Gets the vessel. 1910. down upon the bow of the Rinaldo, apparently with the intention to board, keeping up as she advanced a Dec. constant fire of musketry. The brig immediately foul of hauled off from the disabled privateer and attacked Owers the other; who, running within the light, lowered light- down her sails and called also for quarter. In wearing round and manning her boats, to assist the one and take possession of the other lugger, the Rinaldo was carried by the calm and strong ebb-tide on board the Owers light-vessel, and became so entangled with the latter that it was not deemed prudent to send away her boats; especially as, by this time, the two other luggers had come up and were beginning to fire into the brig. Three luggers off, and one While the Rinaldo was using every exertion to of the get clear, the second lugger that had struck ran up make to the first one; and in a minute or two afterwards, finding that her consort was in the act of sinking, she sinks. made all sail to the french coast. The two remaining luggers made off about the same time, having received several shot from the Rinaldo as she lay alongside the light-vessel. It was afterwards ascertained, that these four privateers, three of which mounted 14 guns, with 70 men each, belonged to Dieppe; and, from the Vieille-Josephine, of 16 guns, the one which sank, the captain and two men were all that were saved out of a crew of 80. The Ays boom-mainsail and two topsails of the Rinaldo were completely riddled, and a number of musket-shot were found among the hammocks, but fortunately no one on board was hurt. In this little affair both seamanship and gallantry shone conspicuously; and captain Anderson, and the officers and crew of the Rinaldo, were entitled to great credit for their performance. Capt. On the 4th of April, at 1 P. M., the british 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Success, captain John sends Ayscough, and 18-gun brig-sloop Espoir, captain boats, Robert Mitford, while running along the coast of two Calabria, abreast of Castiglione, discovered three 1810. vessels on the beach and men loading them. April. Considering the destruction of these vessels an object to deworth attempting, captain Ayscough despatched on stroy that service the boats of the Success and Espoir, under vessels. the orders of lieutenant George Rose Sartorius, third of the frigate, assisted by lieutenant Robert Oliver, of the Espoir, and master's mates George Lewis Coates and Richard Peace. Sarto takes and Just as the British had arrived within musket-shot Lieut. of the shore, three of the boats struck on a sunken rius reef and swamped; whereby two of the Espoir's lands seamen were drowned, and the ammunition of all in guns, the three boats was wetted and spoiled. The officers sets and men swam to the beach with their cutlasses in vessels on fire, their mouths. At this moment a fire was opened upon them from two long 6-pounders and four wallpieces; which, having been secreted behind the rocks, were not perceived till the boats grounded. Regardless of this, lieutenant Sartorius and his party rushed on, and obliged the enemy to desert the guns and retreat to some adjacent houses; from the windows of which, until dislodged and driven to the mountains, the enemy maintained a fire of musketry. The British then spiked the two 6-pounders, and. destroyed their carriages; and, having set fire to two laden vessels, already stove, and recovered their three swamped boats, the party returned on board with no greater additional loss than two marines wounded. tan and vessels On the 25th of April, at 10 A. M., the british Spar38-gun frigate Spartan, captain Jahleel Brenton, squaaccompanied by the frigate Success, and brig-discosloop Espoir, being off Monte Circello, discovered ver one ship, three barks, and several feluccas, at an- in Terchor under the castle of Terrecino. The two frigates recino. and brig immediately made all sail; and, on arriving off the town, captain Brenton detached the boats of the squadron, under the orders of lieutenant William 1810. Augustus Baumgardt of the Spartan, assisted by lieutenant George Rose Sartorius of the Success, Boats to endeavour to bring the vessels out. April. under lieut. attack and them out. At about 30 minutes past noon the boats pulled Baum- for the shore, covered by the ships; and captain gardt Mitford, with great energy and judgment, ran in with the Espoir and sounded under the batteries. bring Shortly afterwards the two british frigates and brig came to an anchor, and began cannonading the shore and the batteries. In the mean time lieutenant Baumgardt, with the boats, pulled into the road, and, in the face of a heavy fire, gallantly boarded the ship; which mounted six guns, and was defended · for some time by her crew. At length the latter abandoned her to the British; who also took possession of the three barks, and brought off their four prizes with no greater loss than one seaman killed and two wounded. tan and Cérès con sorts • SparOn the 1st of May, having detached the Espoir, Success captain Brenton was cruising with the Spartan and chase Success; when, at 5h. 40 m. P. M., the south-west and point of the island of Ischia bearing south-east distant three miles, two ships, a brig, and a cutter into were discovered in the bay of Naples. These were Naples. the french frigate Cérès and corvette Fama, the Cyane's old opponents,* along with the armed brig Sparvière and cutter Achille. The two british frigates immediately bore up and crowded sail in pursuit, with the wind from the south-west; and at 7 P. M. the french squadron put about and made all sail for Naples, chased nearly into the mole by the Spartan and Success. Capt. taches and On the 2d, at daylight, the Cérès and her consorts ton de were seen at anchor. The two british frigates then Success stood out towards the entrance of the bay; and cruises captain Brenton, feeling satisfied that the french alone commodore would not put to sea while two british Naples, frigates were cruising off the port, detached the * See p. 253. off Success, that evening, to the Spartan's rendezvous, 1810. from five to ten leagues south-west of the island of May. Capri. The Spartan then stood back into the bay, with the intention, by daylight the next morning, of showing herself off the mole of Naples, in the hope to induce the french squadron to sail out and attack her. But prince Murat had formed a bolder design than captain Brenton gave him credit for. Having caused to be embarked in the frigate and corvette, 400 swiss troops, and directed seven large gun-boats, with one long french 18-pounder each, to accompany the squadron, the prince ordered the commodore to get under way at daylight, and attack, and endeavour to board, the two british frigates, thus hovering about the bay and cutting off all commerce with the capital: and con sail out lative On the 3d, at 4 h. 30 m. A. м, profiting by a light Cérès air which had just sprung up from the southeast, the Spartan stood into the bay of Naples on sorts the starboard tack, under plain sails and rather off of the the wind. At 5 A. M., when about midway between mole. Cape Misano and the island of Capri, the Spartan discovered the french 'squadron, distant six miles right ahead, standing out from the mole of Naples on the larboard tack. The force, thus advancing to attack a single british frigate, consisted of the Cérès, Rean 18-pounder frigate mounting 42 or 44 guns, with force of a crew of from 320 to 350 men, a large corvette, Sparthe Fama, mounting 28 guns, either 8 or 12 pounders, french with a crew of more than 220 men, a brig, the Spar- squavière, mounting eight guns with 98 men, a cutter, the Achille, mounting 10 guns with 80 men, and at least seven gun-boats, of one long french 18pounder and 40 men each. The swiss troops, it appears, were in addition to the complements of the vessels: consequently, there were 95 guns, and about 1400 men, opposed to 46 guns and 258 men. At 7 A. M. the Cérès, followed in line of battle by * British official account says, six;" and Spartan's log," seven.' اور 66 eight;" french account, tan and dron. The two parties 1810. the Fama and Sparvière, hauled up, as if desirous May. to get to-windward of the british frigate; but the Spartan frustrated that intention, by setting her courses and hauling up too. In a few minutes, ad- finding his object defeated, the french commodore vance again steered with the wind a-beam; and at 7 h. 45 m., attack brailing up her courses, the Spartan did the same. In this way the two parties were mutually approximating from opposite points of the compass. to the com mences Action At 7 h. 58 m. A. M., being within pistol-shot on the larboard or lee bow of the british frigate, the Cérès opened a fire from her larboard guns in quick succession. The Spartan "reserved her fire until every gun was covered by her opponent, and then returned a most destructive broadside, treble-shotted on the main deck. The carnage on board the Cérès was very great, particularly amongst the swiss troops, which were drawn up in ranks, and extended from the cat-head to the taffrail, in readiness for boarding."* The Spartan then engaged in succession the Fama and Sparvière; and, as neither party was going at a faster rate through the water than from two to three knots an hour, the british frigate was enabled to discharge a broadside at each. Spar- Since the commencement of the firing, the cutter tan and gun-boats had hauled to the south-east. In the order to cut off these from their consorts, the boats. Spartan now kept her luff; and at 8 h. 13 m. A. M., having fired at the small-craft with her foremost starboard guns, the frigate hove in stays, and, as she came round, gave them the whole of her larboard guns: the starboard broadside, having been recharged, was then fired at the Sparvière and the French two ships ahead of her. Now was the time for the Cérès to have supported the gun-boats, but the french commodore appears to have forgotten them altogether; for, instead of tacking to meet the wards Spartan, the Cérès wore and stood towards the Baia. batteries of Baia. This stage of the action will cuts off gun com mo dore wears to * Brenton, vol. iv. p. 434. |