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happy survivors of the Mercedes. One officer and 45 men were saved, but with that exception, all on board, including several women and children, perished. The prizes had cargoes of great value, in addition to specie, on board, and their total worth was placed at about £1,000,000. In the Mercedes, one-third as much more was lost. The British casualties were only 2 killed and 7 wounded. The Spaniards lost 20 killed and 80 wounded, besides those who perished in the Mercedes.1

On October 16th, the Cruiser, 18, Commander John Hancock (1), blockading Ostend, sighted and chased the French privateer ContreAmiral Magon, 17, a vessel which had committed terrible depredations upon British commerce. The pursuit continued for 97 miles, but at last the privateer was overhauled. She struck after a few shots. So scarce were seamen in France that instead of her complement of 200 men she had gone to sea with 84 men only, among whom were many Danes, Swedes, and Americans.2

On November 8th, the merchantmen Thetis, Ceres, and Penelope encountered the French privateer Bonaparte, 18, off Barbados. The Thetis, John Charnley, master, closed and fought her. The other two held aloof. The Thetis, however, proved quite a match for her, knocked her badly about, and left her almost disabled.3

Amongst the British ships lost by shipwreck in 1804 was the Apollo, 36, Captain John William Taylor Dixon. While in charge of a convoy for the West Indies, she struck on the Portuguese coast during a heavy gale on April 2nd. Her Captain and 60 of her crew perished.*

On January 21st, 1805, the Gipsy, 10, Lieutenant Michael Fitton, whilst cruising on a rendezvous off Cape San Antonio with despatches, was chased by five privateers. These she succeeded in separating by a feigned flight; and, attacking the leading vessel, which at once in its turn took to flight, drove it ashore after a running engagement.5

On February 3rd, at daylight, the sloop Arrow, 28, Commander Richard Budd Vincent, and the bomb Acheron, Commander Arthur

6

1 James, iii. 280; Nicolas, 'Nelson,' vi. 241; Nav. Chron., xii. 322, 500; xiii. App. (for diplom. correspondence); Chevalier, 126.

2 Nav. Chron., xii. 457, 417.

3 Nav. Chron., xiii. 273.

4 James, iii. 257; Narr. of Mr. Lewis; C. M., May 22nd, 1804.

5 James, iv. 117.

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1805.]

DEFENCE OF THE "ARROW" AND "ACHERON."

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Farquhar (1), whilst escorting a convoy of merchantmen from Malta to England, sighted two strange sail off the Algerian coast. These were the Hortense, 40, Captain L. C. A. La Marre La Meillerie, and Incorruptible, 38, Captain S. Billiet, of Admiral Villeneuve's squadron. They had separated from the French fleet to chase away the British look-out frigates, and had not been able to rejoin. They were speedily made out by the British vessels to be enemies, and the

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From H. R. Cook's lithographed portrait in the " Naval Chronical," 1807.

convoy was ordered to close. The Arrow cast off a vessel which she had in tow and joined the Acheron; and the two ships placed themselves between the enemy and the convoy, directing the latter to make all possible sail for the rendezvous appointed in case the ships should have to disperse. Late in the afternoon it fell calm, and not till night had fallen did a breeze spring up from the W.S.W. All day and night the frigates in pursuit were making all the sail they

1 Com., Apr. 29th, 1802; Capt., Apr. 8th, 1805; R.-Adm., Jan. 10th, 1837. VOL. V. 2 A

could, but they were not within range till 4.45 A.M. of the 4th. The Hortense then passed under the lee of the Arrow on the opposite tack, hailed her, and, passing the Acheron, hailed again and fired a broadside into the bomb, which did great damage, carrying away the main yard slings and the main topgallant yard. The Acheron returned the fire, and was supported by the Arrow, which bore up and raked the Hortense. The Incorruptible, from the lightness of the wind, had fallen away from her sister frigate; and when, at about 5.30 A.M., she appeared to be wearing, she was distantly fired into by the Acheron. She eventually stood after the Hortense. In this brief respite which followed, the Acheron attempted to repair the damage to her rigging.

The convoy was at that time about four miles to windward. The French frigates bore down a second time; and at 7.30 A.M. the Incorruptible, which was leading, opened on the Arrow and exchanged broadsides with her. As the French ships were on the opposite tack to the two British vessels, the Incorruptible went on to the Acheron, whilst the Hortense gave the Arrow her attention. Having passed, the two Frenchmen wore to renew the action. The Arrow attempted to rake them, but failed in her manoeuvre, and was. attacked by both the frigates. The Hortense, however, soon left her in order to look after the Acheron. The Arrow, hopelessly outmatched, protracted her resistance till 8.30 A.M., when, with her rigging shot to pieces, her masts wounded, her hold full of water and four guns dismounted, she struck. The Acheron had attempted to escape, but with the much faster Hortense in pursuit, and retarded by the injuries which she had sustained in her masts and rigging,. she also surrendered at about 8.45.

Both British ships had sustained such damage in their heroic defence as to render them worthless to their captors. The Acheron was burnt by the French; the Arrow sank immediately after her crew had been transferred to the enemy's ships. Nor was the stubborn courage displayed by the British seamen without effect, since, of the convoy, only three vessels were taken. The Arrow and the Acheron, from the circumstance that both were armed entirely with carronadesexcepting the Acheron's two mortars, which of course were uselesscould do little outside the very closest range, and the French vessels with their long guns had them at their mercy. The Acheron, in Nelson's judgment, was not the equal of a strong privateer. The force and losses of the four ships were as follows :

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The Arrow's fire probably did the Incorruptible some damage, since the latter took no further part in Villeneuve's operations.'

On February 8th, the Curieux, 16, Commander George Edmund Byron Bettesworth, chased and overhauled a large brig off Barbados. This was the notorious French privateer Dame Ernouf, 16. A sharp action of 40 minutes' duration followed, and then the Dame Ernouf attempted to board on the Curieux's leeward quarter. The Curieux starboarded her helm, caught the privateer's jibboom between her after fore-shroud and fore mast, and held her in that position till the enemy's deck was cleared. Just as the British in their turn were about to board, the vessels parted and the Dame Ernouf's fore topmast came down. She fired a few shot, and then struck. Each craft carried sixteen long French 6-prs. Of the Curieux's crew of 67, 1 officer was killed and 4 officers and men were wounded. her 120 men, the Dame Ernouf lost 30 killed and 40 wounded.2

Of

On February 13th, the San Fiorenzo, 36, Commander Henry Lambert (2) (actg. Captain), searching for the French frigate Psyché, 32, Captain Jacques Bergeret, discovered three sail off Ganjam, on the Malabar coast, and, approaching, made them out to be the Psyché and two prizes. The three crowded all sail away, but on the evening of the 14th the rearmost of the prizes was overhauled by the San Fiorenzo and secured. At 8 P.M. the Psyché was within range and the first shot was fired. At 8.20 P.M. close action began, broadside to broadside, at half a cable's distance, between the Psyché and San Fiorenzo. The other French prize, the Pigeon, had been armed by the French with 4 guns, manned with 34 men, placed under the command of Lieutenant Ollivier, and renamed the Equivoque; but she held aloof from the action and gave the Psyché little assistance.

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1 James, iv. 118; Troude, iii. 412; Nav. Chron., xiii. 223, xvii. 281; Nicolas, 'Nelson,' vi. 263; Marshall, ii. 912, 929; C. M., Mar. 28th, 1804, and June 17th, 1805. 2 Nav. Chron., xiii. 403; James, iv. 121.

In the close engagement between the Psyché and San Fiorenzo, both ships suffered severely. The French, as was their usual custom, seem, from the damage which they inflicted upon the San Fiorenzo's rigging, to have fired high. The British fire, directed at the enemy's hull, put many of her guns and carronades out of action. At about 9 P.M. the Psyché passed under the San Fiorenzo's stern and raked the British ship, but without causing very serious injury, owing to the damage which had been sustained by the French vessel's guns. The San Fiorenzo speedily recovered her old position and brought her broadside to bear. Bergeret saw that his solitary chance of success lay in boarding. He ran the Psyché upon the San Fiorenzo; but his boarders were received with so furious a fire from the British small-arms' party that their attempt was easily beaten off. At that moment a fire broke out on the Psyche's orlop deck, and diverted the attention of a large part of her crew from the battle. The two ships parted, but the British seamen continued their deadly fire at something outside pistol range. The Psyche's main yard was shot away; and she was left, if French accounts can be believed, with only two serviceable guns, the others having been either dismounted or disabled. At about 11.30 P.M. the British ship hauled off to effect repairs to her masts and rigging. Thirty minutes later she bore down again, before the Psyché had cleared her decks or made ready for the renewal of the action. The San Fiorenzo was on the point of re-opening fire, when a boat from the Psyché, with an officer on board, came off to her with a message from Captain Bergeret stating that he was prepared to surrender. French accounts assert that he stipulated for terms, but the terms were only such as would always be granted to a brave opponent-the right of the officers to keep their swords, the seamen to retain their private effects, and Captain Bergeret to remain one night on board his ship to see that the wounded received proper attention. The French say that the Equivoque only fired four or five shots. The Psyché, it should be admitted, was skilfully and bravely defended against a ship of very superior size and force.

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