to conquer." "Je saurai bien apprendre aux amiraux français à vaincre." In a little time, however, Buonaparte's habitual duplicity resumed its sway over his mind; and he was weak enough to imagine that, because he told the legislative assembly that a few of his ships had been lost in a storm, and the Moniteur and other French papers refrained from publishing a word on the subject, the world at large were a jot less wise respecting the real fate of the Franco-Spanish fleet.

The French emperor subsequently gave a gracious reception to Captains Lucas, Infernet, Magendie, and Villemadrin; saying to the first two: "Those captains who, instead of closing with the enemy, kept out of gun-shot, shall be prosecuted, and if there is cause, shall be made a striking example of;" "Les capitaines de vaisseau qui, au lieu d'aborder l'ennemi, se sont tenus hors de portee de canon, seront poursuivis, et, s'il y a lieu, il en sera fait un exemple éclatant;"3 and to the last two: "You are among those who fought well; you shall have your reward." Vous êtes du nombre de ceux qui se sont bien battus, vous prendrez votre revanche.”

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Napoleon's intentions respecting M. Villeneuve are not very clear. This unfortunate admiral, having obtained his parole, sailed from Plymouth in a cartel on the 9th of April, and on the night of the 22nd landed at Morlaix; intending, it was understood, to proceed straight to Paris to justify himself before the French emperor. A few evenings afterwards M. Villeneuve, while waiting at the Hôtel de la Patrie at Rennes for Napoleon's orders respecting his future movements, was found dead in his bed, stabbed in several places, as alleged, by his own hand, but, as very generally suspected, by the agency of Buonaparte. Buonaparte has since denied this; but who would confess such an act? On the 20th of October, 1809, and not before, Rearadmiral Dumanoir, for his conduct on the 21st of October, 1805, was tried by a court of inquiry, which had been summoned by Napoleon's orders, and was acquitted. The court sat at Paris, and was composed of the two senators, the Comtes de Fleurieu and Bougainville, and the two Vice-admirals Thevenard and Rosily; who gave it as their opinion, "That Rear-admiral Dumanoir manoeuvred conformably to signals and the dictates of duty and honour." "Que le contre-amiral Dumanoir a manœuvré conformément aux signaux, et à l'impulsion du devoir et 1 Victoires et Conquêtes, tome xvi., p. 197. 2 See vol. iii., p. 456.

3 Victoires et Conquêtes, tome xvi., p. 198.

4 Ibid.

5 See O'Meara's Napoleon in Exile, vol. i., p. 56.

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de l'honneur." "That he did all that the wind and circumstances would permit to succour the commander-in-chief." Qu'il a fait ce que les vents et les circonstances ont pu lui permettre pour venir au secours de l'amiral." "That he engaged, as closely as he could, all the ships that he met in his way to the centre." Qu'il a combattu, d'aussi près qu'il a pu, tous les vaisseaux qu'il a rencontrés jusqu'au centre." "In short, that he did not individually abandon the contest until forced to do so by the damages of his ship, and in particular by the impracticability of manoeuvring, owing to the state of his masts and rigging." "Enfin, qu'il n'a personellement quitté le combat, que forcé par les avaries de tout genre de son vaisseau, et particulièrement par l'impossibilité de manoeuvrer dans l'état où se trouvait sa mâture."

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On the 29th of December, 1809, the same court of inquiry set to investigate M. Dumanoir's conduct on the battle of the 5th of November. The members would not question the bravery of a French admiral, but they found fault with his tactics. There was some colour for this; and the question still lies open, Why did not M. Dumanoir, on the 4th, or on the day preceding the battle, with his four sail of the line, tack and fall upon the three British sail of the line and three frigates then solely in pursuit of him?" Not satisfied with the sentence pronounced upon him, M. Dumanoir demanded and obtained a naval court-martial. It was held at Toulon, and honourably acquitted him. M. Dumanoir is now the fifth vice-admiral on the list. Captains Maistral and Epron outlived Napoleon's displeasure; and the name of the survivor of the two, Captain Epron, is not eclipsed in honorary marks of distinction by that of any officer of the same rank in the "Etat Général de la Marine."

Sir Richard Strachan carried his four prizes in safety to Plymouth, and they were all added to the British navy; the Formidable, under the name of Brave, the Duguay-Trouin, under that of Implacable, and the remaining two under their own names. The Implacable and Scipion were the only ships that afterwards went to sea. On the 9th of November, two days before his despatches reached the admiralty, and consequently without reference to his recent success over the enemy, Sir Richard was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral. On the 29th of the ensuing January, Sir Richard, for his conduct in the action of the 5th of November, became invested with the order of the Bath; and, about the same time, the rear-admiral, and the

captains and officers who served under him, received the thanks of parliament. Gold medals were also distributed, and the first-lieutenants of the line-of-battle ships, we believe, made commanders.

Light Squadrons and Single Ships.

On the 21st of January the British schooner Gipsy (tender to the flag-ship at Port Royal, Jamaica), of ten 4-pounders and 45 men and boys, commanded by Lieutenant Michael Fitton, while lying to off Cape Antonio, waiting to deliver despatches from the commander-in-chief to the 36-gun frigate Princess Charlotte, Captain the Honourable Francis Fayerman Gardner, was chased by two schooner and three felucca privateers from under the land. Lieutenant Fitton immediately filled and stood out to the offing, in the hope that the privateers would separate in the chase, and afford him a chance of capturing one or two of them. In a short time the largest of the two schooners got considerably ahead of her companions. By way of encouraging this vessel to continue the pursuit, the Gipsy paid a cable out of her sternport, which slackened her way, and appeared to produce its intended effect. Having run the leading privateer to a sufficient distance from the rest, the Gipsy tacked and stood for her. The privateer immediately put about, and a running action ensued between her and the Gipsy; so much, however, to the former's disadvantage, that she ran on the Colorados reef, and was totally wrecked. Seeing the fate of their companion, the remaining four privateers crowded sail away, and left the Gipsy to remain unmolested upon her station. In three days afterwards the Princess Charlotte arrived on the spot, and Lieutenant Fitton delivered to Captain Gardner the despatches with which he had been charged.

On the 3rd of February, at daylight, Cape Caxine in sight bearing south, as the British ship-sloop Arrow, Captain Richard Budd Vincent, and bomb-ship Acheron, Captain Arthur Farquhar, having in charge (except one which had foundered in a squall three days before) the whole of a convoy of 35 merchantvessels from Malta bound to England, were steering west by north, with a light breeze from the north-east, two large sail were discovered bearing east-south-east of the Acheron, then in the rear of the fleet. At 8 h. 30 m. A.M. the course of the fleet was altered by signal to west-north-west. At 10 h. 30 m. A.M., in obedience to a signal from the Arrow, the Acheron wore and

stood towards the strangers, to ascertain their character. At 11 h. 15 m. A.M. Captain Farquhar communicated that they were suspicious, and presently afterwards, that they were frigates. The vessels of the convoy on each quarter were now signalled to close. At noon Cape Albatel bore south by west half-west distant 10 or 11 leagues.

At two minutes past noon the Arrow cast off the brig which she had been towing, wore, and hauled to the wind on the larboard tack, for the purpose of joining the Acheron; who had also wore and was returning to the convoy, under all sail, with light winds from the eastward. In the course of the succeeding quarter of an hour, the customary signals were made to the convoy for its safety; and the Duchess of Rutland, a warlikelooking transport, was directed to lead the fleet on its course. At half-past noon the Acheron hoisted her colours and fired a gun. The chasing ships paying no attention to this, not a doubt remained that they were enemies; and a signal to that effect was immediately made to the ships of the convoy, with orders for them to make all possible sail to the appointed rendezvous. At 2 P.M. the Arrow, having tacked to the northward, brought to for the Acheron. At this time the two strangers, which were the French 40-gun frigate Hortense, Captain Louis-Charles-Auguste La Marre-le-Meillerie, and 38-gun frigate Incorruptible, Captain Simon Billiet, continued their course about west-north-west, under all sail, with light winds. These frigates, having parted from the Toulon fleet in a violent gale of wind,' had since cruised near the Straits of Gibraltar for some days, and not finding their fleet at the appointed rendezvous, were now on their return to Toulon.

At 4 h. 30 m. P.M. the Acheron joined the Arrow; and it was determined by the two commanders that they would keep between the convoy and the French frigates, who were now about five miles distant. At 5 P.M. it became quite calm; the convoy then bearing from the Arrow and Acheron north-west by west distant three miles, and the land between Cape Albatel and Cape Tennis south-south-west half-west, distant 11 leagues. At about 11 P.M. a light air sprang up from the south-west. The body of the convoy at this time bore from the Arrow westnorth-west distant four miles; and the French frigates, who were on the larboard tack steering towards the convoy, bore north-north-east, distant three miles. The Arrow and Acheron

1 See vol. iii., p. 337.

were also on the larboard tack, standing in line ahead in close order.

At about 4 h. 15 m. A.M. on the 4th the Hortense, having tacked, passed to leeward of and hailed the Arrow, but did not fire. On arriving abreast of the Acheron, the frigate was herself hailed. After hailing in return, the Hortense opened a fire of round and grape upon the Acheron; which considerably damaged her rigging and sails, and carried away the maintopgallant-yard and the slings of the main yard, but did not injure any person on board. The Acheron returned the fire with her starboard guns, and then hove about and discharged the opposite ones. The Arrow, who had in the mean time bore up, raked the Hortense astern, as the latter stood on to the westward. At 5 h. 30 m. A.M. the Incorruptible, whom the light and baffling winds had somewhat separated from her consort, passed, without firing, under the lee of the Arrow, then lying to on the starboard tack. Shortly afterwards, in wearing round on the starboard tack, the Incorruptible exposed her stern to the Acheron's guns, and received from them, at too great a distance probably for carronades to be effective, two rounds of shot. The Incorruptible at length came to the wind, and then stood after her consort.

Daylight, which had been anxiously looked for by the weaker party, showed the two frigates with their heads to the southward and their colours flying. Soon afterwards the Hortense hoisted a broad pendant at the main. At 6 A.M. the Arrow made the signal "for action" to the Duchess of Rutland, she being the most effective ship of the convoy; but although even a show of coming to the assistance of either of the men-of-war would have been of service, the Duchess of Rutland neither answered nor obeyed the signal. The Arrow then made sail on the starboard tack, followed in close order by the Acheron; the wind still very light from the north-west, and the convoy about four miles to windward, mostly on the larboard tack, much scattered, and making all sail to the westward. In a little while the two French frigates wore to the eastward, and hauled on the larboard tack; apparently with the intention of engaging the British ships to leeward.

At about 7 h. 25 m. A.M., being abreast of the Arrow, within half musket-shot distance, the Incorruptible opened her broadside, and received that of the Arrow in return. In five minutes more this frigate arrived abreast of and began engaging the Acheron. The Hortense having, in the meanwhile, closed with