however, leave unnoticed the statement, that, "at 1801. about twelve o'clock, captain Ferris hauled down his July. colours and surrendered;" nor the charge against the Hannibal's captain, conveyed in these words: "Nothing could exceed the decision and intrepidity of captain Ferris, although the result of his manœuvre was unfortunate: it is, however, due to sir James Saumarez to state, that the squadron did not withdraw from action until the Hannibal had surrendered. A contrary assertion is made in the narrative of captain Ferris; an unaccountable error, proving that the most correct officers may sometimes be deceived, and the more to be lamented in this instance, as bearing the sanction of an official document."

Our complaint against captain Ferris is, that his account of the time, which intervened between the "ships driving out of the bay" and the surrender of the Hannibal, is not very clearly expressed. The captain might with propriety have stated, that the Hannibal did not strike her colours until nearly half an hour after sir James Saumarez, from unavoidable causes undoubtedly, had discontinued the action and made sail for Gibraltar. Such was the fact. Not a word is there to contradict it either in the rearadmiral's official letter, or in the Caesar's log; but there is ample proof in confirmation of it, as we will now proceed to show. No time whatever, beyond the day of the month, and that only by inference, appears in the letter of sir James Saumarez; but the log of the Cæsar says: "At 12 h. 30 m. made signal for Hannibal being aground;" that is, about half an hour, according to our contemporary, after the Hannibal had "surrendered." "At 1 h. 35 m.,' says the flag-ship's log, "action ceased;" which, be it observed, is even ten minutes later than the log of the Audacious dates the same incident: whereas the "Narrative" of captain Ferris fixes the time of the Hannibal's surrender at "nearly two o'clock." A french account now before us also says: * Brenton, vol. iii. p. 35.)

1801. "L'Annibal, échoué près du Formidable, essuyant July. en même temps le feu de la batterie Saint-Jacques et celui du vaisseau françois, amena son pavillon à deux heures du soir."* Of the four logs we have been able to get a sight of, the only one which notices the surrender of the Hannibal is the Venerable's. That says: "At two, observed the Hannibal cease firing and hoist the colours reversed." But there is another witness to the truth of captain Ferris's statement. The Calpé in her log says: "At half past one, the Hannibal grounded under a very heavy battery, and was much shattered. At 4, she hauled her colours down; which the enemy kept again flying. Sent boats to save the people, which were all detained. Standing off and on, ships and forts firing on us. Half past 6 bore up for the bay, and found the squadron at anchor, and the Cæsar and Pompée in the mole." The mistake in the Calpé's absolute time is of little consequence, provided the relative time corresponds; and that it does tolerably well. It is clear, also, that the squadron had all anchored at Gibraltar when the Calpé returned, and the Cæsar and Pompée had even gone into the mole. So much, therefore, for the assertion of captain Brenton, that "the squadron did not withdraw from action until the Hannibal had surrendered;" as well as for the "unaccountable error" of captain Ferris in having, in a manner the least offensive that can wellbe imagined, stated the contrary.

On the following morning, the 7th, captain Brenton, of the Cæsar, was despatched with a flag of truce, to endeavour to negotiate the exchange of captain Ferris, his officers and men. After some correspondence between sir James and the french admiral, the latter permitted captain Ferris, with all his officers and. wounded men, to depart on their parole; and granted the same privilege to captain ford Cochrane and the officers of the Speedy brig.

Thus it stands in the first edition of this work, and so we yet believe the fact to be; but the brother * Victoires et Conquêtes, tome xiv. p. 161.

of the officer who carried the message, says thus: 1801. "Sir James Saumarez sent his captain over to June. Algeziras with a flag of truce to the french admiral, proposing an exchange of prisoners, which M. Linois declined, alleging that it was not in his power to consent to such a measure, without first receiving the sanction of the minister of marine at Paris, to whom he had despatched a courier immediately after the termination of the action."* At all events both captain Ferris and lord Cochrane, with their respective officers, the sole object, we believe, of captain Jahleel Brenton's mission, were in England in the month of August.

Ac

captain

It would be almost superfluous to state the result of the court-martial which was afterwards held upon captain Ferris, and the late officers and ship's company of the Hannibal. The court, of which rear- quitadmiral Holloway was president, sat on board the tal of Gladiator, in Portsmouth harbour, on the 1st of Ferris. September. After the most honourable acquittal that a brave man could desire, captain Ferris had his sword returned to him by the president, with the following address: "Captain Ferris, I have great pleasure in returning this sword to you, as I feel assured, if ever you have occasion to unsheath it again, it will be used with the same gallantry which you so nobly displayed in defending his majesty's ship Hannibal."

We formerly mentioned the transfer by Spain to France, for immediate employment, of six ships of the line at anchor in Cadiz harbour. On the 13th of June, in the morning, the two french 40-gun frigates Libre and Indienne, after a few hours' chase by the 74-gun ships Venerable and Superb, the only british force then off the port, anchored in the road of Cadiz from Brest, having on board rearadmiral Dumanoir-le-Pelley, commodore Le Ray, and a number of other officers, as well as of seamen,

* Brentop, vol. iii, p. 36. VOL. III.

N

† See p. 161.

June.

1801. for the franco-spanish ships equipping in the port. The remainder of the crews, not already arrived by these and other conveyances, were daily expected from Brest, Lorient, and Rochefort.

The first step taken by rear-admiral Linois, after getting his grounded ships and prize afloat; and which, notwithstanding the belief of sir James Saumarez, that "the whole were rendered entirely unserviceable," he soon did, was to send an express overland to admirals Massaredo and Dumanoir at Cadiz, imploring them to come or send a squadron to his assistance, before the British could get their ships repaired for renewing the attack; adding, in his second despatch to the spanish commander in chief, "I have just received advice that the enemy intends burning us at our anchorage: it is in your power to save for the republic three fine ships of the line and a frigate, by merely ordering the Cadiz squadron to come and seek us."

Even these urgent calls would in all probability have failed in their effect, had not rear-admiral Dumanoir been on the spot to unite his solicitations with those of rear-admiral Linois. Thus pressed, admiral Massaredo, on the afternoon of the 8th, ordered vice-admiral don Juan Joaquin de Moreno, with five spanish and one franco-spanish sail of the line, three frigates and a lugger, to anchor in the outer road ready for a start by the land-wind of the next morning. This movement was seen by the Superb, then with the Thames and Pasley cruising off the port.

How these vessels happened to be here, when the Superb had been ordered to follow the squadron to Algeziras, may require some explanation. About three hours after the latter ship, still lying nearly becalmed, had lost sight of the rearmost of the ships with sir James, an american vessel from the Mediterranean gave information, that she had seen a french squadron of three sail of the line come out of Algeziras bay, and had left the ships well towards the

african shore, standing out of the Straits. Inclining 1801. to think that the french admiral, if met by sir James, June. as the american master had no doubt would be the case, would run direct for the Mediterranean; considering that, by the delay which had unavoidably happened, the Superb had lost all chance of joining the admiral in time to be of any service; and having not the slightest apprehension of the result of a contest at sea between three french and six british sail of the line, captain Keats judged it to be the wisest plan to return off Cadiz, and, with his 74, frigate, and brig, watch the motions of the immeasurably superior force at anchor in that port.

On the 9th, at daylight, the franco-spanish squadron put to sea, all except the Saint-Antoine 74, which either got aground, or, not being able to fetch out, came again to an anchor. The remaining five sail of the line, three frigates, and a lugger, made sail towards the Gut, preceded by the Superb, Thames, and Pasley. Early in the afternoon the brig came crowding into Gibraltar with the signal for an enemy flying; and at 3 P. M., while the spanish squadron was hauling round Cabrita point, the Superb and Thames, by signal from the Cæsar, came to an anchor in Gibraltar bay. Shortly afterwards the squadron from Cadiz was seen from the rock to cast anchor in the road of Algeziras. On the next morning the San-Antonio, or, as her recent change of ownership entitled her to be called, SaintAntoine, anchored in company with rear-admiral Moreno's squadron.

That the object of this reinforcement was to conduct in safety to Cadiz the squadron of M. Linois was well known at the rock; and nothing could surpass the exertions of the british officers and men to get their damaged ships ready for sea. The Pompée was in too bad a state to leave any hopes that she could be got ready in time: her men, therefore, were turned over to assist in the repairs of the other ships. "The Cæsar," says captain Edward