1803. On the 11th of July, in the forenoon, as the briJuly. tish 18-gun brig-sloop Racoon, (16 carronades, 18pounders, and two long sixes,*) captain Austen Bissell, was working between the islands of Guanda Ra- and St.-Domingo, she observed, and immediately, and bore up for, a french brig-corvette, lying at anchor Lodi. in Leogane roads. The latter, which was our old coon Aug. acquaintance the Lodi, now reduced in force to 10 guns, 6-pounders, and 61 men, and commanded by lieutenant Pierre-Isaac Taupier, placed springs on her cables, and prepared to repel the attack of the british vessel. At 3 h. 15. P. M., having anchored, with a spring on her cable, within 30 yards of the Lodi, the Racoon commenced the action. After a mutual cannonade of 30 minutes' duration, the french brig cut her cables, and began to make off; whereupon the Racoon cut also, and, following closely, compelled her opponent, at the end of 10 minutes more, to strike her colours. The Lodi was nearly unrigged by the Racoon's well-directed fire, and sustained a loss of one man killed and 14 wounded. The Racoon had only one person wounded, master's mate Thomas Gill, whose left arm was carried away by a round shot. On the 17th of August, at 1 P. M., the Racoon, cruising off San-Jago in the island of Cuba, in company with a prize-schooner, observed an armed brig coming alongshore; and who, soon afterwards, hauled her wind to speak a schooner which had been avoiding the Racoon since morning. At 3 P. M. the strange brig and schooner bore up together, under all sail, with a strong breeze. Captain Bissell stood off until certain of fetching them, and then made sail in-shore. At 4 h. 15 m. P. M. the brig hoisted french colours, and fired a gun, still keeping within half a mile of the shore, under a press of sail. At 4 h. 20 m. P. M. she fired her broadside at the * The Racoon's carronades had originally been 32-pounders; (see vol. ii. p. 535;) but on March 3, 1800, these were ordered to be exchanged for 24s; and, on September 14, 1802, the latter were again exchanged for 18s. On this subject see vol. i. p. 567, note Y*. Aug. Racoon, and attempted to cross the latter's hawse; 1803. but the Racoon, although going eight knots through the water, put her helm hard a-port, and fired her broadside, which, as the two vessels were nearly on board of each other, brought down the french brig's studding-sails, topsails, &c. The latter then luffed up, ran on shore in a small rocky bay, and struck her colours. To avoid a similar fate, the Racoon hove in stays, and, on wearing round, discovered the breakers nearly under her stern. In about half an hour the french brig rehoisted her colours, and was repeatedly fired upon, in passing, by the Racoon. Towards sunset the former's mainmast went overboard, and the vessel fell on her beam-ends. As the french brig had landed boats full of armed men, and lined the shore, and the Racoon was 44 men short of complement, including her two lieutenants, captain Bissell felt himself obliged to refuse the application of the master, Mr. James Thompson, to go, with a few picked men, and endeavour to burn the vessel, By morning the latter had lost her remaining mast, and lay a perfect wreck, full of water. On this occasion the Racoon sustained neither loss nor damage. As to the name and force of his opponent, captain Bissell says, I have since learned her name is la Mutine, national brig, carrying 18 long 18-pounders, and was full of men from Port-au-Paix, bound to St.-Jago." Such a force for a brig has not been met with. The guns, if 18pounders, must have been carronades; or, as is more probable, were long eights or sixes, On the 13th of October, in the afternoon, the Oct. Racoon, still commanded by the same enterprising officer, while cruising off Cumberland harbour in the island of Cuba, observed several vessels towindward coming close alongshore, all of which, before sunset, hauled in towards the harbour. Having heard of the evacuation of Port-au-Prince, captain Bissell anchored in a small bay, in the expectation of coon Petite &c. 1803. seeing those vessels pass him in the night, Daylight Oct. on the 14th discovered eight or nine sail, a few miles to-windward, nearly becalmed. The Racoon instantly weighed, with a fine land-wind, and proceeded Ra- in chase. At 6 h. 30 m. A. M. a brig, a schooner, and with a cutter, all apparently full of men, hoisted french Fille, colours, and fired guns to-windward. The brig attempted to get in-shore of the Racoon, and her two consorts, with the assistance of their sweeps and boats, endeavoured to join her. The land-breeze, however, carried the Racoon within gun-shot of the brig; which, after receiving one or two broadsides, struck, and proved to be the Petite-Fille, french national gun-brig, having on board 180 troops, including about 50 officers of all ranks. Scarcely had the Racoon sent an officer and a small party of men to secure her prize, than the schooner and cutter, having got nearly within gunshot, commenced firing. Calms and baffling winds prevented the Racoon from getting nearer until 10 A. M., when the sea-breeze set in. At 11 A. M. the two vessels bore up together, evidently with a determination to board the Racoon, the cutter steering for her bows, and the schooner hauling out to pass astern. The british brig shortened sail to receive her two opponents, but kept herself under sufficient command to counteract their design. When the assailants had arrived within pistol-shot, the Racoon fired a broadside at the cutter, who speedily returned it with long guns and musketry. The Racoon then wore round and fired her opposite broadside into the schooner; and so alternately, maintaining a running fight, and preventing either from boarding. This mode of engaging lasted more than an hour, both schooner and cutter keeping up an incessant fire of musketry; nor was it until she had been literally beaten to a wreck, and had lost many men in killed, that the cutter struck her colours. She proved to be the Amélie, a national vessel, carrying four carriage-guns, with many swivels, and upwards 1803. of 70 troops. Having taken possession of the cutter, the Racoon crowded sail after the schooner, the JeuneAdèle, carrying six small guns, and 80 troops; and which vessel, on being approached within gun-shot and fired at, surrendered without further resistance. Standing in-shore to rejoin her first prize, the Racoon soon discovered that the Frenchmen on board while the latter was engaging the cutter and schooner, had overpowered the prize-crew, and run the brig on shore among the rocks. Captain Bissell, however, got back his officer and men. The loss on board the cutter and schooner was about 40 in killed and wounded: that of the Racoon was only one person wounded, Mr. Thompson, the master, who in the early part of the action had received a violent contusion, which completely disabled him. Oct. On the 14th of August, when in latitude 48° Aug. north, longitude 16° west, on her homeward voyage, the british_East-India company's ship LordNelson, captain Robert Spottiswood, of 26 guns, (20 long 18 and six long 12 pounders,) and 102 men in crew, exclusive of passengers, was fallen in with by the french ship-privateer Bellone, of 34 guns, including 24 long eights on her main deck, and 260 men. An action ensued, and lasted an hour and a half, when the privateer succeeded in carrying her opponent by boarding, but not until the Bellone had been once repulsed, and the indiaman sustained a loss of five men killed and 31 wounded. Placing an officer and 41 men in charge of the Lord-Nelson, the Bellone proceeded with her towards Corunna. On the 20th a british frigate chased the two ships, and would have retaken the indiaman, had not the Bellone, trusting to her great sailing powers, led away the former. The Lord-Nelson, now alone, was attacked on the 23d by an english cutter-privateer, of fourteen 6-pounders; and the latter, highly to the credit of her officers and crew, maintained a two hours' action before she was beaten off. 1803. On the 25th, at 1 P. M., in latitude 46° north, Aug. longitude 12° west, the british 18-gun brig-sloop Seagull, (sixteen 24-pounder carronades and two Seagull sixes,) captain Henry Burke, discovered to-leeward Lord and chased the Lord-Nelson. At 5 P. M. the latter Nelson. hoisted french colours, and fired a gun. At 7 P. M., and Sept. the Seagull having got within gun-shot, an action commenced; which continued, with very slight intermission, until 6 A. M. on the 26th; when the brig, having received two shot between wind and water, had her masts and rigging much wounded and cut up, and her fore yard shot away in the slings, hauled off to refit. At 8 h. 30 m., just as the Seagull, having replaced her damaged rigging, was about to renew the action, a british squadron, of four sail of the line, under captain sir Edward Pellew, in the 80-gun ship Tonnant, hove in sight. By noon, or a little after, the Colossus, the advanced ship of sir Edward's squadron, overtook and recaptured the Lord-Nelson. In her two actions, particularly in that with the Seagull, the indiaman had received considerable damage in hull, masts, and rigging: her loss by the brig's fire has not been recorded. The loss sustained by the Seagull amounted to two seamen killed, and seven seamen and one marine wounded. On the 9th of September, at daylight, the british hired cutter Sheerness, of eight 4-pounders and 30 men and boys, commanded by lieutenant Henry Rowed, having the look-out on the french fleet in Brest harbour, observed, close in-shore, two chassemarées stealing towards the port. Sending a boat, with seven men and the mate, to cut off one, the Sheerness herself proceeded in chase of the other, then nearly five miles distant, and close under a battery about nine miles to the eastward of Bec du Raz. At 10 A. M. it fell calm, and the only mode of pursuing the enemy was by a small boat suspended at the stern of the Sheerness, and which with difficulty would contain five men. Lieutenant Rowed acquainted the crew with his determination |