and Tell. between the Penelope and the crippled Guillaume- 1800. Tell, and so near to the latter, that the yard-arms March. of the two ships barely passed clear, the Lion ranged up on the larboard side of her opponent, and poured in a destructive broadside of three round- Lion shot to a gun. The Lion then luffed up across the Guilbows of the Guillaume-Tell, the latter's jib-boom laumepassing between the former's main and mizen shrouds. In a few minutes, to the advantage of the Lion, whose object, with so comparatively small a complement, was neither to board nor be boarded, the french 80's jib-boom was carried away; and the 64 gained a capital position athwart the GuillaumeTell's bows. Here, aided occasionally by the Penelope, the Lion kept up a steady cannonade, until about 5 h. 30 m. A. M.; by which time the GuillaumeTell's heavy shot had so damaged the Lion, that the latter became unmanageable and dropped astern, still firing, however, as did also the frigate, whenever an opportunity offered. up droyant laume At 6 A. M. the Foudroyant, who since midnight Fouhad slipped and made sail from her anchorage about and three miles north-east of Valetta lighthouse, arrived Guilwith a crowd of sail, and, passing in that state Tell. close to the french ship's starboard side, so close that the Foudroyant's spare anchor just passed clear of the Guillaume-Tell's mizen chains, sir Edward Berry called upon the latter to strike, following up his demand with a treble-shotted broadside. To this the Guillaume-Tell replied in a similar manner, and with such effect as to cut away a great deal of the Foudroyant's rigging. Having incautiously arrived up with so much sail set, the Foudroyant necessarily shot ahead, and could not, for several minutes, regain her position alongside of her opponent. That object being at length effected, the firing recommenced; and the Guillaume-Tell's second broadside brought down the fore topmast, maintopsail yard, jib-boom, and spritsail yard of the Foudroyant. Having also had her foresail, mainsail, and staysails cut in tatters, بت 1800. the british 80 dropped from alongside, leaving the March. Lion, who now lay upon the Guillaume-Tell's larboard side, and the Penelope upon the same quarter, occasionally firing at her. of Guil At 6 h. 30 m. A. M. the french ship's main and mizen masts came down. By this time, having cleared away the wreck of her fallen spars and partially refitted herself, the Foudroyant had again closed the Guillaume-Tell, and, after the exchange of a few broadsides, nearly fell on board of her. At 8 A. M. the foremast of the Guillaume-Tell was shot away. At Capture 8h. 20m. A. M., Cape Passero bearing north-half-east laume- distant seven leagues, the Foudroyant and Lion being, one on her starboard, the other on her larboard quarter, and the Penelope close ahead, the Guillaume-Tell, rolling an unmanageable hulk on the water, with the wreck of her masts disabling most of the guns on the larboard side, and the violent motion from her dismasted state requiring the lowerdeck ports to be shut, hauled down her colours. Tell. Both the Foudroyant and Lion were in too disabled a state to take possession of the GuillaumeTell that ceremony, therefore, devolved upon the Penelope. The damages of the Foudroyant were very severe her mainmast, mizenmast, fore topmast, and bowsprit were wounded in several places; and her mizenmast was so much injured, that, in four hours after the action, it came down, wounding in its fall five men. The Foudroyant had also received, in her hull, several of the Guillaume-Tell's shot. The masts of the Lion were likewise wounded, and her hull struck; but not to so great an extent as the Foudroyant's. The damages of the Penelope were confined to her rigging and sails. The loss sustained by the Foudroyant, out of a complement of 719 men and boys, amounted to eight seamen and marines killed, her commander, (slightly,) one lieutenant, (John Aitkin Blow,) her boatswain, (Philip Bridge,) three midshipmen, (Edward West, Granville Proby, and Thomas Cole,) and 58 seamen and marines, exclusive of the five that suffered by 1800. the fall of the mizenmast, wounded. The Lion, out March. of a crew on board of only about 300 men and boys, had one midshipman (Hugh Roberts) and seven seamen and marines killed, and one midshipman (Alexander Hood) and 37 seamen and marines wounded. The Penelope's loss, of one killed and three, including one mortally wounded, has already appeared; making a total of 17 killed and 101 wounded. The only french account, which has been published on the subject, represents the loss of the Guillaume-Tell at upwards of 200, in killed and wounded together. This was out of a complement, as deposed by her officers, of 919 men, being 81 less than the number stated in captain Dixon's letter. A more heroic defence than that of the GuillaumeTell is not to be found among the records of naval actions. Its only compeer, in modern times at least, was fought in the same seas, and within less than a degree of the same latitude. If the British have their Leander and Généreux, the French have their Guillaume-Tell and a british squadron; and the defeat, in either case, was more honourable than half the single-ship victories which have been so loudly celebrated. Nor, when the Guillaume-Tell's case is mentioned, must the conduct of the Penelope frigate be forgotten. Without captain Blackwood's promptitude, gallantry, and perseverance; without those repeated raking fires, of the effects of which admiral Decrès so justly complained, the Guillaume-Tell would most probably have escaped. The decided inferiority of a 64-gun ship, especially with two thirds only of her crew on board, rendered the bold approach of the Lion creditable to Captain Dixon, his officers and men. It was the Foudroyant's arrival that so turned the scale. This ship expended in the action, according to a return which has been published, the following quantity of powder and shot: Had the Foudroyant, single-handed, met the Guillaume-Tell, the combat would have been between two of the most powerful ships that had ever so met; and, although the Foudroyant's slight inferiority of force, being chiefly in number of men, was not that of which a british captain would complain, still the chances were equal, that the GuillaumeTell, so gallantly manned, and so ably commanded, came off the conqueror. As soon as the three crippled ships had put themselves a little to rights, the Penelope, as the most efficient, took the prize in tow, and proceeded with her to Syracuse. Subsequently the Guillaume-Tell arrived at Portsmouth; and, under the name of Malta, became, next to the Tonnant, the largest two-decked ship belonging to the british navy. The principal dimensions of the two 80-gun ships were as follows: The loss of the Guillaume-Tell, the only remaining line-of-battle ship of the fleet of vice-admiral Brueys at the battle of the Nile, was calculated still more to depress the drooping spirits of the garrison of Valetta. A fifth and a sixth summons were sent in by the commanding officer of the blockading force; and by the last it was intimated, that a russian fleet had arrived at Messina, on its way to cooperate in an attack upon the city. General Vaubois still refused to surrender; saying: "Cette place est en trop bon état, et je suis moi-même trop jaloux de bien servir mon pays et de conserver mon honneur, pour écouter 1800. vos propositions." By the beginning of August all the beasts of burthen had been consumed, and dogs, cats, fowls, and rabbits, for want of nourishment, had also disappeared. Firewood began likewise to fail; but this was remedied by breaking up the Boudeuse frigate. The cisterns were dried up, and the troops were dying from 100 to 130 a day. Being now convinced that he must soon capitulate, general Vaubois wished to save to the republic the two fine 40-gun frigates, Diane and Justice. of Aug. and Accordingly, favoured by a dark night and a fair Chase wind, the two french frigates, on the evening of the Diane 24th, put to sea from Valetta harbour. They were, Justice. however, seen and immediately pursued by the 12pounder 32-gun frigate Success, captain Shuldham Peard, and the Généreux and Northumberland 74s, captains Manley Dixon and George Martin; which last-named officer had, since May, succeeded captain Troubridge in the chief command. After a short running fight with the Success, the Diane, with only 114 Capture of her crew on board, hauled down her colours; but of the Justice, under cover of the darkness, effected her escape, and subsequently arrived at Toulon. The Diane was a fine frigate of 1142 tons, and was afterwards added to the british navy under the name of Niobe, there being a Diana already in the service. Diane. On the 3d of September general Vaubois held a Sept. council of war; at which the french officers gave as decided a proof of their present wisdom, in unanimously concurring to treat for a surrender, as of their past folly, in having unanimously sworn that they never would do so. Accordingly, on the 4th, a flag of truce was sent to major-general Pigot commanding the allied forces on shore; and on the 5th the major-general and captain Martin, on the part of the British, and general Vaubois and rear-admiral Villeneuve, on the part of the French, settled the terms of capitulation. These, alike honourable to |