guns, but with only four 12-pounders and 30 men on board; a fine brig of 245 tons, then on her way to the Isle of France with despatches from the government at home.

Immediately after the surrender of the Isle Bourbon, the Sirius returned to her station off the Isle of France; and, while standing along the south side, discovered a three-masted schooner making every exertion to haul herself on shore out of reach of the frigate. Captain Pym immediately despatched the cutter and pinnace of the Sirius, with 14 men in each, the former commanded by Lieutenant Norman, and the latter by Lieutenant John Wyatt Watling. The two boats hastened to the beach, and found the schooner fast aground, and under the protection of about 300 regulars and militia, with two field-pieces. Notwithstanding this, Lieutenant Norman and his little party succeeded, without sustaining any loss, in boarding and destroying the vessel, which was partly laden with supplies for the French army. While the service was executing, the tide had ebbed considerably; whereby the British, in their way back to their boats, were obliged to pass the whole posse militaire within half musket-shot. Unfortunately, too, the pinnace was aground; and, in the efforts to get her afloat, one seaman was killed and a midshipman badly

wounded.

Soon after the boats had returned to the Sirius, the Iphigenia joined from Isle Bourbon; as, in a day or two afterwards, did the Néréide and the Staunch gun-brig. On board the Néréide were 12 Madras artillerymen under Lieutenant Aldwinkle, and 100 choice troops, consisting of 50 grenadiers of the 69th regiment under Lieutenant Needhall, and 50 of the 33d, under Lieutenant. Morlett, the whole commanded by Captain Todd of the 69th. This force had been placed on board the Néréide by Lieutenantcolonel Keating, in order to co-operate with Captain Willoughby, in an attack, in the first instance, upon Isle de la Passe, a small rocky island, situated upwards of four miles to the eastward of the town of Grand-Port, or Port Sud-Est,* on the south-east side of the Isle of France; and the narrow and intricate channel to the harbour of which town, one face of the battery on the above small island completely commands.

The main object, in possessing this key to Grand-Port, was to enable Captain Willoughby, by the aid of a black pilot serving with him in the Néréide, to enter the intricate channel to the harbour, and accompanied by an adequate force, to land in the vicinity of the town before the post could be strengthened from head-quarters; and then to distribute among the inhabitants copies of a proclamation addressed to them by Governor Farquhar of Isle Bourbon. This proclamation, like all others of the same kind, drew as frightful a picture of the present misery * Called also Port Impérial.

of the inhabitants, as it did a flattering one of their future happiness, provided, when the British came to conquer their country, they offered no resistance. In short, as the principal strength of the island, after its forts were carried, consisted in its unembodied militia, the object was, by sapping their integrity, to render them comparatively powerless.

On the 10th of August, having left Captain Lambert, with the Iphigenia, off Port-Louis, Captain Pym, with the Sirius, Néréide, and Staunch, arrived off Grand-Port. On the same evening the boats of the two frigates, containing about 400 seamen, marines, and soldiers, under the command of Captain Willoughby, were taken in tow by the Staunch, who had on board the Néréide's black pilot, and proceeded to attack Isle de la Passe. The night becoming very dark, and the weather extremely boisterous, so as to occasion several of the boats to run foul of each other and some to get stove, the pilot began to falter, and declared it was impossible to enter the channel under such disadvantageous circumstances. Captain Willoughby offered the man a thousand dollars, if he would persevere and carry the boats in; but the pilot persisted in his declaration of the impracticability of the undertaking, and the enterprise was given up. Daylight on the 11th discovered the boats scattered in all directions by the weather, but the frigates and gun-brig at length picked them up.

In order to lull the suspicions of the French as to any meditated attack upon Isle de la Passe, Captain Pym bore away with his small force round the south-west end of the island, and joined Captain Lambert off Port-Louis. It was now arranged, to further the deception, that the two frigates should return off Isle de la Passe by different routes, the Sirius to beat up by the longest or eastern route, and the Néréide, accompanied by the Staunch, to proceed by the leeward or south-western route; and,as the Néréide sailed very badly, it was calculated that the two frigates would arrive off Grand-Port nearly at the same time. Previously to the departure of the Sirius, two boats from the Iphigenia, under the command of Lieutenant Henry Ducie Chads, second of that ship, came on board to assist in the intended attack.

On the 13th, in the afternoon, the Sirius arrived off Isle de la Passe; but the Néréide and Staunch, having to beat up from the south-west end of the Isle of France, were still at a great distance to leeward. Fearing that the French might gain some intimation of his intention, and thus render the enterprise doubly hazardous, and perhaps impracticable, Captain Pym resolved to detach his own boats on the service; the more so, as the weather was unusually favourable, and as he had taken from the Néréide her black pilot. Accordingly, at 8 P. M., five boats, including the Iphigenia's two, containing between them 71 officers, seamen,

and marines,* commanded by Lieutenant Norman, and assisted by Lieutenants Chads and Watling, and Lieutenants of marines James Cottell and William Bate, pushed off from the Sirius.

Of the nature of the fortifications upon Isle de la Passe we are not able to give so accurate a description as we could wish. The guns mounted upon the island consisted, we believe, of four 24, and nine 18-pounders, together with three 13-inch mortars and two howitzers. The landing-place was on the inner or north-west side of the island, and was defended by a chevaux de frise and the two howitzers. But, to get to this landing-place, it was necessary to pass a battery, on which most of the guns were mounted. The garrison on the island consisted, at this time, of two commissioned officers, and about 80 regular troops.

Fortunately for the British, just as the boats were approaching the principal battery, a black cloud obscured the moon, which had been shining very bright, and concealed them from view. Lieutenant Norman had previously directed Lieutenant Watling, who was in the launch of the Sirius, to lead, and cover the landing with her 18-pounder carronade. Lieutenant Norman, with the pinnace, kept close to the launch; and Lieutenant Chads, with the Iphigenia's cutter and the two remaining boats, was close astern of the launch and pinnace. Just as the boats, in this order, were approaching the landing place, the enemy discovered them, and opened a fire, which killed two men and wounded three or four in the launch, and did nearly as much execution in the pinnace.

Dashing on, however, the boats gained the landing place without further loss. Lieutenants Norman and Watling now attempted to scale the works, but failed in accomplishing their object. Lieutenant Norman was in the act of turning away to try another spot, when the sentinel over head shot him through the heart. The man was immediately shot by one of the launch's men, and the seamen, headed by Lieutenant Watling, quickly scaled the walls. A stout resistance followed; and it was not until the British had lost, in all, seven men killed and 18 wounded, that they succeeded in driving the French from the works. After rallying his men, Lieutenant Watling proceeded to attack the batteries on the south-east side, when he was met by Lieutenant Chads; who had landed at another point of the island, and, in the most gallant manner, had stormed and carried the works in that direction, without, as it appears, the loss of a man. The two lieutenants having united their forces, the French commandant offered no further opposition, but surrendered at discretion. This he did in such haste as to forget to destroy

*We formerly said 110, but we are assured that the number in the text comprises all that embarked.

his signals, the whole of which fell into the hands of the conquerors.

"

We cannot understand how it happened, that the official account of this very dashing exploit did not find its way into the London Gazette. The following extract of a letter, from Commodore Rowley to Vice-admiral Bertie, shows that the firstnamed officer forwarded Captain Pym's letter: "I had the honour to transmit to you, on the 31st of August, Captain Pym's report of a gallant and successful attack by his boats on the Isle de la Passe, and I beg to second his recommendation of Lieutenants Chads and Watling for their conduct on that occasion.” As the names stand here, so was the seniority of these two Lieutenants; and consequently, in our humble view, Lieutenant Chads took the command after the death of Lieutenant Norman. But here follows a paragraph in a document bearing the signature of Captain Pym: "I do further certify, that the conduct of the said Lieutenant Watling in the attack of l'Isle de Passe, under Lieutenant Norman of the Sirius, was truly gallant, and that after the latter was killed, by his (Lieutenant W.'s) side in the moment of victory, he took the command."

As far as respects the merits of these two young officers, the question is of no moment: each was equally gallant and equally successful; but still the responsibility, which in enterprises of this kind attaches to the commanding officer, confers upon him the paramount claim to reward. If Captain Pym, in his official letter placed his lieutenant the first, the board of admiralty, knowing that Lieutenant Chads_was nearly two years senior to Lieutenant Watling, may, on that sole account, have withheld the publication of Captain Pym's letter. Whatever was the cause, the non-appearance of the letter in the Gazette was truly unfortunate; as one of the two officers undoubtedly lost his promotion by it, and both were deprived of a strong public testimonial in their favour.

Considering it not unlikely that, from his long professional experience, the post captain, who is one of our contemporaries, would throw some light on the subject, we naturally turned to his pages. Our surprise may be judged, when we perused as follows: "Captain Pym, who had been stationed off the Isle of France, and particularly off Port Imperial, on the south-east or weather side of the island, conceived the possibility of more effectually preventing the ingress of the enemy's ships to the harbour, by occupying the Isle de la Passe, which completely commanded the narrows; he therefore stormed and carried it with the loss of 18 of his men killed and wounded."* Let us hasten to do Captain Pym the justice to declare our persuasion that he had no share in this mistatement, by reason that a very different version of the affair is given in the captain's biography,t * Brenton, vol. iv., p. 465. + Marshall, vol. ii., p. 717.

although, as in most of his other cases, Mr. Marshall appears to have had a direct communication with his officer.

On the 14th, in the morning, the Néréide and Staunch joined company; and on the 15th Captain Pym gave charge of Isle de la Passe to Captain Willoughby, and made sail to rejoin the Iphigenia off Port-Louis. On the 16th, which appears to have been as soon as Captain Pym's order reached him, Captain Willoughby, having got back his pilot, entered the channel and anchored the Néréide and Staunch in a small bight of deep water just at the back of the island. He then placed, as a garrison upon Isle de la Passe, 50 of his grenadiers, with Captain Todd as the commandant, and immediately proceeded, in company with Lieutenant Davis of the Madras engineers, to reconnoitre the enemy's coast; where, like a second Lord Cochrane, Captain Willoughby soon began his bold and annoying attacks.

On the 17th, at 1 A. M., having embarked in the boats Lieutenants Morlett and Needhall, and 50 men of the 33d and 69th regiments, Lieutenant Aldwinkle and 12 artillerymen from the Staunch, Lieutenant Davis of the Madras engineers, Lieutenants of marines Thomas Robert Pye and Thomas S. Cox and 50 of their corps, Lieutenant Henry Collins Deacon, and acting Lieutenant William Weiss, and 50 seamen, total 170 officers and men, Captain Willoughby proceeded to attack the fort on Pointe du Diable, commanding the small, or north-eastern passage into Grand-Port. Before daylight the captain and his party landed at Canaille du Bois, and after a march of six miles reached the fort; which they immediately stormed and carried without the loss of a man, although, in defending their post, the French commanding officer and three men were killed, and three gunners taken prisoners.

Having, during a three hours' halt, spiked eight 24-pounders and two 13-inch mortars, burnt the carriages, blown up the magazine, and embarked a 13-inch brass mortar in a new prame well calculated for carrying troops or guns over flats, Captain Willoughby moved on to the old town of Grand-Port, a distance of 12 miles, leaving in the houses and villages through which he and his men passed, the proclamations with which he had been intrusted. On the whole of their way along the coast, the party were attended by three boats, two belonging to the Néréide and one to the Staunch, fitted as gun-boats and commanded by Lieutenant Deacon; who so completely covered the road of march, that, except on one occasion, no enemy could show himself. On that occasion a strong party, under General Vandermaesen, the second in command on the island, attacked the British detachment, but were soon put to the rout with the loss of six men killed and wounded. Having, by sunset, succeeded in every object for which the landing had been undertaken, and gained from some of the most respectable inhabitants and well