port, immediately unmoored the squadron and prepared to go in pursuit of what was supposed to be a French squadron from Triest bound to Corfu, consisting of the 40-gun frigates Danaé and Flore and 32-gun frigate Carolina, the fugitives from Captain Hoste in the preceding March. As a strong French force was at this time assembled at Scisina, for the avowed purpose of making an attack upon Lissa, Captain Maxwell could not leave the island without providing for its defence. Accordingly a lieutenant, midshipman, and about 30 seamen, from the Alceste and Active were embarked on board three prize gun-boats lying in the port; and the whole of the marines belonging to the Alceste, Active, and, we believe, Unité, were landed as a garrison for the two batteries erected on Hoste island at the entrance of the harbour. Leaving, then, the direction of affairs to Captain Bligh of the Acorn, Captain Maxwell, with the Alceste, Active, and Unité, began warping out of the harbour against a fresh east-north-east wind; and by 7 P. M., after very great exertions on the part of their officers and crews, the three British frigates were at sea.

At 9 h. 30 m., when close off the south end of Lissa a strange vessel to windward fired two guns, and the Unité boarded her. She proved to be a neutral, on board of which Lieutenant John M'Dougal, of the Unité, had taken his passage to Malta. On that same morning, about 40 miles to the southward, this vessel had discovered three French frigates. Lieutenant M'Dougal instantly obliged the master of the neutral to put back, in order that the squadron might be informed of the circumstance, and the vessel was on her return to Lissa when thus fallen in with by the squadron. With the cheering prospect in view, Lieutenant M'Dougal resumed his station on board the Unité; and the three British frigates were soon under all the sail they could carry, against the fresh wind that now blew from the east-south-east.

On the 29th, at 9 h. 20 m. A. M., the island of Augusta in sight, the Active made the signal for three strange sail in the east-north-east. At 10 A. M. the strangers were made out to be frigates, and were in fact, not the three French ships already named, but the 40-gun frigates Pauline, Commodore FrançoisGilles Monfort, aîné, and Pomone, Captain Claude-CharlesMarie Ducamp-Rosamel, and the frigate-built store-ship Persanne, of 26 guns, Captain Joseph-André Satie, from Corfu since the 16th, going to join the French squadron at Triest; for which, and for the batteries of the place, they had on board a quantity of iron and brass ordnance. At first the three French frigates formed in line on the larboard tack, and stood towards the British ships; but, on making out the latter to be an enemy's squadron, M. Monfort bore up to north-west, and set studdingsails, followed, under an equal press of canvass, by the Alceste and her two companions.

At about 11 A. M., finding that she could not keep way with the Pauline and Pomone, the Persanne separated from them and

stood to the north-east. The Active now steered for the Persanne, but was immediately recalled, and the Unité detached after her. In the mean time the Alceste and Active continued in pursuit of the Pauline and Pomone, and, especially the Alceste, were rather gaining upon them. At 11 h. 50 m. A. M. Captain Maxwell telegraphed the Active, "Remember the battle of Lissa." At 30 minutes past noon, just as the rocky island of Pelagosa bore from the Alceste south-west distant five leagues, the Persanne was seen to fire her stern chase-guns at the Unité, and to receive in return a fire from the latter's bowchasers.

At

At 1 h. 20 m. P. M. the Alceste, then running above nine knots an hour with the wind on the larboard quarter, fired a shot from her foremost gun on the starboard side directly into the larboard quarter of the Pomone; who immediately hoisted a French ensign and pendant, and fired a single shot, which splintered the Alceste's main topgallantmast. The Pauline, who was close ahead of the Pomone, also hoisted her colours, with a commodore's broad pendant. At 1 h. 24 m., being still under a crowd of sail to get to the French commodore, the Alceste opened her broadside upon the Pomone, and received a fire in return. 1 h. 40 m., when directly a-beam of the Pomone, with every prospect of quickly reaching the Pauline, who had taken in her royals to keep nearer to her consort, the Alceste received a shot from the Pomone, which carried away her main topmast just above the cap. As the wreck, with the topgallant and royal studding-sails, fell over on the starboard side, and the Alceste in consequence dropped a little astern, "cheers of Vive l'empereur!" says Captain Maxwell," resounded from both ships: they thought the day their own, not aware of what a second I had in my gallant friend Captain Gordon, who pushed the Active up under every sail."

At about 2 P. M., having gained a station on the starboard or lee quarter of the Pomone, the Active brought that frigate to close action. At about 2 h. 20 m. P. M., resetting his royals, the French commodore braced up, and presently tacked and stood for the weather beam of the Alceste. At 2 h. 30 m. the latter and the Pauline became closely engaged. At about 3 h. 5 m. P. M., seeing that the Pomone stood no chance with the Active, and observing, probably, the British 18-gun ship-sloop Kingfisher, Captain Ewell Tritton, approaching in the distance, the French commodore set all sail and stood to the westward. Shortly afterwards the Active, although with all three topsails to the mast, unavoidably shot ahead of her antagonist, and a suspension of the firing ensued. At about 3 h. 40 m. P. M., just as the Alceste had arrived up and opened a fire from her starboard broadside, the main and mizen masts of the Pomone came down by the board; and almost immediately afterwards the French frigate hoisted a union-jack as the signal of his having struck.

Neither of the two British frigates being now in a condition to make sail in pursuit, the Pauline effected her escape.

The Alceste, whose crew, after deducting those left on shore at Lissa, amounted to only 218 men and boys, had one midshipman (Charles Nourse) and six seamen killed, one lieutenant (Andrew Wilson), 11 seamen, and one marine wounded. The Active, who had about the same number of men absent as her consort, lost one midshipman (George Osborne), five seamen, and two marines killed, her captain (leg amputated), two lieutenants (William Bateman Dashwood, arm amputated, and George Haye), 21 seamen (one mortally), and three marines wounded. It was about the middle of the action that Captain Gordon received his wound: he was standing on a shot-bag and leaning on the capstan, giving his orders in his usual collected manner, when a 36-pound shot came in through a port-hole, grazed the carriage of a carronade, took off a seaman's leg, and struck the captain on the knee-joint; carrying all off as if it had been done with a knife, and leaving the leg hanging by the tendons. Although, of course, he instantly fell, Captain Gordon did not become insensible, but calmly directed the first lieutenant, Mr. Dashwood, to fight the ship; and, as he was being carried below, told the second lieutenant, Mr. Haye, who commanded on the main deck, to do his best, should any mischance befal his senior officer. Shortly afterwards Lieutenant Dashwood had his right arm shot away; and Lieutenant Haye, taking the command, fought the Active, although himself wounded, until her opponent's colours came down.

The damaged state of the Pomone at her surrender clearly proved, that her colours had not come down until all further resistance was vain. Her main and mizen masts fell, as we have stated, during the action, and her foremast very soon shared their fate. The hull of the Pomone was so shattered by the Active's quick and well-directed fire, that the ship had five feet water in the hold; and her loss, out of a crew of 332 men and boys, amounted, as acknowledged by her officers, to 50 in killed and wounded, including Captain Rosamel himself by a grapeshot in the mouth. With respect to the damage or loss of the Pauline, nothing can be stated with certainty; but it was afterwards understood, that she entered Ancona in a very disabled state from her sufferings in the action.

Here were two pairs of combatants, as equally matched, all circumstances considered, as could well have been brought together; and here was an action gallantly fought, we were going to say, on both sides. As, however, the French commodore certainly abandoned the action before the fall of his consort's masts had given the British a superiority, we feel disposed to concur in opinion with Captain Rosamel, that his commodore shamefully deserted him; and that, at one time, there was every probability, that a spirited co-operation on the part of the Pauline

would have enabled both French frigates to have effected their escape.

The best voucher an officer can obtain of his good conduct in action is the testimony of his enemy; but, unfortunately, it is not every heart that can cherish such a sentiment, nor every understanding that can perceive how much it redounds to true glory, to give to that sentiment free and unrestrained utterance. Captain Rosamel, however, had the happiness to fall into the hands of an officer, who both felt, and publicly expressed, what was due from one brave enemy to another. Captain Maxwell thus expresses himself on the subject: "Captain Rosamel fought his ship with a skill and bravery, that has obtained for him the respect and esteem of his opponents." That this act of justice emanated solely from principle, may be gathered from the following well-attested anecdote. According to the etiquette of the service, Captain Maxwell, as senior officer of the two British frigates, became entitled to the sword of the French captain: indeed, the French captain would deliver his sword to no one else; but, no sooner did Captain Maxwell receive it, than, considering the Pomone to be the fair trophy of the Active, he sent, or rather took, the sword to Captain Gordon, as his by right of conquest.

It was about noon when the Unité so far closed in the wake of the Persanne, whose end-on appearance indicated that she also was a frigate, as to exchange bow and stern chasers; but the variable state of the wind, which shifted from south to east, and the continuance of the Persanne in a course that kept the Unité directly astern, made it nearly 4 P. M. before the latter got close enough to open a part of her broadside. As soon as this was done, the Persanne fired a broadside in return, and hauled down her colours.

The masts, yards, sails, and rigging of the Unité were more or less cut by the galling stern-fire to which she had been exposed; but her loss was restricted to one seaman severely wounded. The Persanne was also tolerably damaged aloft; and, out of her 190 men in complement, had two killed and four wounded. Animated by the same spirit of fairness which, as we have shown, characterized his commodore, Captain Chamberlayne says in his official letter, that Captain Satie's " masterly manoeuvres and persevering resistance, for nearly four hours reflect great credit on him."

The Pomone was one of the largest class of French frigates, and had in her hold 42 iron guns, chiefly 18-pounders, and nine brass guns, besides 220 iron wheels for gun-carriages. The Persanne, whose 26 guns were 8-pounders, was a ship of 860 tons, and had in her hold 130 iron 24-pounders, and 20 brass 9-pounders. The Pauline, in all probability, had on board a quantity of the same description of warlike stores. The Pomone was built by the citizens of Genoa at the commencement of the

war of 1803, and presented to Jérôme Buonaparte on his being appointed a capitaine de frégate. Like most of these presented ships, the Pomone had been rather hastily run up, and, on being brought to England in September, 1812, was found defective and taken to pieces. The Persanne was not a ship calculated for the British navy: she was therefore sold to the Bey of Tunis.

Lieutenant Wilson, first of the Alceste, was promoted to the rank of commander on the 17th of September, 1812. The second lieutenant was James Montagu,_and_the_acting_third lieutenant, James Adair. Lieutenants Dashwood and Haye, first and second of the Active, were made commanders on the 19th of May, 1812. The officer, acting as third lieutenant of the Active, was Redmond Moriarty. The first lieutenant of the Unité was Joseph William Crabb, already named in these pages; and who, to our great surprise, still appears with no higher rank than he held when the Unité captured the Persanne. Captain Chamberlayne, therefore, had some reason for dwelling upon the "extreme disappointment" it was to his officers, on finding, when the latter ship surrendered, that they had been opposed to a vessel of inferior force.

On the 26th of May, in the evening, the 16-gun brig-sloop Sabine, Captain George Price, cruising on the Cadiz station, detached her boats, five in number, under the orders of Lieutenant William Usherwood, assisted by Lieutenant Patrick Finucane, and Mr. Thomas Settle the master, also by some of the warrant-officers and midshipmen, (we wish Captain Price had enabled us to give their names,) to attempt cutting out five French privateers at anchor in the port of Sabiona. They were small fast-sailing vessels, of two 4-pounders and 25 men each, and had been very destructive to the commerce on that part of the coast.

The boats entered the port; and, although the privateers were moored under a battery, the attack had been planned with so much judgment, and was executed with so much promptitude and gallantry, that each British boat succeeded in capturing a privateer, and that without the slightest loss. Two of the privateers were afterwards dragged on shore, by means of a hawser made fast to the lower gudgeon; and, in repulsing the French soldiers and crews with the cutlass, one British marine was wounded by a musket-ball. The three remaining privateers were brought safe off. Although the crews of the five privateers considerably outnumbered the whole complement of the Sabine, and although Captain Price describes his first lieutenant, who headed the party that performed the exploit, as "an excellent officer," the name of William Usherwood still appears among the lieutenants belonging to the British navy.

* See vol. iv., p. 205.