ne présume pas qu'elles puissent être radoubées sur l'eau. L'Affronteur, le Printemps, le Granville, chevillés et cloués en fer, doublés en cuivre, sont aussi en mauvais état, et leur radoub minutieux sera long. Le Foudroyant et l'Etonnante désarment, et auront besoin de grandes réparations. L'on répare les neuf bateaux canonniers. Les canonnières la Hargneuse et le Venteux sont en mauvais état, et la multiplicité de travaux empêche de s'en occuper. Le Vétéran avance assez; le Cassard l'est un peu moins; j'ai trouvé les progrès des travaux assez considérables. L'Indienne et la Salamandre ont encore des travaux à faire jusqu'à la fin de ce mois; elles seront totalement neuves, et à mesure qu'on avançait, tant était pourri, tout a été changé. Les bâtiments sur rade ont leurs équipages, les autres n'ont presque rien. Le dépôt de la Cayenne ne saurait en fournir. J'ai ordonné d'envoyer à Brest les marins réservés pour la pêche de la morue et que l'on avait laissés dans leurs quartiers jusqu'au dernier moment. Il n'y a presque plus de soldats de marine : l'état réuni hier ne me présenta que 644 canonniers au port; il y en a 300 sur les forts. La terre fournit au service du port; elle pourra garder quelques forts, mais le nombre des hommes pour ce service n'est pas au quart de ce qu'il faudrait. J'évalue la garde des forts à 400 canonniers de marine et 1,300 soldats de ligne, celle du port à 1,400 hommes de toute arme, à raison de deux nuits. L'armement des vaisseaux, frégates ou autres, exigerait plus de 2,000 canonniers ou soldats de marine présents au port, et employés à tous les services, en attendant leur embarquement. Le nombre des ouvriers a augmenté un peu depuis mon départ, mais il est bien insuffisant pour les travaux à faire en réparations. On les a appliqués aux bâtiments les plus pressés, et je n'ai pu qu'en approuver la distribution; ils travaillent aux radoubs dès le point du jour et ne finissent qu'à la nuit. Sans doute on pourrait les employer pendant les vingtquatre heures, mais cet état forcé ne pourrait se soutenir et l'ouvrage en serait très mal fait. Les ateliers de mâture, voilures, corderie, chaloupes et canots sont occupés en même temps pour les armements ; ils suffiraient avec peine aux travaux qu'ils exigent. [The letter concludes with a complaint that building materials are wanting-masts, yards, iron, copper, cordage, and many articles of detail-also muskets, cutlasses, and pistols. Dealers in the port were unwilling to supply, because former retarded payments had destroyed credit. Experience has taught me that the common defence of the country involves great latitude of authority. We want lead, for example, and the military have more than they require, but I cannot obtain any.'] No. 20 CAPTAIN MANSFIELD TO SIR EVAN NEPEAN Minotaur, at Sea, 30th May, 1803. Sir, I beg leave to acquaint you, for their Lordships' information, that I this evening saw the French Republican frigate, la Franchise, safe off the Dodman, agreeably to signal made by the Hon. Admiral Cornwallis. She was captured by his Majesty's ship under my command on the 28th of May, in company with his Majesty's ship Thunderer, having chased from the fleet, and during the chase was joined by the Albion, which ship had parted from the fleet some days before in thick weather. The prize proves to be the Republican French frigate, la Franchise, from Port au Prince thirty-five days, Captain Jurien.1 She is pierced for twenty-eight 12-pounders on her main deck, and sixteen 9-pounders on the quarter-deck and forecastle, ten of which were in her hold, and had on board 187 men. I have the honour to be, &c., CHARLES J. M. MANSFIELD. No. 21 CAPTAIN WILLIAMS TO CORNWALLIS Russell, at Sea, 31st May, 1803. Sir, I beg leave to inform you that I yesterday morning detained and sent into Plymouth a Dutch galliot laden with salt, and a French brig named la Rébecca, from Lisbon, bound to Havre de Grace. She has a valuable cargo, consisting of wine, cotton, sugar, Spanish wool, &c. There was a Portuguese naval officer on board, who had leave from his Government to stay a year in France, and is now desirous to avail himself of the first ship bound to England, in order that he may return to Portugal in a Lisbon packet. I am, &c., ROBT. WILLIAMS. No. 22 CAPTAIN PROWSE TO CORNWALLIS Sirius, at Sea, 1st June, 1803. Sir,-Agreeably to your order of the 25th ult., I proceeded with his Majesty's ship under my com 1 Father of the late Admiral Jurien de la Gravière. General Boyer was a passenger on board the Franchise. On June 6 the Admiralty ordered that he and the officers should come on shore on parole, and that the same indulgence should be extended to all other French officers captured in the future. mand and the Nemesis across the Bay to the southward. On the 27th, in lat. 45° 53' N., long. 5° 25′ W., took possession of the ship Maître de Famille from Guadeloupe and the brig Zéphir from Charleston. On the 30th, at half-past 10 A.M., lat. 45° 53' N., long. 4° 29′ W., leaving the Nemesis with the prizes, made sail, and, after a chase of ten hours, captured the ship l'Aigle, from the Isle of France, with a valuable cargo. The whole of the prizes were bound to Bordeaux; had no intelligence. I have the honour to be, &c., WM. PROWSE.1 [The Sirius also captured the French brig Three Brothers, from Port au Prince to Bordeaux, and another brig was captured on May 27 by the Victory and Hazard sloop.] 1 Captain, afterwards Rear-Admiral, William Prowse had risen from a humble position, and seems to have served from boyhood in the merchant service. He was an able seaman from 1771 to 1778, and in that capacity sailed to North America with Byron. He was then rated a midshipman and master's mate, and was present in the actions off Grenada (July 9, 1779) and Martinique (April and May 1781). He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in December 1782, but seems afterwards to have served in merchant ships. He was with Collingwood in the Barfleur on June 1, 1794, and with Calder in the Theseus and Lively. He was then transferred to the Victory, bearing the flag of Sir John Jervis, and in October 1796 was appointed to the command of the Raven, in which he was present at the battle of St. Vincent, Feb. 14, 1797. He took command of the prize Salvador del Mundo after the engagement, and was Calder's flag-captain in the Prince of Wales until April 1802. In August of the same year he was captain of the Sirius, and took a very active part in Cornwallis's blockade. In her he served in the action off Cape Finisterre, July 22, 1805, and was present at Trafalgar. He was afterwards in the Mediterranean, and in April 1806 captured the French corvette Bergère off Civita Vecchia, the Sirius losing nine men killed and twenty wounded. Prowse commanded the Theseus in the North Sea 1810-13, became a Rear-Admiral in July 1821, and died March 23, 1826. No. 23 CAPTAIN WALLIS TO CORNWALLIS Naiad, 2nd June, 1803. Sir,—I have the honour to inform you that on the 29th ult., at II P.M., being in lat. 45° 5' N., and long. 4° 40' W., I captured the French National corvette l'Impatient, of twenty guns and eighty men, commanded by Citizen Hippolyte Arnous, lieutenant de vaisseau, from Senegal bound to Rochefort. She is a very fine vessel, and is esteemed one of the swiftest sailers out of France. During the chase they cut away her anchors from her bows, and threw part of her guns overboard. I have likewise the honour to inform you that, on the 31st, at noon, I captured the French merchant ship le Chasseur, from San Domingo bound to Lorient, laden with sugar, cotton, coffee, &c., &c. She is a very handsome ship, 359 tons burden, newly coppered, commanded by Citizen Lamer, lieutenant de vaisseau. I have the honour to be, &c., No. 24 CORNWALLIS TO SIR EDWARD PELLEW1 By the Hon. William Cornwallis, Admiral of the Blue, &c. You are hereby required and directed to proceed in his Majesty's ship Tonnant, under your command, Sir Edward Pellew, afterwards Viscount Exmouth, had been returned to Parliament for Barnstaple in July 1802, but, upon the apprehension of a renewal of the war, applied for active employment, was appointed to the Tonnant (80) in March 1803, and |