Send
their

1808. boats of both ships were detached, and, upon a prin-
April. ciple highly honourable to him, were placed by

captain Shipley under the command of captain Pigot;
the former merely accompanying the expedition to
point out the situation of the vessel. Owing to some
cause with which we are unacquainted, the boats
returned without effecting their object, or even,
we believe, getting within gun-shot of the french
brig. A second attempt ended much in the same
way.

Captain Shipley now resolved to head the boats
boats himself; and accordingly, on the 23d, at 9 P. M., eight
to cut boats, containing about 150 officers and men, quit-
french ted the Nymphe, in two divisions, for the Tagus.
brig in The larboard division consisted of the Nymphe's gig,
Tagus. captain Shipley, her large cutter, lieutenant Richard

Standish Haly, launch, lieutenant Thomas Hodgskins,
and yawl, master's mate Michael Raven. The star-
board division consisted of the Blossom's gig, captain
George Pigot, her large cutter, lieutenant John
Undrell, launch, lieutenant William Cecil, and the
Nymphe's small cutter, master's mate Thomas Hill.
The orders were, for the boats to keep in tow of each
other until they were discovered by the brig : then
to cast off, and pull alongside as fast as possible;
the larboard division to board on the larboard, and
the starboard division on the opposite, side of the
enemy's vessel. As, in the event of success, the Ga-
rotta in coming out might not be able, on account of
the darkness, to avoid the shoals off the entrance of
the river, Mr. Henry Andrews, the master of the
Nymphe, with the jollyboat, was directed to station
himself on the northern extremity of the South Ca-
chop; and, upon seeing the brig approach, he was to
hoist a light by way of beacon.

The british boats entered the Tagus in the order
vance prescribed, and, ascending with the tide, got near
to the enough, by the time it became slack water, to see the

vessels in the harbour thwart. Wishing to have a
good tide to carry out his prize, captain Shipley

Boats

attack.

waited until he saw the vessels swing' with the 1808. ebb. Unfortunately for the success of the enter- April. prise, there was a fresh in the river, and the tide in consequence, when the ebb had fairly made, ran at the rate of seven knots an hour. Notwithstanding this unexpected difficulty, the boats got tolerably close to the enemy's vessel before they were discovered. Upon being hailed by the Garotta, who lay within pistol-shot of the guns of Belem castle, and had for her additional protection a floating battery carrying long 24-pounders, the boats of the two divisions cast themselves off and severally made towards her.

The gig soon darted out of sight of the other Nymphe boats, and at about 2 h. 30 m. A. M. on the 23d, boards boarded the french brig on the larboard bow.

Captain Shipley, having sprung into the Garotta's forerigging, was in the act of cutting away the boarding- of capt. netting, when he received a musket-ball in his fore. Shipley head and fell dead into the water. The next in command of the gig was Mr. Charles Shipley, the late captain's brother, but not attached to the Nymphe, nor even, we have heard, * belonging to the naval

Gig reprofession. His fraternal affection overcoming treats every other consideration, Mr. Shipley ordered the and gig's crew to shove off from the enemy's vessel, and foul of endeavour to pick up their captain. As she dropped other from the brig's side, the gig fell foul of the oars of boats. the large cutter, just as the latter was about to lay herself alongside. The large cutter, thus impeded, drifted upon the launch; and all three boats then fell foul of a large calking stage moored astern of

Garotta

Death

the brig.

maining

Disengaging the cutter as quickly as possible, lieu- Retenant Haly again directed bis course towards the Garotta; but such was now the rapidity of the tide, boats, that the men, with all their efforts, could not stem it. able to Having had one seaman killed, and one midshipman stem

* He is now the reverend Charles Shipley.

Promo

of

1808. (William Moriarty) and a corporal of marines
April. wounded, and seeing no prospect of being supported
the tide by the starboard division of the boats under captain
aban Pigot, which, as well as the yawl belonging to the
enter- larboard division, had seemingly been unable to
prise. pull up against the tide, lieutenant Haly abandoned

the enterprise, and returned on board the Nymphe.
At 4 A. M. the boats of each division reached their
ship without any additional loss. The body of cap-
tain Shipley was afterwards washed on shore, and
afforded a clear proof that, had he fallen into the boat
instead of into the water, he could not have sur-
vived his wound. Yet a contemporary represents this
gallant young officer to have been “drowned."*
Captain Pigot, fortunately for bim, was appointed

by admiral sir Charles Cotton, the commander in capt. chief on the coast of Portugal, to be the late captain Pigot. Shipley's successor on board the Nymphe; and on

the 17th of the ensuing September, he was confirmed
in his post-rank.

On the 23d of April, in the morning, the Grasshopper

hopper, still commanded by captain Searle, and now attack accompanied by the 14-gun_brig Rapid, lieutenant four. Henry Baugh, cruising off Faro, on the south coast spanish

of Portugal, fell in with and chased two spanish boats vessels, valuably laden from South America, under

the protection of four gun-boats. In a short time the
chased vessels all anchored among the shoals, and
under the cover of a battery close in with Faro. The
Grasshopper and Rapid immediately anchored within

range of grape-shot; and, after a very severe action Cap of two hours and a half, compelled the people on two of shore to desert their guns, two of the gun-boats to them, surrender, and the remaining two to run themselves

on shore.

The two spanish vessels, the cargo of each of lyable which was valued at £30000 sterling, were immechant diately taken possession of. The service, thus galprizes.

da the isloop blerc

Grass

alusel

and

abri ere. Fr

Jeau

gun.

under Faro.

si bovs. mandelou

Also two ya

* Brenton, vol. v. p. 462.

lantly performed, was not executed wholly without 1808.
loss, the Grasshopper having one seaman killed, her April,
captain slightly, and three seamen severely wounded,
and the Rapid three seamen also wounded severely.
Both brigs likewise suffered much in their hulls, masts,
sails, and rigging. The loss of the enemy was very
great in the two captured gun-boats, amounting to
40 in killed and wounded.

Captain Searle, in his official letter, speaks very
highly of his first lieutenant, William Cutfield";
also of his master, Henry Bell, and purser, Tho-
mas Bastin; the first for having taken the brig into so
dangerous a navigation, and the last for having, in
the absence of the second lieutenant, commanded
the after-guns. Mr. Bastin had, it appears, on a
former occasion been severely wounded, and is de-
scribed as a very deserving officer.

On the 22d of April, at 6 A. M., as the british Gorée ship-sloop Gorée, of 18 long sixes and eight 12- Palipounder carronades, with 120 men and boys, cap-ande tain Joseph Spear, was lying at an anchor in Grande - Pilade. Bourg bay, island of Marie-Galante, the two french 16-gun brig-corvettes Palinure, capitaine de frégate Pierre-François Jance, and Pilade, lieutenant de vaisseau Jean-Marie Cocherel, each mounting fourteen 24-pounder carronades and two șixes, with 110 men and boys, then on their way from Martinique to Gaudeloupe, made their appearance in the southeast. Having ascertained that they were enemy's vessels, and hoisted a signal to that effect to the brigsloop Supérieure, of twelve 18-pounder carronades and two long twelves, captain Andrew Hodge, at an anchor a few miles off in the north-west, the Gorée, at 9 A: M., slipped and made sail in chase, with a moderate breeze at east-south-east.

Confident in their strength, the two brigs waited Ence for the Gorée, and at 10 A.M. the action commenced them within pistol-shot. At the end of an hour's capnon-allid.is ade, observing the approach of the Supérieure, and abled.

rieure

1808. of another vessel or two, the Palinure and Pilade
April.

bore up and made all sail ; leaving the Gorée with
her main yard, and fore and main topsail yards, shot
away in the slings, all her masts and topmasts badly
wounded, and the ship in other respects so disabled
that she could not follow them. Owing, however, to
the high firing of her two opponents, the Gorée's loss
amounted to only one man killed and four wounded.
Each french brig had four men killed; the Pilade six,
and the Palinure 15, including her captain, wounded :
total, eight killed and 21 wounded. With no other
sail to set than her foresail and driver, the Gorée
now hauled her wind for Marie-Galante, and in
about half an hour regained the anchorage she had

quitted. Supe

By noon the Supérieure, who had weighed at chases 10 h. 15 m. A. M., got within three miles of the two and at- french brigs, then in the west-south-west, steering them. for the Saintes. At about half past noon a running

fight commenced between the Pilade and Supérieure,
and continued until 3 h. 30 m. P. M., when the latter,
being close to the forts at the Saintes, shortened
sail and hauled to the wind on the larboard tack;
having sustained no loss, and no greater damage than

one carronade disabled, and the axle of one of her 12They or pounders broken. At 6 P. M. the Palinure and Pilade in the anchored in the Saintes; and, in justice to those brigs

it must be stated, that, when the Supérieure gave
up the chase, the 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Circe,
captain Hugh Pigot, and 18-gun brig-sloop Wolve-
rine, captain Francis Augustus Collier, were within
a very few miles of them.

On the 3d of October the british 18-gun brig

sloop Carnation, (sixteen 32-pounder carronades and and en-two sixes,) captain Charles Mars Gregory, cruising by Car- about 60 leagues to the northward and eastward of nation. Martinique, fell in with the Palinure, still com

manded by captain Jance, and then cruising alone.
An action ensued; and, at the end of an hour and a

Saintes

Palinure met