and Bernard Vincent, mounting 20 guns each (iron 36-pounder carronades and long 18-pounders), and laden with troops and military stores for Guadaloupe; with which, on the 15th of the preceding month, they had sailed from Nantes.

The Junon and Observateur immediately made sail in chase, and at 4 P. M. discovered that the strangers were frigates. Soon afterwards, having cleared for action, the British frigate and brig hoisted their colours, and the Junon fired several guns to induce the strangers to show theirs. At 5 P. M., approaching near, the Junon made the private signal: on which the Renommée first, and then her consorts, hoisted Spanish colours, but showed no disposition to bring to. The British frigate, still bearing down, now hoisted the Spanish private signal, a blue pendant at the fore and a ball at the main; when, almost immediately, the Renommée hoisted a red flag with a white cross at the fore, which was the proper answer to the signal. Thus deceived, the Junon continued to approach the four French frigates; until, at 5 h. 30 m. P. M., the latter shortened sail and hauled their wind in line of battle on the larboard tack. The Junon immediately shortened sail also; and, when about a quarter of a mile to windward of the French squadron, the Renommée, who was the leading frigate, hauled down the Spanish and hoisted French colours, and poured a destructive broadside into the starboard bow of the British frigate.

Finding, from the state of her rigging, that it was impossible to escape to windward, the Junon ran under the stern of the Renommée and raked her. The Observateur, about the same time, discharged her starboard broadside at the French frigate's bows, but at too great a distance for the brig's carronades to do execution. Meanwhile the Clorinde, the second astern to the Renommée, had hauled close to the wind, and now ran nearly foul of the Junon on her starboard side. In this position a spirited cannonade ensued for upwards of 10 minutes, to the apparent disadvantage of the Clorinde; when the Renommée, who, after having been raked by her opponent, had wore to avoid a repetition of the salute, ran foul of the Junon on her larboard side. As if these two French frigates were not sufficient to overpower the single British frigate, the Seine and Loire stationed themselves, one ahead, the other astern, of the Junon; and the troops on board of each, particularly of the Loire, who lay with her bowsprit over the British frigate's larboard quarter, kept up a most destructive fire of musketry, which nearly cleared the Junon's quarterdeck of both officers and men.

It was at about this time that Captain Shortland had his leg broken by a grape-shot, and was also badly wounded by splinters. The command of the ship, in consequence, devolved upon Lieutenant Samuel Bartlett Deecker. The Clorinde now attempted to board the Junon on the starboard quarter, but was most gallantly repulsed by a few men led on by Lieutenant John

Green of the marines, who nobly fell in the struggle. The Renommée would probably have made a similar attempt on the opposite side; but the Junon, dropping her foresail, shot ahead, clear of her two opponents. The latter, however, were not slow in regaining their position, and, boarding the Junon simultaneously, one on each side, took possession of the British frigate, which had by this time fought her four opponents more than 45 minutes, the whole of the time, with two of them at least, yardarm and yard-arm.

The Junon was cut to pieces in her hull and lower masts; and, out of her reduced crew of 224 men and boys, of whom 44 were Spaniards and Portuguese, she lost 20 officers and men killed and 40 wounded. The Observateur, who had hauled her wind as soon as she saw what was likely to be the fate of her consort, suffered neither damage nor loss. The Renommée, as acknowledged by Captain Roquebert, had, out of her 360 men and boys, 15 men killed and only three wounded; and the Clorinde, whose complement was the same, six killed and 15 wounded; total, 21 killed and 18 wounded. The two armées en flûte, each of which had on board, including 200 troops, about 400 men and boys, owing to their safe position during the engagement, escaped, it appears, without any loss whatever. In so shattered a state was the Junon at the time she surrendered, that her captors, despairing of getting their prize into port, although Guadaloupe, the island to which they were bound, was at no great distance to leeward, quickly removed the prisoners and set the ship on fire.

The Junon had on board her French guns, 46 in number,* and the Renommée and Clorinde were each armed exactly the same as she was. Commodore Roquebert is honourable enough to say of his antagonist, "Le capitaine anglais, a manœuvré sa frégate avec autant de courage que d'habileté; mais il lui était devenu impossible de nous échapper." It is somewhat strange, however, that the French captain should refer to the Loire and Seine no otherwise than as, without naming them, "les transports que nous convoyons," and should not state that they took the slightest part in the action. We hope, for the sake of consistency in M. Roquebert, that the minister of marine, or the supervisor of official letters, has been the cause of so important an omission.

What is there in this action, that the account of it should have been denied a place in the usual depository of naval and military achievements, the London Gazette? Here is a British frigate defending herself against four ships, each of two of them her equal in guns, and greatly her superior in men, until she loses more than a fourth of her crew in killed and wounded, * See p. 152.

"Trois," Moniteur, February 3, 1810; probably a misprint for" vingt

trois."

and inflicts upon her two principal antagonists a loss two thirds as heavy as that which she suffers herself; thus combining, what is not always found united, even in a British ship, a high degree of gallantry with an equal share of practical skill. But the Junon's affair was a defeat. Was not the affair of the Blanche a defeat, a far less honourable defeat? Yet Captain Mudge was fortunate enough to get his long letter blazoned in the Gazette, and circulated all over the kingdom. As far as our humble efforts can prevail, justice shall yet be done to the officers and crew of the Junon; and these pages at least shall tell, of the brave defence maintained by that frigate against a force more than trebly superior to her own.

On the 15th, at I P. M., the Observateur arrived off Basseterre, Guadaloupe; and, having telegraphed the 38-gun frigate Blonde, Captain Volant Vashon Ballard, that five French frigates (Captain Wetherall not having witnessed the destruction of the Junon) were within six hours sail of her, stood on under a press of canvass towards Martinique. Captain Ballard, having then in his company the 38-gun frigate Thetis, Captain George Miller, and the 18-gun ship-sloops Hazard and Cygnet, Captains Hugh Cameron and Edward Dix, immediately made all sail for the channel between the Saintes and Guadaloupe, down which he expected the enemy would pess.

On the next day, the 16th, Captain Ballard was joined by the 18-gun brig-sloops Scorpion and Ringdove, Captains Francis Stanfell and William Dowers; and at 8 P. M. he detached the Hazard and Ringdove to reconnoitre Basse-terre. On the 17th, at 4 A.M., the Blonde and Thetis were joined by the 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Castor, Captain William Roberts, with important information. On the 15th, at 3 h. 30 m. P. M., the island of Désirade bearing south-south-east distant 11 miles, the Castor had recaptured the ship Ariel, of Liverpool, taken on the 4th, by the Renommée, and her three consorts, and soon afterwards fell in with, and was chased by, the French frigates themselves; two of which, the Seine and Loire, being light rigged, were considered to be corvettes. The four ships afterwards lay to.

At daylight the Blonde and squadron, then nearly abreast of Basse-terre, descried two strange ships to the northward. These were the Loire and Seine, which, just as the Castor had lost sight of them, had separated from the Renommée and Clorinde, and were now making the best of their way to Basse-terre. The British ships instantly proceeded in chase; and at 8 A. M. the two French ships, finding themselves cut off from their port, steered along the coast to the north-west. At 10 A. M. they entered a cove named Anse la Barque, situated about three leagues to the north-west of Basse-terre. Here the two French ships anchored head and stern, with their broadsides to the sea, and under the protection of a battery on each point of the bay

or cove.

At 2h. 40 m. P.M. a battery on Pointe Lizard, a little to the southward of Anse la Barque, fired repeatedly at the British squadron, and presently sent a shot right through the hull of the Ringdove, who was then close in shore nearly becalmed. Captain Dowers immmediately embarked with a party in his boats; at 2 h. 55 m. landed; at 3 P.M. stormed and carried the fort; at 3h. 15 m. P. M. spiked the guns, destroyed the works, and blew up the magazine; and at 4 P. M. returned to the Ringdove without the slightest casualty. In the evening, being resolved to attack the French frigates and batteries, Captain Ballard sent the 12-gun schooner Elizabeth, Lieutenant Charles Finch, towards Anse la Barque, to try for an anchorage, and followed with the Blonde, to cover her from the enemy's fire. At 8 P. M. the Blonde opened a fire upon the battery, and was fired at in return. The schooner found anchorage, and she and the Blonde stood out without any material damage. On the same evening the 36-gun frigate Freija, Captain John Hayes, joined company from Martinique.

On the 18th, at 8 h. 30 m. A. M., a flag of truce came off from the shore; and at the same time the 74-gun ship Sceptre, Captain Samuel James Ballard, from Fort-Royal, Martinique, joined company. Commodore Ballard instantly dismissed the flag of truce, and made preparations for an immediate attack upon the French frigates. The plan, as given out in orders, was for the Blonde to lead in, followed by the Thetis; which two frigates were to anchor abreast of and engage the two French frigates, while the Sceptre and Freija cannonaded the batteries. The Hazard, Cygnet, Ringdove, and Elizabeth, in the mean time, were to take the armed boats of the squadron in tow.

Owing to light airs and calms, the Blonde and Thetis found a great difficulty in nearing the shore. At 2 h. 25 m. P. M. one of the forts commenced firing on the British frigates. At 2h. 40 m. the French frigates opened their fire, which the Blonde and Thetis returned. Having arrived within a quarter of a mile of the two French frigates, and within half pistol-shot of the fort, and not being able owing to the calm to get nearer, the Blonde anchored with springs and opened her starboard broadside. At 3 h. 20 m. P. M. her stream cable was shot away by the fort, which kept up a very annoying fire. The Thetis soon afterwards got near enough to anchor and open her fire. At 3 h. 30 m. the northernmost French frigate had all three masts shot away by the board. At 3 h. 35 m. she struck her colours. At the same moment the Blonde had her small bower cable shot away by the fort: she let go her best bower, and continued the engagement. At 3 h. 40 m. P. M., in consequence of one French frigate having struck, the Thetis slipped her bower cable and brought her broadside to bear on the fort. At 4 h. 20 m. the southernmost French frigate hauled down her colours; and at the same moment the other frigate was seen to be on fire. Having

now compelled both French frigates to surrender, the Blonde and Thetis, at about 5 h. 10 m. P. M., cut their cables and made sail out of reach of the fort; which had latterly been keeping up a heavy fire of round, grape, and musketry. At 5 h. 20 m. P.M. the southernmost French frigate blew up with a tremendous explosion, and a part of the flaming wreck was seen to fall into the maintopmast cross-trees of the southernmost frigate, and to set her on fire.

Just about this time the boats of the squadron, under the orders of Captain Cameron, covered by the Sceptre, Freija, Hazard, Cygnet, and Ringdove, pushed off for the shore, and landed under a heavy fire. The British stormed and carried the fort, but not without a serious loss. Captain Cameron was wounded by a musket-ball while in the act of hauling down the French colours; and was killed by a grape-shot just as, having executed the service he had been sent upon, he was stepping into his boat to return to the Hazard. The gazette-account of the destruction of these two French armées en flûte and batteries is so very brief and imperfect, that we are not able to distinguish the loss sustained on board from that sustained on shore. The only ships named in the return of loss are the Blonde and Thetis. The Blonde, it appears, had her first lieutenant (George Jenkins), one master's mate (Edward Freeman), four seamen, and two marines killed, her third lieutenant (Cæsar William Richardson), one midshipman (Thomas Robotham), 10 seamen, and four marines wounded; and the Thetis, six seamen wounded; total, including Captain Cameron of the Hazard, nine killed and 22 wounded.

Among the persons landed out of the two French ships (the last of which blew up while the British were on shore) just previous to their being set on fire, was the gallant and dreadfully wounded captain of the Junon. Captain Shortland had suffered the amputation of his right leg above the knee, and of a finger: a grape-shot had also been extracted from his hand; and, had there been a probability of saving his life, other operations would have been necessary. His sufferings, when the Castor hove in sight, in being hastily removed from the captain's cabin to the gun-room, were extreme; and not less so were they, when with equal hurry he was removed from the French frigate to the shore at Anse la Barque, and then conveyed 13 miles in a scorching sun to the hospital. Human nature at length sank beneath this load of suffering; and on the 21st of January, after having been unable, during the five weeks and upwards that had elapsed since he was wounded, to sit up even in his bed, Captain Shortland expired. Although, as it would appear, shamefully inattentive to this brave British officer while living, the governorgeneral of Guadaloupe, General Enouf, paid to his mortal remains every possible respect. Captain Shortland was buried at Basseterre with the highest military honours.