the vessels, captain Brenton hauled down the flag of truce, and fired one shot over the town to give warning to the women and children.

On re

fusal

town

Shortly afterwards the three frigates and the gun attack and mortar boats, by signal from the Spartan, opened the their fire upon the town. At 32 minutes past noon, and observing several flags of truce hung out, captain carry Brenton made the signal to cease firing. Lieutenant vessels,

off the

1809. Willes then pulled into the harbour; where he was informed that the commandant had made his escape with all the military. Considering the place now as surrendered at discretion, captain Brenton sent all the boats in to bring out the vessels, and landed the marines under lieutenant Thomas Moore, of that corps, to protect them. By 6 h. 30 m. P. M., 13 vessels, deeply laden, were brought off. Several others had been scuttled by the inhabitants and sunk, and some were aground. At 7 P. M. the castle at the entrance of the harbour was blown up, under the direction of lieutenant Willes, and the British returned to their ships without a casualty. Nor was it known that any lives had been lost in the town, except one man, who, from not attending to the warning given him, was buried in the ruins of the castle. Spar- On the 2d of May the Spartan and Mercury (the Mer- Amphion having then been detached) chased two cury at vessels into the port of Cesenatico, the entrance of natico. which is very narrow, and was defended by a battery

tan and

Cese

town

and

take out

of two 24-pounders and a castle. Observing that several other vessels were lying in the harbour, captain Brenton determined to take possession of the whole of them. The coast is so shoal, that the two frigates had only four fathoms considerably out of gun-shot of the town. On this account the boats were detached ahead and on each bow, to lead in, with directions to make a signal when in three fathoms.

Anchor In this manner the two frigates, by noon, were off the enabled to anchor in a quarter three fathom's within grape-range of the battery. The latter was very soon silenced; and the boats, under the orders of lieuvessels. tenant Willes, pushed in and took possession of it, turning the guns upon the castle and town, which were very soon deserted. The British captured on this occasion 12 vessels, some laden with corn for Venice, and others in ballast. The latter were filled with hemp and iron out of the magazines for those articles on the quay, and a vessel which had

been scuttled was burnt. The castle and magazine 1809. were then blown up, the battery destroyed, and the May. guns spiked; and the British returned to their ships without having a single man wounded, although much exposed to the fire of the battery and of musketry. Nor was any damage done to the ships, although, in consequence of the zeal of captain Duncan to get close to the enemy, the Mercury was for a short time aground.

chases

Cape

On the 14th of June, in the morning, the british Scout 18-gun brig-sloop Scout, captain William Raitt, a condiscovering a convoy of 14 or 15 sail of vessels, voy off under the protection of two gun-boats, coming round CroiCape Croisette, made all sail in chase; but, about sette. 1 P. M., it falling calm, and the convoy being a good deal dispersed, captain Raitt despatched his boats under the orders of lieutenant Henry Robert Battersby. On seeing this, seven sail pushed for a harbour about three leagues to the eastward of the cape, into which the boats proceeded under a heavy and well-directed fire of grape and musketry.

Lieut.

Bat

and

out

Lieutenant Battersby, with a part of his men, Lien landed, and attacked the enemy, who were numerous tersby among the rocks: he then stormed and carried the lands battery, mounting two 6-pounders in embrasures. brings These were spiked; and, the boats with lieutenant vessels, John Farrant, Mr. John Batten the master, and mas- &c. ter's mate Granville Thompson, having in the mean time pulled up the harbour, the seven vessels were brought out; although, for their better security, they had been made fast with ropes from the shore to their mast-heads and keels. In the execution of this service, the British sustained a loss of one man killed and five wounded.

at

On the 14th of July lieutenant Battersby, at the Again head of a detachment of the Scout's seamen and Carri. marines, attacked a strong battery which commanded the port of Carri, between Marseille and the Rhone; carried the fort without any loss, spiked the guns, killed five of the enemy, and made seven prisoners.

1809. For his gallantry on this and other occasions, March. lieutenant Battersby, in the succeeding September, was promoted to the rank of commander.

and

fall in

two

french

Topaze On the 12th of March, at 6 h. 30 m. A. M., the King- island of Anti-Paxo in the Adriatic bearing about fisher north distant six or seven leagues, the british 12with pounder 36-gun frigate Topaze, captain Anselm John Griffiths, standing close hauled on the starboard frigates tack with a light breeze from the south-south-east, in company with the 18-gun ship-sloop Kingfisher, captain Ewell Tritton, discovered, and immediately bore up for, two strange frigates in the east-northeast. These were the french 40-gun frigates Danaé and Flore. At 6 h. 40 m. A. M., mistaking, we suppose, the Kingfisher for a larger vessel than she was, the two frigates made all sail north by east. At 10 A. M. they were hull down from the Topaze in the east-north-east, and the Kingfisher was in the south-west, between four and five miles off, under all sail in light airs, trying her utmost to close. At 11 A. M. the two frigates made sundry signals, and tacked off shore a little to the southward of Pargos. The Topaze then stood within three miles of the strangers, tacked, and hove to; the Kingfisher at this time eight or nine miles astern, still under all sail and sweeping. The Danaé and Flore then wore and stood in shore again, Anti-Paxo at noon bearing from the Topaze west-north-west distant four or five miles.

Topaze

en

At 20 minutes past noon the Topaze, with the gages wind now from the north-north-west, wore and again them. made all sail after the two strangers, evidently fri

gates mounting from 44 to 48 guns each. At 1 P. M. the Danaé and Flore, who were now to-windward, passed within hail of each other, and tacked off the main land. At 2 h. 10 m. P. M. they hoisted french colours, and one of them a broad pendant. In five minutes more the Topaze hoisted her colours and fired a shot at the headmost ship, which the latter returned; and the two frigates exchanged