. Sept. stant, who, with admirable skill and judgment, pushed 1810. his brig in between the rocks and shoals of St.-Guildas, and by a well-directed fire kept the enemy close within their holes and caves among the rocks.' In performing this service, the Constant became necessarily exposed to showers of grape, but a few of those shot through her sails and bulwark comprised the extent of the injury she received. the fri de and house. On the 6th, late in the night, the Surveillante Two of detached two boats, under the orders of master's gate's mate John Illingworth, assisted by midshipmen John boats Kingdom and Hector Rose, to destroy a new battery, stroy a of one long 24-pounder, and a guard-house having a battery small watchtower attached to it, protecting the guardnorth side of, and the entrance into, the river Crache, in which lay at anchor several coasters. Although the day had dawned before the British reached the spot, they first decoyed the guard from the battery, and then drove them from the beach. Mr. Illingworth and his little party then pushed for, and made themselves master of, the battery and guard-house. After they had spiked the gun, a quantity of powder, carried on shore for the purpose, was so well disposed of, that in a few minutes the whole building was level with the ground and in flames. Having thus effectually executed the service upon which he had been detached, Mr. Illingworth returned to the frigate without the slightest casualty. Neale es a party andma On the night of the 27th of September, the boats Capt. of the 120-gun ship Caledonia, captain Sir Harry detachNeale, 74-gun ship Valiant, captain Robert Dudley Oliver, and 38-gun frigate Armide, captain Richard of seaDalling Dunn, lying at anchor in Basque roads, were men detached under the orders of lieutenant Arthur Philip rines Hamilton, first of the Caledonia, to take or destroy to take three brigs lying under the protection of a strong stroy battery at Pointe du Ché; and, as the enemy had three been known to have strengthened his position with brigs. four field-pieces and a party of artillery stationed on a low point of the beach situated under the battery, or de french 1810. as well as by a strong detachment of cavalry and Sept. infantry in the adjoining village of Angoulin, a body of 130 marines commanded by captains Thomas Sherman and Archibald M'Lachlan, lieutenants John Coulter and John Couche, and lieutenant Robert John Little, of the marine artillery, were added to the division of seamen from the three ships. Ma rines At about 2 h. 30 m. A. M. on the 28th, the marines land, were landed under Pointe du Ché; but, notwithand standing the near approach of the boats before they battery were discovered, the alarm was given by the brigs, take a and an ineffectual fire was immediately opened from the enemy's guns. Lieutenant Little pushed forward with the bayonet to the assault, supported by captain M'Lachlan's division, and by a detachment under lieutenants Coulter and Couche, and quickly carried the battery and spiked the guns. At the same time captain Sherman, with his division of marines, took post on the main road by the sea side, with his front to the village, and one of the launches with an 18pounder carronade on his right. In a few minutes `a considerable body of men advanced from the village, but were checked in their approach by a warm fire from the marines and the launch. At this period the enemy had succeeded, under cover of the darkness, in bringing a field-piece to flank the line; but two of which the british picket immediately charged with the bayonet and took, putting the men stationed at and de- it to flight. In the mean time the seamen had effected stroy the capture of two of the brigs, and the destruction third. of the third. Sea men take the brigs the Severe of lieut. The marines were then reembarked without the wound loss of a man killed and only one private wounded, Little. except lieutenant Little at his first gallant charge. This officer, while struggling with a french soldier to get his musket from him, received the contents into his hand; which was so much shattered in consequence, as to render amputation necessary. The French had 14 men killed in defending the battery upon Pointe du Ché: what loss the party from the village sustained by the fire of captain Sher- 1810. man's division and the carronade in the launch could not be ascertained. Sept. naught search ship at the On the 7th of September the british 98-gun ship DreadDreadnaught, captain Valentine Collard, bearing the proflag of rear-admiral Thomas Sotheby, while cruising ceeds in off the coast of France, was informed by the 4-gun of a schooner Snapper, lieutenant William Jenkins, that a spanish ship was among the rocks on the west side of Ushant. anchor The Dreadnaught made sail to the eastward, and among about 6 P. M. on the 8th, on rounding the island, dis- rocksof covered the ship at anchor in a small creek, surrounded by rocks. Rear-admiral Sotheby determined to attempt cutting her out with his boats at daybreak on the following morning. To prevent suspicion, the Dreadnaught stood on until dark: she then bore up for the spot; and at 5 A. M. on the 9th, seven boats, well manned and armed, pushed off from her, under the orders of lieutenant Thomas Pettman. Ushant taches and capture No sooner had the boats approached within gun- Deshot of the shore, than they were received by a heavy her and destructive fire of musketry from a number of boats troops concealed among the rocks, and from two effects 4-pounder field-pieces on the beach. In the face of her reall this, the British pulled towards the ship, lying within half-pistol shot of the beach; and, exhilarated by the sight of the french troops, that had been stationed on board to defend her, hurrying over the side in the greatest confusion, boarded and carried her. Now came the most serious part of the enterprise. A body of french soldiers, supposed to be 600 in number, stationed on a precipice nearly over their heads, opened on the British in the ship and in the boats a tremendous fire; a fire to which no return could be made, except occasionally by the 18-pounder carronade in the launch. The consequence was that, in recapturing this spanish merchant ship, the Maria-Antonia, from the french privateer who had taken her, and now lay an apparently unconcerned spectator in another creek at about a Sept. 1810. mile distance, the British sustained the serious loss of one master's mate, (Henry B. Middleton,) one Heavy midshipman, (William Robinson,) two seamen, and loss two marines killed, two lieutenants, (Henry Elton tained and Stewart Blacker,) two midshipmen, (George by the Burt and Henry Dennis,) 18 seamen, and nine British marines wounded, and five seamen and one marine sus Briseis en gages and missing; total, six killed, 31 wounded, and six missing, or prisoners. Two of the boats had also drifted on shore during the action, and were taken possession of by the enemy. On the 14th of October, at noon, the british 10-gun brig-sloop Briseis, (eight 18-pounder carronades and two sixes, with 75 men and boys,) acting-commander lieutenant George Bentham, cruising about 80 miles Sans- west by south of Horn reef, in the North sea, fell in Souci, with the french privateer-schooner Sans-Souci, of captures Calliope decoys a Amsterdam, mounting ten 12-pounder carronades and four long 2-pounders, with a complement of 55 men, commanded by Jules Jacobs. After an anxious chase of eight hours, the Briseis succeeded in bringing the schooner to action, which the latter maintained, in the most determined manner, for one hour; the two vessels touching each other the greater part of the time, and during which the privateer's men made three vain attempts to board the british brig. The Sans-Souci then struck her colours, with the loss of eight men killed and 19 wounded; and the Briseis sustained a loss of one master's mate, (Alexander Gunn,) her captain's clerk, (James Davidson,) and two seamen killed, and eight seamen and three marines badly wounded: a proof that the privateer was fought with skill as well as with resolution. On the 25th of October, at 7 A. M., in latitude 54° 47′ north, and longitude 2° 45′ east, the british priva- 10-gun brig-sloop Calliope, (same force as Briseis,) chase. captain John M'Kerlie, discovered a schooner in the teer in south-east under easy sail standing towards her. As the vessel, evidently a privateer, appeared to take the Calliope for a merchant brig, captain Oct. M'Kerlie thought it prudent not to set any addi- 1810. tional sail until the stranger found out her mistake. At 8 h. 30 m. A. M.; when about three miles off, the privateer made the discovery, and instantly bore up and crowded sail to escape. gages tures tesse The Calliope was quickly in chase, and at 10 h.30m. EuA. M. began an occasional fire from her bow-chasers. and At 11 A. M. she got near enough to fire musketry; capbut the Calliope could not bring her great guns to Combear, as the schooner kept on her lee bow. At 11 h. d'Ham30 m. A. M. the brig got far enough advanced to open bourg. a fire of round and grape. At noon the schooner lost her mainmast by the board; and, in a minute or two afterwards, having had the sails and rigging on the foremast cut to pieces, her captain hailed that he struck. The prize proved to be the Comtesse d'Hambourg of 14 guns, eight of them 12-pounder carronades, and six described as 8-pounders, with a crew of 51 men. Of these, doubtless, several must have been killed and wounded; but the official account notices no other loss than that of the Calliope, which consisted of only three men wounded, two of them slightly. en gages cap Garou. On the 27th of October, at daylight, latitude 48° Orestes 30 north, longitude 8° 56′ west, the british 16-gun brig-sloop Orestes, (14 carronades, 24-pounders, and and two sixes, with 95 men and boys,) captain John tures Richard Lapenotiere, fell in with, and after an hour's Loupchase overtook, the french brig-privateer LoupGarou, of 16 guns (6-pounders probably) and 100 men and boys. After about half an hour's close action, the privateer hauled down her colours, with the loss of four men wounded, two of them dangerously. The Orestes suffered no damage of consequence, and had not a man of her crew hurt. detach after a On the 8th of November, in the evening, as the Quebec british 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Quebec, captain es three Charles Sibthorpe John Hawtayne, was running past boats the Vlie and Schelling, to resume her station before privathe Texel, a very fine french privateer-schooner was teerobserved at anchor within the Vlie stroom. Lieutenant ner. schoo |