July. diagram at

to board Sea

Sea

1808. distant a little before her larboard beam. See the

p.

88. Makes As soon as she had run far enough to-leeward for a vain the Alis-Fezan to join her in the cannonade, the tempt Badere-Zaffer put her helm hard a-port, with the

intention of laying the british frigate on board; but

the Seahorse, whose comparatively small crew such horse. a mode of contest would never have suited, suddenly

hauled close to the wind, (see diagram, pos. 1,) and
left the turkish frigate with her sails all aback and
in great confusion. In a minute or two the Seahorse
tacked, and, bearing up, stood again for the Badere-
Zaffer; who, in the mean while, had wore and was
running nearly before the wind.

At 10 P. M., just as the Seahorse was about to
close the Badere-Zaffer upon her larboard quarter,

the Alis-Fezan interposed. Heaving the wind out attack- of her main and mizen topsails, the Seahorse sheared ed by towards this new antagonist; and, pouring in her drives starboard broadside, at the distance of not more than away 200 yards, made a dreadful havoc on board. After Fezan. a continuance of the fire until 10 h. 15 m. P. M., there

was a great explosion on board the Alis-Fezan near
the fore hatchway, and the people on board the
Seahorse expected every moment that their opponent
would blow up. That, fortunately, did not happen;
but the Turks on board this vessel had had 'fight-
ing enough; and, putting her helm a-starboard, the
Alis-Fezan luffed under the stern of the Seahorse,
and stood away in the direction of the island of
Pelagnisi. Nor, what with the smoke and the
attention due to her more formidable antagonist,
did the Seahorse again see, or trouble herself any
more about, the Alis-Fezan ; which ship, however,
it may here be stated, got back to Constantinople,
but in a very shattered state.

Not long after the abandonment of the action by

the Alis-Fezan, or at about 10 h. 35 m. P. M., the action Seahorse, favoured by a freshening of the breeze, Badere overtook, and, furling her topgallantsails, renewed

the engagement with, the Badere-Zaffer; who

Renews the

Zaffer.

lences

her op

received the starboard broadside of the Seahorse, 1808, and returned the fire from her larboard

guns,
both

July. ships going before the wind. At ll P. M. the Turks made a second attempt to get on board the british frigate; but the latter was too vigilant, as well as too expert,to be caught. Shooting ahead, the Seahorse passed clear, the Badere-Zaffer's jib-boom and bowsprit carrying away the former's starboard mizen topgallant back-stays and gaff-vangs. At this moment the bowsprit and forecastle of the BadereZaffer were crowded with men; but a discharge of grape from the stern-chase guns of the Seahorse, as the latter ranged ahead, killed or disabled the greater part of them.

Crossing over, the Seahorse recommenced the șiaction with her larboard guns. About this time the Badere-Zaffer lost her mizen topmast. The two ponent frigates continued engaging, broadside to broadside, hauls until the Badere-Zaffer became completely silenced. off. The Seahorse now repeatedly hailed, to know if she would surrender, but no answer was returned. The Seahorse then passed under the stern of the BadereZaffer, (see diagram, pos. 2,) whose fore and main topmasts had by this time fallen, and again hailed. In reply to which, as the Seahorse ranged up on her larboard quarter, the Badere-Zaffer fired a few of her aftermost guns. The british frigate instantly discharged her starboard broadside. It was now 1 h. 15 m. A. M. on the 6th; and captain Stewart, finding that his shattered antagonist would neither answer nor fire, very prudently, and very humanely too, hauled off; and, after standing on a little further, brought to on the starboard tack to wait for daylight. The Badere-Zaffer soon afterwards did the

See pos. 3. The british crew now took some rest; and at day, the light the Seahorse filled and made sail towards the anti turkish frigate, then about a mile distant, steering com. before the wind under her shreds of courses. The deres Seahorse soon came up with the Badere-Zaffer, and, Zaffer hauling athwart the latter's stern, (see pos. 4,) poured render.

same.

Renews

action

u prize

o board

remed quere TSO SD)

form deliver 2. , whe mmand

1808, in her broadside. At this time, regardless of the
July. scene of horror and destruction around him, captain

Scandril was sitting in a chair on the awning, or
wooden roof, erected across the quarterdeck over
the wheel, giving his orders, and exhorting his offi-
cers and men to continue their resistance , observing
that, if they submitted to the infidels, they would all
be put to death. Among the surviving officers, how-
ever, there were some prudent men, who saw that
all further resistance was useless, and who had a
knowledge of the english character. Two or three
of these seized the person of their stubborn and
obdurate chief, and, holding down his hands, made
signs of submission; while others, just as the stern-
chasers were about to be discharged a second time,
hauled down the turkish colours from the stump
of the mizenmast.

The following diagram will illustrate the various
manquvres of the parties, in this long and sanguinary
battle.

Seahorse takes pos

Lieutenant George Downie, first of the Seahorse,

accompanied by lieutenant of marines John Cook, session. went in the four-oared boat and took possession of

side.

the prize. Upon the arrival of the turkish captain 1808. on board the Seahorse, he was sullen and sad, and July. seemed all amazement to think that he had been conquered, and his consort defeated or destroyed, by so small a ship. Unacquainted, apparently, with the forms of civilized warfare, Scandril had no idea of delivering up his sword in token of submission; and, when told that he must do so, the mahometan commander complied with great reluctance, observing, as his eyes bent upon the forfeited weapon, that it was a Damascus blade of great value.

Out of her 251 men and boys, the Seahorse had Loss, only five men killed and 10 wounded. A 24-pound each shot through the middle of her mizenmast, and a few cut shrouds and holes in her sails, comprised all the damage which the british frigate received. The Badere-Zaffer had been very differently treated. Her mizenmast and fore and main topmasts, as we have seen, were entirely shot away : her mainmast had been struck by more than 20, and her foremast by 14, large shot; and, to support either mast, very few shrouds were left. Besides this state of her masts and rigging, the turkish frigate was so cut up in her hull, as with difficulty to be kept afloat. Her loss of men bore a full proportion to her damage, amounting to no less a number than 170 killed, and 200 wounded, many of them mortally.

Captain Stewart evinced no small share of gal- Relantry in proceeding to attack a force, which, in number and strength, had been magnified at every action. island at which he had touched in his way up; and his officers and men, on their part, gave unequivocal proofs of a high degree of skill and steadiness, in the manner in which the Seahorse tore to pieces two opponents, possessing so great a numerical superiority. Nor did the Turks behave amiss : their want of skill may well be attributed to their want of practice; but the obstinacy of the BadereZaffer, in protracting the defence until her masts were cut away, her hull reduced to a sinking state,

marks on the

Turkish

blow up the

Stewart

1808. and nearly three fourths of her crew swept from
July.

their quarters, was truly characteristic of that des
perate courage which the Mahomedans on several
occasions have displayed.

Taking her shattered prize in tow, the Seahorse

stood with her to the southward. Scandril, at bis
captain
tries to own request, had been allowed to return on parole

to the Badere-Zaffer ; but, before he had been
many hours on board, the savage made an attempt
to blow up the ship. His diabolical plan was for-
tunately frustrated; and on the 9th the two ships
cast anchor in the principal harbour of the island of

Miconi. Here it took the Seahorse three days to
Capt.

place her prize in a seaworthy state. That done,

captain Stewart gave the surviving Turks their Bendisi liberty; sending them to Constantinople and Smyrna soners on board greek vessels, and supplying them with Stalin provisions for the voyage. The Seahorse, then, nople. taking her prize again in tow, proceeded with her

to Malta. The Badere-Zaffer" was a remarkably
handsome frigate, built from a french model, and
measured 166 feet on the main deck, and 44 feet in
breadth of beam; but, owing to the loose manner

in which she had been put together, the prize was not Arrives purchased for the use of the british navy. Some at Mal, merchants of Malta, however, bought the Badere

Zaffer, and sent her to England with a cargo of cotton. prize. The ship afterwards made one voyage to the Brazils,

and was then broken up at Deptford.

The first lieutenant of the Seahorse, as was most justly his due, became promoted to the rank of commander. The two remaining lieutenants were Thomas Bennett and Richard Glyn Vallack; and the master was Thomas Curtis, the same officer who served in a similar capacity on board the Wilhelmina when she beat off the Psyché.*

After the business of the Badere-Zaffer, a fresh attempt was made to negotiate a peace; and for

ta with his

* See vol. iii. p. 387.