Bell considered that, by beating up in-shore of them, 1810. the Phipps might escape their notice until far Nov. enough to fetch them. This the Phipps did, and tacks tures one of others. at 5 A. M. on the 16th closed and commenced an action with one of the luggers. For a quarter of an Athour the lugger maintained an incessant fire of mus- and ketry, and appeared determined to run on shore. As capthe only means of frustrating this design, especially as the brig was already in three and a half fathoms' two water, the Phipps ran alongside of her antagonist and poured in her broadside; under the smoke of which, lieutenant Robert Tryon, assisted by master's mate Patrick Wright, and Mr. Peter Geddes the boatswain, at the head of a party of seamen, boarded, and in a few minutes carried, the lugger; which proved to be the Barbier-de-Séville, a perfectly new vessel, two days from Boulogne, mounting 16 guns, with 60 men, commanded by François Brunet. loss on The loss sustained by the Phipps amounted to Her one seaman killed, and lieutenant Tryon, the gallant the ocleader of the boarding party, dangerously wounded, casion. But the loss on the part of the privateer was much more severe, she having had six men killed and 11 wounded, including among the latter every one of her officers except the second captain. The effect of the well-directed fire of the Phipps upon the hull of the Barbier-de-Séville was such, that the latter, soon after her capture, filled and sank, carrying down with her one of the seamen belonging to the british brig. attacks and On the 10th of December, in the evening, the Rosario british 10-gun brig-sloop Rosario, (same force as two Briseis,*) captain Booty Harvey, cruising off Dun- luggers geness, with the wind blowing hard from the west-capward, fell in with two large french lugger-privateers, Mamewhose intention was evidently to board her. Know- louck, ing their superiority of sailing, captain Harvey, with the utmost gallantry and promptitude, ran the * See p. 334. tures Dec. 1810. nearest lugger alongside: whereupon lieutenant Thomas Daws, with a party of men, sprang on board, and in a few minutes succeeded in carrying her. The Rosario at the same time was engaged on her starboard side with the other lugger; but who, on seeing the fate of her companion, sheered off and effected her escape, owing principally to the loss of the Rosario's jib-boom in boarding the captured lugger, and her consequent inability to make sail to-windward. The prize was the Mamelouck, of Boulogne, captain Norbez Laurence, carrying 16 guns and 45 men; of whom seven were wounded. The loss on board the Rosario amounted to five men wounded, two of them severely. Entre pre nante On the 12th of December, at 8 A. M., the british cutter Entreprenante, mounting eight 4-pounders, attack with 33 men and boys, lieutenant Peter Williams, while lying becalmed off the coast of Spain, about french midway between Malaga and Almeria bay, observed privateers. four vessels at anchor under the castle of Faro. At ed by four 9 A. M., these vessels, which were french latteen-rigged privateers, one of six guns, including two long 18-pounders, and 75 men, another of five guns and 45 men, and the remaining two of two guns and 25 men each, weighed and swept out towards the cutter. At 10 h. 30 m. A. M. the privateers hoisted their colours, and opened their fire. At 11 A. M., which was as early as her lighter guns would reach, the Entreprenante commenced firing at the privateers; one of the two largest of which lay on her starboard bow, the other on her starboard quarter, and the two smaller ones right astern. The action was now maintained with spirit on both sides, at a pistol-shot distance, each party firing with round and grape shot, and the cutter with musketry also. At noon the Entreprenante had her topmast, peekhalliards and blocks, fore jeers, fore halliards, and jib-tie shot away; also two of her starboard guns disabled, by the stock of one and the carriage of the other being broken. make a to Seeing the cutter in this disabled state, the nearest 1810. of the two large privateers attempted to board; Dec. but her men were driven back by the british crew, Two of who, with the two foremost guns and musketry, kept them up an incessant fire. A second attempt was made to vain atboard, and a second time it was defeated, but with a tempt loss to the cutter of one man killed and four wounded. board. The Entreprenante now manned her starboard sweeps, and, getting round, brought her larboard guns to bear. With two broadsides from these, she compelled three of her antagonists to sheer off. All the cutter's canister-shot and musket-balls were now expended; but at this moment two well-directed broadsides, doubled-shotted, carried away the foremast and bowsprit of the most formidable of the privateers. Grown desperate by a resistance so unexpected, the Frenchmen made a third attempt to board the british vessel, but met with no better success than before; although, in the effort to repulse them, the Entreprenante had two of her larboard guns dismounted, and experienced some additional loss. The fire of the privateers now beginning to The slacken, the cutter's people gave three cheers, and, enter with two guns double-shotted, poured a destructive repulraking fire into the vessel that was dismasted. them This decided the business; and, at 2 h. 30 m. P. M., all. the two greatest sufferers by the contest were towed to the shore by boats. The Entreprenante continued sending her shot after her flying foes until 3 P. M., when they got beyond her reach. The castle of Faro at this time fired a few ineffectual shot at the british cutter. british ses the oc Notwithstanding the length and severity of this Her action, and the more than double force opposed to the loss on Entreprenante, the latter escaped with no greater casion. loss than one man killed and 10 wounded. The loss on the part of her opponents could only be gathered from rumour, and that made it as many as 81 in killed and wounded; not an improbable amount, considering how numerously the privateers were Dec. Gal Wil liams. 1810. manned, and how well the cutter plied her cannon and musketry. On his return to Gibraltar, lieutenant Williams, and the officers and crew of the lantry Entreprenante, received the public acknowledgment of lieut. of the commanding officer on the station, commodore Charles Vinicombe Penrose. Some other marks of favour were conferred upon the lieutenant; but the reward the most coveted, and, considering that a particle less of energy and perseverance might have lost the king's cutter, no one can say, a reward not fully merited, promotion, appears to have been withheld. We judge so because, according to the admiralty navy-list, lieutenant Williams was not made a commander until the 27th of August, 1814. Rinal do two lugger On the 7th of December, after dark, the british chases 10-gun brig-sloop Rinaldo, (eight 18-pounder carronades and two sixes,) captain James Anderson, priva- while cruising off Dover with the wind from the teers. westward, discovered to-windward, and immediately chased, two large armed luggers standing towards the english coast. The two french privateers, as they proved to be, the moment they saw the Rinaldo outside of them, endeavoured to pass her and effect their escape over to their own coast. One of them, the Maraudeur, of 14 guns and 85 men, after sustaining a running fight of several minutes' duration, attempted to cross the brig's bows; but the Rinaldo frustrated the manœuvre, by putting her helm hard a-port and running her jib-boom between the privateer's jib-stay and foremast. Carries Marau board ing. By this evolution the two vessels were brought the close alongside. The Frenchmen, being all upon deur by deck, now attempted to board, but were repulsed by the Rinaldo's crew; who, in their turn, although only 65 in number, including several boys, boarded from the fore-chains, in the most gallant style, led by lieutenant Edward Gascoigne Palmer, and soon cleared the privateer's decks and compelled her crew to call for quarter. This promptly decided and very spirited affair cost the Maraudeur her captain and four men wounded, two of them very 1810, severely; but no one was hurt belonging to the Dec Rinaldo. While the latter was occupied in ex- The changing prisoners, the other lugger effected her other escape into Calais. The prize was a fine fast-sailing vessel, belonging to Boulogne, only 13 days off the stocks, pierced for 18 guns, and, as a lugger, of very large dimensions. lugger escapes do de luggers chase her.] On the 17th of December, at 3 h. 30 m. P. M., while Rinalstretching out from St.-Helen's, on her way from coys Spithead to her station off Dover, the Rinaldo discovered four lugger-privateers in the offing, lying to to, with all their sails lowered down. Knowing it would be useless to chase them, captain Anderson altered his course and steered in-shore to the northward, with the view of decoying the privateers within the reach of his brig. To enable them to overtake her about dark, the Rinaldo trimmed her sails by, and kept in such a position as to prevent their making her out to be armed. The manœuvre succeeded, and the four luggers made all sail in chase of the british brig. gages and com one to At 5 P. M., the Owers light bearing west-north- Enwest distant half a mile, the two largest luggers the two came up under the Rinaldo's stern, and, hailing her largest in a very abusive manner to strike, poured in several con volleys of small arms. The Rinaldo, being all pre- pels pared, allowed the privateers to come close upon her surrenquarters, and then tacked, thus bringing a broadside der. to bear upon each of them: she then wore round on her heel, and poured a second broadside, within pistol-shot, into the larger of the two; who, having discovered her mistake, was endeavouring to escape by bearing up. This well-directed fire brought down the large lugger's masts and sails; and immediately the latter called for quarter, and requested boats to be sent, as she was sinking. Just at this moment the second lugger, who had hauled her wind on receiving the first broadside, ran |