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perhaps be better understood by a reference to the 1810. following diagram.

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As soon as she had come round on the larboard Spartack, the Spartan kept her helm up, and wore in tan bepursuit of the french frigate. But, at a few minutes and exbefore 9 A. M., the breeze suddenly died away, and posed left the Spartan with her head exposed to the star- heavy board broadside of the Cérès; having, also, on her larboard bow the corvette and brig, and, sweeping up astern of her, the cutter and gun-boats. A heavy fire was now opened on the Spartan from every side, particularly on the stern and quarter from the long 18-pounders of the gun-boats. In a few minutes Capt. captain Brenton, while standing on the capstan, the ton better to view his various opponents, received a woundgrape-shot in the hip, and was obliged to be carried below. The command then devolved upon lieutenant George Wickens Willes.

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Scarcely had captain Brenton been removed from Sparthe deck, ere a light breeze from the same quarter as before enabled the Spartan to take up a position good on the starboard quarter of the french frigate and posi starboard bow of the corvette. The brig was at this time on the Spartan's larboard quarter or nearly astern, and the cutter and gun-boats on the frigate's

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1810. stern and starboard quarter, making the best posMay. sible use of their advantage. The same breeze, that French had enabled the Spartan to get into action, was squa- made use of by her two principal opponents to carry them out of it; and, owing to the disabled state of treats the Spartan's rigging, the Cérès and Fama, the batte- latter hauling up to-windward of her consort, succeeded in gaining the protection of the batteries of Baia. The Spartan then wore; and, while with her Spar- starboard guns she severely raked the frigate and corvette, and cut away the latter's fore topmast, a tures single broadside from her larboard guns compelled vière. the brig, with the loss of her main topmast, to haul down her colours. This was at 10 A. M.; and the gun-boats presently afterwards came down, in a very gallant manner, and, by towing her away, rescued the crippled Fama from the fate of the Sparvière. The following diagram is meant to represent this termination of the contest.

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Although the proper complement of the Spartan board was 281, having an officer and 18 men absent in a prize and being four men short, the frigate commenced action with only 258 men and boys; exclusively of captain George Hoste of the royal engineers, who was a passenger on board, and, during the attention of captain Brenton and his first lieutenant in manoeuvring the ship, took charge of the quarterdeck guns. The loss on board the Spartan was tolerably severe, amounting to one master's mate, (William Robson,) six seamen, and three marines

killed, her captain, (severely,) first lieutenant, (al- 1810. ready named,) 15 seamen, and five marines wounded; May. total, 10 killed and 22 wounded. This heavy loss was chiefly occasioned by the long 18-pounders of the gun-boats, while they lay upon the frigate's stern and quarter. The hull of the Spartan had, in consequence, been severely struck; and, although none of her masts were shot away, they were most of them wounded, and her rigging and sails cut to pieces.

the

The French acknowledged a loss of 30 officers and Losson men killed and 90 wounded, exclusively of the loss french on board the Sparvière; which, in killed, as 87 side. prisoners were all that were taken out of her, probably amounted to 11. Among the killed on board the Cérès, was the second captain; and the first captain is stated to have lost his arm. Some of the english accounts represented the loss on board the french squadron at 150 killed and 300 wounded. These round numbers, as our contemporary is also of opinion, are probably incorrect and exaggerated; "but," captain Edward Brenton adds, "the slaughter, particularly on board the frigate, from her crowded decks, the close position, and the smoothness of the water, must have been very severe."*

Spar

In addition to the encomiums which he passes upon Officers his first lieutenant, and upon captain Hoste of the of the engineers, (brother to the captain of the Amphion,) tan. captain Jahleel Brenton strongly recommends his two remaining lieutenants, William Augustus Baumgardt and Henry Bourne; also his master, Henry George Slenner, his two lieutenants of marnes, Charles Fegan and Christopher Fottrell, and his purser, James Dunn, who took charge of a division of guns on the main deck, in the place of the officer already mentioned as absent in a prize. For the distinguished part which he took in the action, lieutenant Willes, on the 2d of June, was deservedly promoted to the rank of commander.

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Soon after the action had ended in the manner we have stated, the sea-breeze or south-west wind Spar- set in. The Spartan then, having repaired her tan pa- principal damages, took her prize in tow, and stood before in triumph directly across, and within about four miles of, the mole of Naples, to the great chagrin with and mortification, as was afterwards understood, of prize. prince Murat; who had been the whole morning anxiously watching on the mole, to see his squadron conduct in the british frigate. At this time the beaten french frigate and corvette had just dropped French their anchors before the town. It would not do for count the world, particularly for France, to know how the matter really stood. Hence the Moniteur is commanded to say: "Il est impossible de se battre avec plus de bravoure que ne l'a fait la flotille dans cette brillante affaire, &c." And then the Spartan herself is declared to have been "un vaisseau rasé, portant 50 bouches à feu, donc 30 canons de 24 et 20 caronades de 32."

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of the

action.

Alceste

On the 22d of May the british 38-gun frigate lands Alceste, captain Murray Maxwell, chased several destroy french vessels into the bay of Agaye, or Agay, forts near the gulf of Fréjus. Finding that the two tecting batteries, one on each side of the entrance, which vessels. protected the vessels, possessed by their height a

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great advantage over the ship, captain Maxwell, in the evening, detached two strong parties to endeavour to carry them by storm. The party, under lieutenant Andrew Wilson, first of the Alceste, that landed on the right of the bay, having to march Unsuc- through a very thick wood to get in the rear of the cessful fort, was attacked in the midst of it by one of the the en- enemy's pickets, whom the marines, under the command of lieutenants Walter Griffith Lloyd and Richard Hawkey of that corps, without sustaining any loss, very soon dislodged; but the guide, taking advantage of the firing, made his escape, and lieutenant Wilson was obliged to relinquish the enterprise and return on board. Meanwhile the other party, under

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and

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Mr. Henry Bell, the master, reached undiscovered 1810. the rear of his fort, and attacked and carried it in May. the most spirited manner. As, however, the opposite battery had not been reduced, Mr. Bell was obliged to retire; but he did not do so until he had spiked the guns, two long 24-pounders, broken their carriages, destroyed the magazine, and thrown the shot into the sea. Having accomplished this, he and his men returned to their ship without a casualty. Finding that the vessels would not quit their Deanchorage while the frigate lay off, captain Maxwell, on the night of the 25th, sent the barge and yawl, boats one armed with a 12-pounder carronade, the other sails with a 4-pounder field-piece, under the command of from Mr. Bell, accompanied by master's mate Thomas coast. Day, and midshipman James Adair, with orders to lie in a little cove near the harbour's mouth, while the Alceste stood to some distance in the offing. The bait took; and on the morning of the 26th the french vessels vessels sailed out quite boldly. To their astonish- decoyment, the two armed boats pulled in amongst them, andare and presently captured four feluccas, three of which capwere armed, (one with six guns, and the two others by the with four each,) drove two upon the rocks, and the boats. rest back into the harbour. This the British effected, although exposed to a fire from the batteries, from some soldiers on the beach, and from two armed feluccas among the vessels that escaped. Mr. Adair, who with two or three men had been left in charge of the barge while Mr. Bell and Mr. Day were boarding the feluccas, made so good a use of the 12-pounder carronade, that the four prizes were brought off without the slightest hurt to a man of the party.

French

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In the month of June captain William Hoste, of Boats the 18-pounder 32-gun frigate Amphion, having phion under his orders the 38-gun frigate Active, captain chase a James Alexander Gordon, and 18-pounder 32-gun into frigate Cerberus, captain Henry Whitby, cruised in Groa. the gulf of Triest. On the 28th, in the morning,

convoy

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