half distant, with her starboard fore topmast and lower studdingsails set, rapidly approaching.

The Horatio, out of a crew on board of about 270 men and boys, had one midshipman (George Gunter) and six seamen killed, her captain, first lieutenant (Manley Hall Dixon), boatswain (Andrew Lock), and 14 seamen badly, and one lieutenant of marines (Richard Blakeney) one master's mate (Robert King and seven seamen and marines slightly wounded; and the Latona, one midshipman (John Hoope) and five seamen slightly wounded; making, with the Driver's one wounded, the total loss on the British side amount to seven killed and 33 wounded. From the number of shot-holes low down in her hull, the Junon was in a very leaky state; and her loss was very severe, amounting, out of a very fine crew of 323 men and boys, to 130 in killed and wounded, including among the mortally wounded her gallant commander.

As the Horatio and Junon each mounted 46 guns of nearly the same caliber, had they met singly, a fairer match could not have been desired; and, notwithstanding the skilful and resolute manner in which the Junon was manoeuvred and fought, the relative damage and loss sustained by the two ships leaves it scarcely doubtful which combatant would have ultimately gained the victory. That the Junon, when at 2 h. 12 m. P. M., she made off from the Horatio, was in an unmanageable and defenceless state, may be inferred from her running to leeward directly into the fire of another enemy's ship: whereas, could she have hauled to the wind, her escape would have been certain, as the Horatio could set no after-sail to enable her to chase in that direction. Moreover Lieutenaut Jean-Léon Emeric, the French commanding officer, upon the removal of Captain Rousseau from the deck, declared that nearly all the injury done to the Junon, both in matériel and personnel, arose from the fire of the Horatio. When, also, the Latona's officer came on board to take possession, M. Emeric refused to deliver up his sword until the arrival of an officer from the Horatio, pointing to her; and Lieutenant John James Hough, third of that ship, presently afterwards came on board and received it. The case, in other respects, displays nothing very striking, unless it be the conduct of Captain Ferrie of the Supérieure, who, in his little vessel, so closely and perseveringly pursued the French frigate; and who, during the action between the Junon and the Horatio, did more with his four guns, than the commander of another sloop that was present did with his 18, and those, too, of a heavier caliber.

The prize was nearly a new frigate, and of rather larger dimensions than the Horatio, who was herself one of the finest British-built frigates of the 18-pounder class. The Junon was carried to Halifax, Nova-Scotia, and, as soon as repaired, was commissioned under the same name, as a cruising frigate in the British navy.

A contemporary, contrary to his usual practice, has been induced to give a somewhat detailed account of the action, which ended in the surrender of the Junon. Were it not for one circumstance, the source of his information might be gathered from the following paragraph: "This, we believe to be as accurate and impartial an account of the action as can be found. It differs a little from others, but we have merely placed Captain Pigott in his proper position, without taking away from the merits of Captain Scott and the Horatio."* We cannot suppose that any officer of the Latona would have made so gross a mistake respecting the "position" of that ship, as to say that she wore and "renewed the action on the larboard tack." We have now before us the log of every British ship that was present; and we may add, that those logs, coupled with private information of the highest authenticity, form the groundwork of our account of the Latona's proceedings. With respect to the Horatio's "throwing in stays under the stern of the Frenchman," it is sufficient to remind the reader, that the Horatio engaged the Junon to windward. We leave it to Captain Brenton himself to reconcile the statement that the Junon, when she bore up, left "the Horatio a perfect wreck to windward," with that disclaiming any intention of "taking away from the merits of Captain Scott and the Horatio."

On the 8th of February the British 18-pounder 32-gun frigate Amphion, Captain William Hoste, cruising off Long island in the Adriatic, was joined by the British 18-gun brig-sloop Redwing, Captain Edward Augustus Down, with information that an armed brig and a trabacculo were lying in a small creek in the island of Melida. The frigate and sloop immediately made sail in that direction, and found the two vessels advantageously moored for defending the entrance of the creek; with a body of soldiers, which they had brought from Zara and were carrying to Ancona, drawn up behind some houses and walls.

A long 12-pounder on the shore, and the brig, which mounted six 12-pounder carronades, opened upon the Amphion and Redwing, as the latter were taking their position. The instant, however, that the British vessels brought their broadsides to bear, the French troops, 400 in number, as afterwards ascertained, fled in all directions, leaving the two vessels to their fate. The boats of the Amphion and Redwing, under the orders of Lieutenant Charles George Rodney Phillott, now landed and brought off three guns, and destroyed two warehouses of wine and oil. Nor, such was the panic spread among them by the cannon of the ships, did the French soldiers offer the least opposition to the British seamen and marines employed on this service.

On the 14th of February, in the morning, the British 38-gun frigate Belle-Poule, Captain James Brisbane, having been driven

* Brenton, vol. iv., p. 376.

by a hard southerly gale about 12 leagues to the northward of the island of Corfu, discovered a suspicious vessel far distant on the lee bow. All sail was immediately made in pursuit; but, light and partial winds coming on, the Belle-Poule chased without success the whole day. Captain Brisbane, however, saw that it was the intention of the stranger, which was the French frigate-built store-ship Var, of 22 long 8-pounders and four 24pounder carronades, with a crew of 200 men, commanded by Captain Paul-François Paulin, to enter the gulf of Velona. The Belle-Poule, accordingly, steered in that direction.

On the 15th, at daybreak, the Var was discovered, moored with cables to the walls of the fortress of Velona, mounting 14 long 18 and 24 pounders; and, upon an eminence above the ship, and completely commanding the whole anchorage, was another strong fort. A breeze at length favouring her, the BellePoule, at 1 P. M., anchored in a position to take or destroy the Var, and at the same time to keep in check the formidable force prepared apparently to defend the French ship. The BellePoule immediately opened upon the latter an animated and welldirected fire; and, as the forts made no efforts to protect her, the Var discharged a few random shot, which hurt no one, and then hauled down her colours. Before she could be taken possession of, her officers and the greater part of her crew escaped to the shore. The Var measured 777 tons, and was added to the British navy as a store-ship under the name of Chichester.

At or about the commencement of the present year the British 18-pounder 32-gun frigate Proserpine, Captain Charles Otter, by the orders of Vice-admiral Thornborough, took her station off the road of Toulon, to watch the movements of the French fleet. The boldness of her approaches at length determined Vice-admiral Ganteaume to detach a force to chase her away. Accordingly, on the 27th of February, the two 40-gun frigates Pénélope, Captain Bernard Dubourdieu, and Pauline, Captain FrançoisGilles Montfort, weighed and sailed out to execute that service. They in a short time discovered the Proserpine, and the latter, as she was bound, retired before them; but, no sooner had the two frigates put about to return, than the Proserpine put about also, in chase of several small sail of coasting vessels, running alongshore towards Marseille. Failing in cutting off the convoy, the Proserpine stood off for the night, and in a short time lay nearly becalmed.

The French admiral now formed an excellent plan for surrounding and capturing the British frigate. At 8 P. M. the Pénélope and Pauline got under way, and were quickly followed by the 40-gun frigate Pomone; also by the two fast-sailing 74gun ships Ajax and Suffren, Captains Jean-Nicolas Petit and Auguste-François Louvel. The two first-named frigates worked to the westward, under the high land of Cape Sicie, upon short tacks, with variable winds. At about 1 A. M, on the 28th, the

moon rose in the north-east; thereby casting the ships that were under the land in complete shade, and throwing a light upon objects in the offing. Thus favoured, the Pénélope and Pauline, at 2 A. M., discovered in the south-west by south the unsuspecting Proserpine, lying becalmed, with her head directed towards them. The two French frigates immediately bore up under all sail, before a freshening land wind from the east-north-east. We will now take the account as given by the Proserpine herself.

At 4 A. M., Cape Sicie bearing north-east by north distant 12 or 13 miles, the Proserpine discovered the two French frigates steering towards her from under the land. Having no doubt that they were enemies, Captain Otter, taking advantage of a light breeze which that moment sprang up from the east-southeast, wore on the larboard tack, and made all sail; just keeping near enough to the wind to permit the larboard topgallant studding-sails to draw. For the double purpose of being used as chasers, and of bringing the ship more by the stern to quicken her sailing, the two foremost 18-pounders were removed to the cabin. Before, however, they could be pointed through the ports, the two French frigates had arrived within gun-shot.

At about 4 h. 25 m. P. M. Captain Otter hailed the Pénélope, then approaching upon the larboard quarter. The French frigate answered by a single gun. Upon this the British crew were ordered to their quarters; and, while the drum was rolling for that purpose, the Pénélope opened her broadside upon the Proserpine's larboard quarter. This was at 4 h. 30 m. A. M.; and almost at the same instant the Pauline commenced firing into the British frigate's starboard quarter. The fire was returned by the Proserpine, but not in so effective a manner as it might have been, the two guns, that had been brought into the cabin, disabling the two aftermost guns on the larboard side. The same untoward circumstance prevented any return to the raking fire kept up by the Pauline upon the Proserpine's stern and starboard quarter.

At 4 h. 40 m. A. M. the Pénélope ranged up alongside within pistol-shot of her opponent, and several broadsides were exchanged. The Pauline, in the mean while, preserved her station upon the Proserpine's starboard quarter, and continued to direct her fire chiefly at the latter's rigging and sails. By 5 h. 10 m. A. M. the Proserpine had her maintopsail yard shot away, foremast half cut through nine or ten feet from the deck, main and mizen masts, main yard, and foretopsail yard badly wounded, and her stays, shrouds, braces, bowlines, and the whole of the running rigging destroyed: the Pénélope was also on her larboard bow, and the Pauline on her starboard quarter, each preparing to board. Being in this hopeless situation, the British frigate hauled down her colours.

The proper complement of the Proserpine was 251; but, having manned some prizes, she had only 211 men and boys on

board. Of these the Proserpine had one seaman killed, and 10 seamen and marines (including one mortally) wounded. As if ashamed of their very indifferent gunnery, the French officially declared, that the Proserpine's loss amounted to 11 killed and 15 wounded. But the guns on the British side appear to have been discharged with even less effect. For, according to the French accounts, neither the Pénélope nor the Pauline had a man killed or wounded; and the latter frigate suffered not at all, and the former very slightly, in the rigging and sails. "Notre bonheur est tel que, quoique nous avons combattu vergue à vergue et du nuit, la Pénélope et la Pauline n'ont pas eu un seul homme de tué, ni de blessé. La Pénélope a eu quelques avaries dans son gréement, et la Pauline, par la position habile qu'elle a su conserver, n'a nullement souffert."*

At daybreak, which was just as the two French frigates had taken possession of their prize, the two 74s were discovered about seven miles in the east-north-east, approaching under all sail; and shortly afterwards the Pomone made her appearance in the south-east. Captain Otter continued in France as a prisoner until the conclusion of the war. On the 30th of October, 1814, the captain and late officers and crew of the Prosperine were tried by a court-martial for the loss of their ship, and most honourably acquitted.

On the 15th of March, early in the morning, the British 38gun frigate Arethusa, Captain Robert Mends, cruising off the north coast of Spain, detached her boats under the orders of Lieutenant Hugh Pearson and Lieutenant of marines Octavius Scott. At daylight these officers, with the seamen and marines under their command, landed, and destroyed upwards of 20 heavy guns mounted on the batteries at Lequito, defended by a detachment of French soldiers; a sergeant and 20 of (whom, when the British forced the guard-house in the principal battery, threw down their arms and begged for quarter. These were made prisoners, but the rest of their comrades effected their escape by running. Notwithstanding a smart fire of musketry from the battery and guard-house as Lieutenant Pearson and his party advanced, this very gallant exploit was performed with so slight a loss as three men wounded. A small chaloupe, laden with brandy, was found in the harbour and brought away.

On the 16th, in the evening, having received information of two chasse marées, laden with brandy for the French army in Spain, being up the river Andero, the same party again landed, and found the vessels aground four miles up the river. The cargoes were destroyed: but the vessels, having been forcibly taken from the Spaniards by the French, were restored to their

owners.

* Moniteur, March 7, 1809.