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admiral's arrival off Tenedos, the Turkish admiral had moved his fleet to an anchorage in the Dardanells above the first castles.

The intelligence of the peace of Tilsit sent the Russian admiral down the Mediterranean, and put an end to the mission of Pozzi de Borgo. After some preliminary conferences, Sir Arthur Paget, went up alone to Constantinople, in the 38-gun frigate Thetis, Captain William Henry Gage. Either intimidated or cajoled by the French emperor, the Sublime Porte would come to no terms; and on or about the 19th of October, the Thetis, with the ambassador on board, quitted the Dardanells.

Towards the end of the year, upon an understanding between the Porte and Lord Collingwood, that no Turkish men of war were to cruise in the Ægean sea, and no tribute to be exacted from the inhabitants of the Greek islands, the British admiral quitted the Archipelago; and, early in the year 1808, detached the 38-gun frigate Seahorse, Captain John Stewart, to cruise there, with particular directions to see that the compact entered into with the Porte in favour of the Greeks was strictly complied with.

It appears that a band of Epirots, who had been taken into the pay and service of Russia, upon being disbanded at the peace of Tilsit and thrown upon their former masters the Turks, had taken possession of Dromo and Saraguino, two small islands situated at the mouth of the gulf of Salonica; whence, with large boats, they laid the coast, as far as the Dardanells, under contribution, and made prize of all vessels going to Constantinople. The tribute from these countries, being paid principally in corn, was thus intercepted; and the Turks, having no force outside of the Dardanells sufficient to crush this nest of pirates, made application to Captain Stewart to know whether he would interfere with any squadron sent for that purpose. Being aware what would be the next object of the Turkish commander after he had put down the pirates, Captain Stewart replied, that he should repel by force any ships attempting, in violation of the treaty, to come out of the Dardanells.

The Porte, however, having received intelligence that no other British ship than the Seahorse was cruising in the Archipelago, despatched a squadron, composed of two frigates, two corvettes, two mortar-vessels, and some xebecs, upon the service in view. In the latter end of June this squadron anchored off the island of Dromo, made a landing, and surrounded the town of the pirates situated upon a peak. But the freebooters, in the mean time, had despatched a fast-sailing boat to the island of Sira near Tino, where the Seahorse lay at anchor.

The intelligence reached Captain Stewart on the 1st of July; and he instantly got under way, and began working up against a north-north-east wind. Nothing of consequence occurred until the 5th, at noon; when the Seahorse spoke a Greek ship,

from Gritchery to Malta, the master of which ship confirmed the accounts previously received of a Turkish squadron being in that neighbourhood. Profiting by a light air, which had just sprung up from the south-east, Captain Stewart dismissed the Greek ship and made all sail to the north-west. At 4 P. M., the weather becoming squally from the north-east with rain, the Seahorse was obliged to reduce her canvass to treble-reefed topsails. At 5 h. 45 m. P. M., by which time the weather had cleared up, two ships and a galley were descried between the islands of Scopolo and Dromo, standing to the southward, with the wind, owing to the mountainous nature of those islands, more to the northward than it blew with the Seahorse. The discovery was very soon made, that the two ships were Turkish

men of war.

Before we proceed further in the narrative, we will give an account of the force of the parties now approaching each other with, on one side at least, determined hostility. The Seahorse, upon her main deck, mounted the 28 long 18-pounders of her class, with 12 carronades, 32-pounders, upon her quarterdeck, and upon her forecastle two long brass Spanish 18-pounders, which she had taken on board at Messina in lieu of four long nines; total 42 guns. The net complement of the Seahorse was 281 men and boys; but, having several men absent in prizes, she had at this time on board only 251. The ship measured 998 tons.

The Badere-Zaffer, Captain Scandril Kichuc-Ali, mounted upon the main deck 30 brass guns, of three different calibers: on each side, at the centre or broadest part of the ship, was a French 36-pounder; the two next guns on each side of that gun were French 24-pounders, and the remaining 10 upon the broadside, French 18-pounders. On the quarterdeck, including two stern-chasers, the Turkish frigate had 14 long French 12pounders, and on the forecastle, including two bow-chasers, six guns of the same caliber, all brass; making in the whole 52 guns. Her crew, including some supernumeraries received from the galley, amounted to 543 men; and, as a proof that she was well able to carry the armament established upon her, the BadereZaffer measured nearly 1300 tons. The Alis-Fezan, Captain Duragardi-Ali, mounted 24 long brass French 12-pounders on the main deck, and two mortars in the centre of the ship, with a crew, partly taken out of the galley (which had been ordered back to a port of safety), of 230 men. In point of size, the Alis-Fezan was about 730 tons.

As single-decked ships and Turkish men of war, the BadereZaffer and Alis-Fezan excited no alarm on board the British frigate; and, with colours hoisted, the Seahorse continued standing to the eastward to interrupt them in their course to the southward. Either because the Turkish commodore was confident in his strength, or that he had no suspicion of an

attack, the two ships did not in the slightest degree deviate from the course they were steering.

At 9 h. 30 m. P. M., the Seahorse having arrived abreast and to windward of the Badere-Zaffer, the weathermost of the two ships, Captain Stewart, by means of the pilot, a native of Gibraltar, who had formerly been a captive in the hands of the Turks, and had afterwards served as a slave on board the SultanSelim, hailed the Turkish commodore, and ordered him to surrender to the British frigate. This Captain Scandril flatly refused, and into the hull of the Badere-Zaffer went a whole double-shotted broadside of the Seahorse. Nor was the Turkish frigate slow in returning the fire. In this way, with the wind a light breeze about two points abaft the starboard beam, the two frigates went off engaging; the Badere-Zaffer gradually edging away to close her consort, who was about a gun-shot distant a little before her larboard beam. See the diagram at p. 61.

As soon as she had run far enough to leeward for the AlisFezan to join her in the cannonade, the 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 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. Taking the wind out of her main and mizen topsails, the Seahorse sheared towards this new antagonist; and, pouring in her starboard broadside, at the distance of not more than 200 yards, made a dreadful havoc on board. After 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 fighting enough; and, putting her helm a-starboard, the Alis-Fezan Iuffed under the stern of the Seahorse, and stood away in the direction of the island of Pelagnisi. In consequence of the smoke and the attention due to her more formidable antagonist, the Seahorse did not 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 AlisFezan, or at about 10 h. 35 m. P. M., the Seahorse, favoured by a freshening of the breeze, overtook, and, furling her topgallantsails, renewed the engagement with, the Badere-Zaffer; who received the starboard broadside of the Seahorse, and returned

the fire from her larboard guns, both ships going before the wind. At 11 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 gaff-vangs and starboard mizen topgallant back-stays. At this moment the bowsprit and forecastle of the Badere-Zaffer 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 action with her larboard guns. About this time the Badere-Zaffer lost her mizen topmast. The two frigates continued engaging, broadside to broadside, until the Badere-Zaffer became completely silenced. 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 Badere-Zaffer (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 same. See pos. 3.

The British crew now took some rest; and at daylight the Seahorse filled and made sail towards the Turkish frigate, then about a mile distant, steering before the wind under her shreds of courses. The Seahorse soon came up with the Badere-Zaffer, and, hauling athwart the latter's stern (see pos. 4), poured in her broadside. At this time, regardless of the 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 officers 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, however, 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 manœuvres of the parties, in this long and sanguinary battle.

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Lieutenant George Downie, first of the Seahorse, accompanied by Lieutenant of marines John Cook, went in the four-oared boat and took possession of the prize. Upon the arrival of the Turkish captain on board the Seahorse, he was sullen and sad, and 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 Mahomedan 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 only five men killed and 10 wounded. A 24-pound 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 gallantry in pro

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