hired armed cutter Nile, lieutenant George Argles, 1800. and lugger Soworow, lieutenant James Nicholson, Nov. cruising off the entrance of the Morbihan, to intercept a french convoy, discovered the french 20-gun ship-corvette Réolaise, the commodore of a convoy, endeavouring to get under the protection of the batteries. The Nile, by her skilful management, prevented the corvette from reaching the north shore; and the latter, upon the Magicienne's approach, ran into Port-Navalo; where she took the ground, and struck her colours.

Captain Ogilvy immediately despatched the boats of the Magicienne, under the orders of lieutenants George Skottowe and the honourable Edward Rodney, to endeavour to board and bring off or destroy the corvette; but the Réolaise, rehoisting her colours and making sail, fired upon the boats and ran further into the port. On seeing this the Magicienne recalled her boats. Lieutenant Rodney, however, being determined not to return empty-handed, gallantly captured, with his single boat, a merchant vessel from under one of the batteries.

Being resolved to attempt the destruction of the corvette, sir Richard sent the boats of his little squadron, under the orders of lieutenant William Hennah, assisted by lieutenants Charles Clyde and Richard William Clarke, (the latter, of the Marlborough, a portion of whose men were also present,*) and also, we believe, by the two lieutenants, already named, of the Magicienne. The enterprise, thus intrusted to lieutenant Hennah, was conducted with great judgment and gallantry; and, notwithstanding a heavy fire from the shore on all sides, the Réolaise was boarded and destroyed. To add to the value of this exploit, it was performed with no greater loss to the British than one seaman killed and seven wounded.

On the 7th of December the Nile cutter, while Dec.

* See p. 8.

1800. cruising off the mouth of the river Vilaine in QuiDec. beron bay, discovered a convoy of 15 or 16 vessels coming round the point of Croisic; but, having just before detached the Lurcher cutter, lieutenant Robert Forbes, to cruise off the Morbihan, lieutenant Argles, instead of going in chase, permitted the french vessels to approach nearer to the point of St.-Gildas, in order to have the assistance of his consort in overtaking and capturing them.

Argles

In the evening the Nile stood out from the shore Lieut. and made the necessary signals to the Lurcher, who, in Qui- being to-windward, turned all the vessels and they beron made for the Vilaine. At 8 P. M., just as the battery bay. on Pointe Saint-Jacques was hailing her, the Nile

ture

Pasley.

captured one small vessel, and, manning her, sent her alongshore; by which means, before 4 A. M. on the 8th, five more vessels were taken. The whole coast was by this time alarmed, and the battery of NotreDame at the entrance of the river Peners kept up so brisk a fire as to send three shot through the last vessel boarded; but the British, notwithstanding, brought her off with only one man slightly scratched by a splinter. The Lurcher, in the mean while, had succeeded in taking three more of the convoy, making nine in the whole. This enterprise reflects great credit upon the commanders and crews of the two cutters; and shows what serious annoyance may be done to an enemy, even by such small vessels as the Nile and Lurcher, when under the guidance of an active and intelligent officer.

On the 10th of December the british armed brig Car of Admiral-Pasley, of 16 guns, 14 of them 12-pounder the Ad- carronades, with 40 men and boys, commanded by miral- lieutenant Charles I. Nevin, being off Ceuta on her passage from England to Gibraltar with despatches, was attacked in a calm by two spanish gun-vessels of the largest class. After an engagement of an hour and a half, during the greater part of which the gun-vessels kept entirely out of range of the Admiral-Pasley's paltry carronades, while the former,

with their heavy long guns, were cutting the brig to 1800. pieces, the Admiral-Pasley, having previously thrown Dec. overboard her despatches, hauled down her colours.

As a proof that the Admiral-Pasley had not been given away, her loss amounted to three seamen killed, her commander, (in three places,) master, (Mr. Gibbs, badly,) and eight seamen wounded. The captors carried their prize first to Ceuta, and afterwards to Algesiras. Here we have an example showing, in the clearest manner, the unfairness of pronouncing upon the merits of an action until its particulars are known. Fortunately for the AdmiralPasley's commander, the court-martial that sat upon him took cognizance of all the circumstances; and, although captured in a 16-gun brig by two spanish gun-boats, lieutenant Nevin was honourably and deservedly acquitted.

COLONIAL EXPEDITIONS. -WEST INDIES.

of Cu

raçoa.

On the 11th of September, while the british 12- Sept. pounder 36-gun frigate Néréide, captain Frederick Watkins, was cruising off the port of Amsterdam, Surin the island of Curaçoa, the dutch inhabitants of render the latter, tired out with the enormities of the band of 1500 republican ruffians that were in possession of the west part of the island, sent off a deputation to claim the protection of England. On the 13th the capitulation, surrendering the island to his britannic majesty, was signed in form, by the governor, Johan Rudolph Lausser, on the one part, and by captain Watkins, of the Néréide, on the other. The vessels, large and small, lying in the harbour of Amsterdam, numbered 44; but no ships of war were among them.

In one of his despatches announcing this event, captain Watkins speaks of the "activity and spirited conduct" of lieutenant Michael Fitton,* commanding the Active schooner, then in company with the

* See vol. ii. p. 515.

1800. Néréide. Among the many occasions which called Sept. forth that eulogium, one, although it did not end decisively, may merit a place here. The Active was a schooner of about 80 tons, tender to the Abergavenny 54, the flag-ship at Jamaica, and carried eight 12pounder carronades, with a crew of about 45 men and boys. The service upon which the Active had been ordered by captain Watkins, was to watch the mouth of the harbour of Amsterdam, while the Néréide cruised in the offing. This the schooner continued to do for several days, standing in frequently so near as to be just out of range of the long 18s and 24s on Fort Fiscadera, and in full view of five or six french privateers lying moored close to the walls of it, and one of which was the Quidproquo, already mentioned as captured by the Gipsy. Upon these privateers lieutenant Fitton looked with a longing eye, till he could resist no longer. Observing that, at a certain hour every day, the officers went on shore at the fort to dine; and aware that, owing to his daily practice of standing across and across without molesting them, the privateersmen or garrison paid very little attention to the Active's manoeuvres, lieutenant Fitton resolved to afford them an unexpected treat. Having seen the boats pass as usual, and being in perfect readiness, the Active stood close in, and, bringing her broadside to bear, opened the contents of it right into the sterns of the cluster of privateers.

Instantly all was bustle on board the latter and in the fort; and the boats, in their hurry back, became also exposed to a destructive fire from the schooner; some of whose 12-pounder shot, so well and closely directed as they were, could not have fallen harmless even in the fort itself. The instant he saw the guns of the latter in motion, (and the people in charge of them appeared not very brisk,) lieutenant Fitton crowded sail away, in such a direc

* See p. 76.

Sept.

tion, however, as to expose no wider mark to the 1800. enemy than the Active's stern. This, as he anticipated, the artillerists at the fort failed to hit; although some of the shot pierced the schooner's sails, and a few others fell near enough to dash the spray on board. As the smallest of the five or six privateers had, undoubtedly, a larger number of men than the Active, any attempt by her to cut them out would have been madness in her commander. Probably the privateers were of opinion that the Néréide, who with her boats might easily have executed the service, would shortly make the attempt; for, in a few days afterwards, they took advantage of a clear coast, and made sail, each laden with a cargo of plunder. Nor was lieutenant Fitton in a situation to intercept any one of these mischievous freebooters, the Active having sailed for Jamaica with the captain of the Néréide's despatches.