March. 1808. ments were presently met by the principal part of the schooner's crew. After an exchange of musketry, the pike and bayonet of the British put the French to flight, and occasioned several of them to be left dead on the road. ships rient. Lieutenant Bertram now advanced towards the schooner, which was the Apropos, of eight 12pounder carronades and a complement of 70 men, from the Isle of France with despatches; but, as the vessel had gone on shore at high water, no efforts on the part of the British, although persevered in until a party of soldiers opened a galling fire upon them, could get her afloat. Notwithstanding the attack thus made upon them, lieutenant Bertram and his men managed to set the Apropos on fire; and at 1. A. M. on the 14th the vessel exploded. This enterprise was attended, unfortunately, with a serious loss to the British. Nine of the Emerald's seamen and marines were killed; and lieutenant Bertram, (severely,) the two lieutenants of marines, one of the master's mates, (Mildridge,) and 11 seamen and marines were wounded. For the gallantry he had displayed, lieutenant Bertram was immediately promoted to the rank of commander. British) In the month of March the port of Lorient, in off Lo- which were three or four ships of the line ready for sea or fitting, and the neighbouring port of Concarneau, in which lay Jérôme Buonaparte's late ship, the Vétéran, were watched by the two 74-gun ships Impétueux, captain John Lawford, and Saturn, captain Thomas Boys, the 18-pounder 36-gun frigate Aigle, captain George Wolfe, 18-pounder 32-gun frigate Narcissus, captain Charles Malcolm, and two or three smaller vessels. On the 22d of the month this squadron lay at an anchor in an excellent harbour formed by the Glénan islands, receiving provisions out of some transports which had lately arrived there Chase from Plymouth. two french At about 3 h. 45 m. P. M. the 4-gun schooner frigates Cuckoo, lieutenant Silas Hiscutt Paddon, being about midway between the island of Groix and the 1808. Glénans, made the signal for an enemy in the south- March. east. The Aigle, from whose main top the enemy was also visible, got under way and made sail in chase, followed by the Impétueux and Narcissus; but the Saturn was directed by telegraph to remain at anchor and watch the Vétéran in Concarneau. attacks one fri batte The strange vessels were the two 40-gun frigates Aigle Italienne and Seine, standing close hauled on the and larboard tack, with the wind from the north-north- drives west, and bound to Lorient. At about 7 h. 30 m. gate P. M., While passing the Cuckoo, captain Wolfe di- under rected lieutenant Paddon to acquaint the commodore, ries. then about two miles astern, that he should run between Groix and the main, in order, if possible, to cut off the two frigates, who were then closing with the island. For this purpose the Aigle made all sail, with the wind on her larboard beam, and, on entering the passage, was fired at by the batteries on both sides. At 8 h. 30 m. P. M. the Aigle got within half gun-shot of the sternmost of the two french frigates, both of which had just then rounded the north-west point of the island. After receiving a fire from the Aigle's starboard guns, this frigate hore up, and anchored under the protection of the batteries on the north-east side of Groix, near Pointe de Billery. gages other. The Aigle immediately stood after the other french Aigle frigate, then standing directly in for Lorient. At a enfew minutes past 9 P. M., in a very dark night; captain the Wolfe got within 50 yards of this frigate to-windward; and, after burning a blue light to show her own and the enemy's situation to the Impétueux then coming up astern, the Aigle opened her starboard broadside. This the french frigate, who had now the dock-yard's boats on board, and was standing right into the harbour, returned. As the Aigle was already in four fathoms' water, and, by continuing longer on this course, would soon be in Port-Louis road, captain Wolfe resolved to board his enemy, 1808. and bore up for the purpose. Seeing the Aigle's inMarch, tention, and being determined to defeat it, the french captain bore round up before the wind. By that manœuvre the french frigate brought the Aigle astern, with the latter's jib-boom abreast of her larboard mizen rigging; thus adroitly avoiding a mode of attack, which experience had shown was generally successful. Is join ed by As the two contending frigates were now crossing Impé- ahead of the Impétueux, captain Wolfe burnt a setueux. sond blue light, in the hope that, upon seeing the French position of the french frigate, the Impétueux would run her on board: an operation that, with the way then upon the 74, would have cut the frigate to the water's edge, and ensured her capture. Being, however, very near the island, with a dark night to add to the difficulties of the navigation, the Impétueux, instead of doing so, wore round on the starboard tack, fired her larboard guns, and then, wearing again, folfrigate lo ved the Aigle through the passage. The french frishore gate, shortly afterwards, as the only means of escaping from her persevering antagonist, ran with all sail set upon Pointe des Chats, on the isle of Groix, under very high and formidable batteries. The Aigle and Impétueux shortly afterwards anchored to the southwest of the island, and were presently joined by the Saturn; who, as well as the Narcissus and Cuckoo, had also passed through between Groix and the main. runs on Loss on board In this her gallant action with the french frigates Aigle, and batteries, the Aigle was a considerable sufferer, having had three guns split and dismounted, a boweranchor cut in two, and her mainmast and bowsprit irreparably injured. Her loss amounted to captain Wolfe, (severely in the left arm and hip,) one lieutenant, (John Lambe,) and 20 seamen and marines wounded; seven of them so badly that they were invalided as unserviceable. On the next day, the 23d, at daylight, the Impétueux and squadron weighed and stood into the passage, and discovered the french frigate on Pointe ed fri des Chats, with her yards and topmasts struck, and 1808. her mizenmast cut or carried away, heeling very March. much. Several shells were thrown at the british ships from the batteries, but none struck them. In the course of the forenoon the people on board the Aigle saw seven coffins landed from the frigate, and carried to a church that stood on the top of a neighbouring hill: a tolerable proof that the shot of the Aigle had done some execution. By the aid of two Groundlarge vessels and sundry smaller ones from the dock- gate yard at Lorient, this french frigate was at length floats, got afloat and towed into Lorient. The other fri- both gate, also, on the morning of the 29th, taking advan- enter tage of a shift of wind to the westward, slipped her cable, and in 20 minutes was safe at anchor in the same port. Although it is not in our power to state positively which of these two frigates it was that got on shore, we believe it to have been the Seine, as that frigate did not again go to sea, except as an armée en flûte, or store-ship. and Lorient ders Notwithstanding the fate of the "sloop of war" ChilLily,* vessels of that denomination, inferior in force sloop to a gun-brig, were still suffered to remain in the of war. british navy. One of the "cruisers" of this class was the Childers, a brig of 202 tons, built as long ago as the year 1778; a vessel so unseaworthy as to have been obliged, on more than one occasion, to throw overboard her guns, 4-pounders, in order to save the lives of her crew. The brig at length became so crazy, that 18-pounder carronades were found too heavy for her, and she was fitted with fourteen 12-pounders. In this state, and manned with a crew, nominally, of 86, but really of 65 men and boys, including only one lieutenant, (there not being accommodation for more,) the Childers, captain William Henry Dillon, in the month of January of the present year, lay in Leith roads, waiting to give her protection" to the trade proceeding to Gottenburg. But the merchants, the instant they knew the force *See vol. iii. p. 393. refuse proper ty to her 1808. and qualifications of the Childers, objected to place March. their property under her care; supposing, very naMer- turally, that so small and ill armed a vessel was incachants pable of beating off the privateers that infested the to trust northern waters. Ludicrous as the application would their have appeared, the merchants, had they wished for a vessel of nearly double the force of the one they had rejected, might have requested the board of admiralty to appoint, instead of the "sloop of war" Childers, the "gun-brig" Insolent, then cruising on the Downs' station. What vessel the merchants at last obtained we know not; but the Childers proceeded by herself to the Baltic, to effect as much, in the way of annoying the enemy, as her small powers would admit. care. Captures a On the 14th of March, at 4 P. M., as the Chilgalliot. ders was standing towards the coast of Norway, with a fresh breeze from the eastward, a sail was discovered in-shore, and immediately chased. The stranger hauled in among the rocks, out of sight, for the purpose of taking shelter in the small port of Midbe. Immediately a number of boats came out, with the apparent intention of removing the vessel's cargo. To prevent this, captain Dillon despatched the cutter, well armed, under the command of William Wilson, the master, accompanied by master's mate Thomas Edward Knight, also the jollyboat, with Robert Nicholl the gunner, and Augustus William Henry Le Neve the purser, a volunteer. The near approach of these two boats was the signal for the shore boats to disperse; and, although opposed by the inhabitants with musketry, as well as with stones hurled from the top of the precipice under which the vessel lay, the British boarded and carried her. She proved to be a danish galliot, partly laden` with oil and fish. vers a Disco- Scarcely had the Childers descried the galliot, danish thus taken by her boats, coming out from among the brig of rocks, than she also observed a large brig, evi war. dently a vessel of force, sail out of Hitteroe. The latter |