ceeding to attack a force, which, in number and strength, had been magnified at every island at which he had touched in his way up; and his officers and men, on their part, gave unequivocal proofs of a high degree of skill and steadiness, in the manner in which the Seahorse tore to pieces two opponents, possessing so great a numerical superiority. Nor did the Turks behave amiss their want of skill may well be attributed to their want of practice; but the obstinacy of the Badere-Zaffer, in protracting the defence until her masts were cut away, her hull reduced to a sinking state, and nearly three fourths of her crew swept from their quarters, was truly characteristic of that desperate courage which the Mahomedans on several occasions have displayed. Taking her shattered prize in tow, the Seahorse stood with her to the southward. Scandril, at his own request, had been allowed to return on parole to the Badere-Zaffer; but, before he had been many hours on board, the savage made an attempt to blow up the ship. His diabolical plan was fortunately frustrated; and on the 9th the two ships cast anchor in the principal harbour of the island of Miconi. Here it took the Seahorse three days to place her prize in a seaworthy state. That done, Captain Stewart gave the surviving Turks their liberty; sending them to Constantinople and Smyrna on board Greek vessels, and supplying them with provisions for the voyage. The Seahorse, then, taking her prize again in tow, proceeded with her to Malta. The Badere-Zaffer was a remarkably handsome frigate, built from a French model, and measured 166 feet on the main deck, and 44 feet in breadth of beam; but, owing to the loose manner in which she had been put together, the price was not purchased for the use of the British navy. Some merchants of Malta, however, bought the Badere-Zaffer, and sent her to England with a cargo of cotton. The ship afterwards made one voyage to the Brazils, and was then broken up at Deptford. The first lieutenant of the Seahorse, as was most justly his due, was promoted to the rank of commander. The two remaining lieutenants were Thomas Bennett and Richard Glyn Vallack; and the master was Thomas Curtis, the same officer who served in a similar capacity on board the Wilhelmina when she beat off the Psyché.* After the business of the Badere-Zaffer, a fresh attempt was made to negotiate a peace; and for that purpose Mr. Robert Adair was sent by the British government to Constantinople. The Seahorse herself carried up the ambassador; and her officers saw their old opponent, the Alis-Fezan, lying dismantled in the harbour. After some delay, occasioned by one or two of those See vol. iii., p. 267. revolutions so frequent in Turkey, peace between England and the Sublime Porte was signed on the 5th of January, 1809. We left the French frigate Sémillante just as her voyage to Mexico had been rendered impracticable, in consequence of the attack made upon her at St.-Jacinta by the British frigate Phaeton and brig-sloop Harrier.* This was the more unfortunate for the Sémillante, as the south-west monsoon then blew with extreme violence. Greatly, however, to his credit, Captain Motard persevered against contrary winds and currents, and amidst a very dangerous navigation, until he cleared the sea of Celebes by the narrow and difficult strait of Aloo. The Sémillante then steered direct for the Isle of France, and anchored, on or about the 5th of November, in the harbour of Port-Louis. In the midst of her refit, the Sémillante was joined by the French frigate-privateer Bellone, of 34 guns, Captain Péroud, whose capture a few months afterwards has already been related; and, towards the close of the year, the port, with these two ships within it, became blockaded, by the British 18-pounder teak-built 36-gun frigate Pitt (afterwards Salsette), Captain Walter Bathurst, and 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Terpsichore, Captain William Jones Lye. On the 5th of January, 1806, having got on shore in watering at Flat island, and thrown several of her guns overboard, and being in a very leaky state, the Terpsichore parted company for Ceylon; and the Pitt, whose effective crew were reduced by sickness to less than one half, cruised alone off the Isle of France. Here Captain Bathurst took several prizes; and on the 26th, in chase of a vessel to windward, the Pitt got so near to the fort upon Pointe Canonnière, situated about eight miles to the northward of PortLouis, as to have one seaman killed, and her starboard nighthead shot away, Nor was the frigate, although she lay for nearly 20 minutes within gun-shot of the fort, able, owing to the direction of the wind, to bring a single gun to bear in return. No sooner did M. Motard, as he tells us, ascertain that the Pitt was cruising alone off the port; no sooner did the French captain, as he does not tell us, learn from a countryman of his, who had recently been liberated from her, that the Pitt, having 90 men sick (chiefly with scurvy and contracted limbs), and a great many absent in prizes, had scarcely a sloop of war's complement on board, than he determined to go out and engage her. For this purpose Captain Motard hastened the repairs of his ship, and in three days the Sémillante was ready for sea. But, it appears, so disproportionate in point of force were the two frigates still considered; not by the French captain, who, if we are to believe him, was all fire to engage, but by General † Ibid., p. 246, * See vol. iv., p. 153. Decaen, the governor of the island, that Captain Péroud was persuaded to add the force of the Bellone to that of the Sémillante. On the 27th, accordingly, at about 9 P. M., the two ships put to sea from Port-Louis, and in about one hour afterwards were descried and chased by the Pitt, then 12 or 13 leagues southeast by east of the port. At 11 h. 30 m. the Pitt made out the strangers to be two frigates, and soon afterwards they were no longer to be seen. "Elle (the Sémillante) sortit à la recherche de l'ennemi, qui évita constamment le combat; la nuit ayant favorisé sa fuite, il disparut."* The English of this is, that Captains Motard and Péroud, glad at an escape to sea, left the British frigate to herself, and proceeded to excuse the service, upon which alone they had been ordered out by governor Decaen. The Sémillante and Bellone steered straight for Isle Bourbon and, arriving off the bay of St.-Paul, took charge of several prizes and merchant vessels, which had been detained at that anchorage by the knowledge that one or two British frigates were cruising off the Isle of France. With these vessels under convoy, the French frigate and privateer made sail on their return; and, as the Pitt, having scarcely men enough left to work the ship, had been obliged to return to Pointe de Galle, Captain Motard re-entered without difficulty the harbour of Port-Louis. On the 7th of April, having completed the repairs which she had only partially undergone at her departure upon the successful mission we have just related, the Sémillante, accompanied by the Bellone and Henriette privateers, again succeeded in putting to sea. The Bellone and Henriette, after cruising for a month or two, fell into the hands of their enemies; but the Sémillante, in spite of her captain's fighting propensity, managed on every occasion, as the sequel will show, to avoid a similar fate. During her cruise in the Indian Ocean, the Sémillante captured eight merchant vessels, valued at upwards of 32 millions of francs. Early in the month of September, with her eight prizes in company, the Sémillante arrived in the neighbourhood of the Isle of France; but, gaining intelligence that a strong British force was cruising off Port-Louis, Captain Motard bent his course towards Isle Bourbon. On the 9th, the Sémillante, with her valuable convoy, anchored in the road of St.-Paul's bay; where already were lying, bound also to the Isle of France, four other vessels, prizes to some of the French cruisers. The British force, at this time stationed off the Isle of France, consisted of the 74-gun ship Sceptre, Captain Joseph Bingham, 24-pounder 40-gun frigate (late teak-built Indiaman) Cornwallis, Captain Charles James Johnston, and 12-pounder 36-gun frigate Dédaigneuse, Captain William Beauchamp Proctor. On the *Dict, Historique, tome iv., p. 6. སྙ 16th, in the afternoon, the Cornwallis arrived off the entrance of St.-Paul's bay, and discovered the Sémillante and her charge at anchor. On the 17th, at 9 A. M., the Cornwallis bore up, and ran as far into the bay as the wind would allow. At 10 A. M., when three or four miles only from the Sémillante, the British frigate became nearly becalmed; and, in short, Captain Johnston was totally unable to effect any thing against the French frigate at her well-protected anchorage. On the 26th the Sceptre appeared off the entrance of the bay. Well knowing that Captain Bingham would use his utmost endeavours to capture or destroy the French frigate, and the valuable property of which she had despoiled British commerce, Captain Motard removed his prizes close to the shore, and moored the Sémillante, with springs on her cables, outside to protect them, "pour les protéger. pour les protéger." But Captain Motard has entirely forgotten to state, that the Sémillante herself was protected by upwards of 100 pieces of cannon, including 37 long 24-pounders, and seven or eight heavy mortars; and which guns were mounted upon seven distinct batteries, all by their positions admirably calculated to prevent an enemy from approaching the road. Under these circumstances, no attempt was or could be made by the British force at present on the station, to molest the Sémillante and her prizes at their fortified anchorage. On the 11th of November, however, while on his way, with the Sceptre and Cornwallis, from off Mont Brabant, the southwest extremity of the Isle of France, to Isle St.-Mary on the coast of Madagascar, to get a supply of water, Captain Bingham called off St.-Paul's with the intention of making a demonstration, rather, we believe, than a serious attack, upon the shipping in the road. At about 2 h. 30 m. P. M., having cleared for action and got springs on their cables, the Sceptre and Cornwallis ran into the bay, and at 4 P. M. opened a fire upon the French frigate and vessels within her. This was immediately returned by the Sémillante and shore batteries, both with shot and shells. The heavy cannonade soon hushed the little breeze there had been, and the two British ships could with difficulty manœuvre. At 4 h. 30 m., by signal from the Sceptre, the Cornwallis repeated several signals made by the latter as if to ships in the offing; Captain Bingham expecting, probably, that the French captain would run his frigate and prizes on shore. Captain Motard, however, knew better the strength of his position, than to resort to so ruinous a measure; and at 5 h. 30 m. P. M. the Sceptre and Cornwallis ceased firing, and, without, we believe, any loss or damage, made sail for Isle St.-Mary. In a few days afterwards, finding a clear coast, Captain Motard got under way with the Sémillante and his fleet of prizes, and stood across to the Isle of France. On the 21st, at sunset, the Sémillante was discovered from the mast-head of the Dédai gneuse, who immediately crowded all sail upon a wind in chase, with light airs. At about midnight the two frigates crossed each other on opposite tacks, and were not more than half a mile apart. As the Sémillante approached on the larboard tack, the Dédaigneuse fired two or three bow-chasers at her; and, on hearing the French frigate beat to quarters, the British frigate discharged her broadside as the guns would bear. Putting her helm a-lee, the Dédaigneuse then prepared to tack after her opponent; but, owing to the lightness of the wind, the ship would not come round. A quarter boat was lowered down to tow; and at length, by wearing, the Dédaigneuse got on the same tack as the enemy. In the mean time the Sémillante had greatly increased her distance. All sail was again set in chase; but, having lost a great deal of copper from her bottom, being very foul, and at best a bad working ship, the Dédaigneuse kept gradually dropping astern. Finding this to be the case, Captain Proctor, at about 5 P. M., shortened sail and hauled to the wind on the starboard tack. Very soon afterwards the Sémillante anchored in Port-Louis; and such vessels of her convoy, as did not enter with her, succeeded in gaining Rivière Noire. The Dédaigneuse cruised off the Isle of France until her water and provisions were nearly expended; which was only a short time longer. The frigate then steered for St. Mary's, Madagascar, and afterwards proceeded to Bombay. In the mean time some insinuations, thrown out by a portion of his officers, had induced Captain Proctor to apply for a courtmartial on his conduct when in the presence of the Sémillante. The court sat on board the Culloden, in Bombay harbour, on the 27th of March, 1807; and, after the fullest investigation, declared that the conduct of Captain Proctor appeared to have been marked by the greatest activity, zeal, and anxiety for the service; that the maneuvres of the Dédaigneuse, while in the presence of the enemy, were directed with judgment and skill, very honourable to Captain Proctor; and that the escape of the enemy's frigate resulted entirely from the bad sailing of the Dédaigneuse. An honourable acquittal of course followed; and the president of the court returned Captain Proctor his sword, with a very handsome eulogium on his character. In the month of June Captain Motard quitted Port-Louis upon a cruise in the bay of Bengal; but, having in her way thither lost one of her topmasts and sprung her bowsprit, the Sémillante was obliged to bear away for the isles of Nicobar. From the forests of the principal of these islands, Captain Motard procured a bowsprit and topmasts for his frigate; and, as soon as they were fitted upon her, the Sémillante sailed for her destination. While cruising in the bay of Bengal, Captain Motard was so fortunate as to capture three richly-laden country ships on their way to China. With these valuable prizes in her company, the Sémillante sailed on her return to the Isle of |