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Montague, under the command of acting Lieutenant Wells, have taken from under the walls of Port Louis a large brig laden with wine and brandy; in covering whom the fhip has only received two fhots in ter hull, without any other damage. I have the honour to be, &c.

JOHN KNIGHT.

Extract of a Letter from Captain John Knight, of his Majefty's Ship Mon tague, to the Right Honourable the Earl of St. Vincent, K.B.; dated at Sea, October 26.

SINCE my letter of the 21ft inftant, a lugger, going to Palais with firewood, was cut off, which I deftroyed; and the Marlborough, while in company, cap tured a French brig laden with butter, tallow, and hides. I have now the honour to state, that, on returning from the Loire, which is very fhallow at its entrance, in hauling round Croific, the feveral batteries opened their fire with a view to defend a brig and two floops that lay under them, waiting the flood to get into the port; however, the boats of the Montague, with great intrepidity and alacrity, brought them out. In this affair I have to lament the lofs of a valuable feaman killed, one feaman and a marine badly wounded, and two flightly.

While drawing near to thofe veffels, and previous to their crews abandoning them, it was obferved the brig hauled down French colours at ber enfign-staff, and fubftituted those of Hamburgh at her mast-head.

I have the honour to be, &c.

JOHN KNIGHT.

Extract of another Letter from Captain Knight, of the Montague; dated of Ile Groa, October 30.

ON the 28th inftant, a small ship and a few chaffe marées were the only vellels that could be seen above Point Nazaire, in the Loire: within the Ifle Noirmoutier I faw two brigs and a galliet (French), which the boats of the Montague boarded; and although in poffeffion of them for a whole flood, fo intricate and fhallow were the channels on the flats where they lay, it was judged expedient to fire them. I have the honour to be, &c.

The Earl of St. Vincent, K. B.

JOHN KNIGHT.

Copy of a Letter from Captain Hotham, of his Majefty's Ship Immortalité, to the Earl of St. Vincent.

My Lord, Immortalite, at Sea, October 24 I HAVE the honour to report to your Lordfhip, that on the 12th of September I captured a fmali Spanish veffel laden with ftone, which I was obliged to icuttle, to enable ine to chafe two French privateer fhips (Le Brave and La Bellone), who hove in fight (coming out of the Gironde) at the time I was boarding the Spaniard; but as it was late in the evening, and as they tacked, and ftood from me under every fail, as foon as they difcovered Ĺ'Immortalité to be a man of war, they did not leave it in my power to get near them, although by fteering the courfe in the night that I judged they would adopt to avoid me, I kept them in fi. ht all the next day, but in the fecond night they efcaped, after my having chafed them two hundred and fifty-nine miles to the westward.

However, on the 20th, I retook an English fhip (the Monarch) of fix

hundred

hundred and forty-five tons, laden with timber, which La Bellone had captured four days before on her paffage from Quebec to London.

On the 22d of the fame month, in the latitude of Cordouan Lighthoufe, blowing hard from the weftward, a French brig of war came in fight to the northward, to whom I got near enough by funfet to keep fight of after dark, and to enfure my coming up with her; but at half paft nine o'clock, when I was within mufket-fhot, and about to bring her to, we both unexpectedly took the ground (going niné knots) on Noirmoutier, where fhe was totally difmafted and deftroyed, but I had the good fortune to get off at daylight the next morning, without any material damage, and with the lofs only of a bower anchor and cable, and a boat.

Not having feen the land before dark, and not having run the diftance of it by the reckoning, I was unable to ascertain what was my exact fituation t the day broke, and as it was ebb tide when we went on fhore, I was prevented from getting off before. In the morning having got the fhip under weigh, and worked off from the land, finding myfeif able to keep the fea, I returned to my ftation; and the next morning (the 24th) I fell in with a French fchooner letter of marque, bringing coffee and fugar from Guadaloupe to Bourdeaux; but a Guerniey privateer lugger, who was alfo in fight, and nearer to the schooner than I was, brought her to before I got up with her. I am, &c.

Earl of St. Vincent, K. B.

M. HOTHAM.

Copy of a Letter from Captain Bowen, of his Majefty's Ship Argo, to the Earl of St. Vincent.

My Lord, His Majefty's Ship Arga, at Sea, October 21. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship, that, yesterday, his Majefty's fhip under my command captured (after fifteen hours chafe, blowing fresh) the Spanish letter of marque San Fernando, mounting 12 long fix-pounders and 53 men, pierced for and fhows 22 guns on one deck, five days from St. Andero, bound to La Vera Cruz, laden with bar-iron and bale-goods, of confiderable value, belonging to the Royal Philippine Company; they had government difpatches on board, which they funk; fhe is a fine veffel, quite new, meafures near three hundred tons, coppered, and fit for his Majesty's fervice.

The veffels taken and deftroyed as per margin *, exclufive of the above capture, is the fum of our fuccefs. I have the honour to be, &c.

J. BOWEN.
P.S. We have not feen an enemy's cruifer during our cruife.
The Earl of St. Vincent, c.

Copy of a Letter from Captain Lukin, of his Majefty's Ship Thames, to the Earl of St. Vincent.

My Lord,

1

Thames, at Sea, October 27.

I HAVE the honour to acquaint your Lordship, that on the 26th inftant, the Tower of Caduan E. S. E. thirty-fix leagues, his Majeffy's fhip I command fell in with and captured Le Diable à Quatre French fhip privateer of 16 twelve and fix-pounders, and 150 men; he was

French brig Maria Louifa, in ballaft, fent in.

Spanish barque Sel Vincente, laden with iron ore, fent in.

Two Spanish barques, names unknown, laden with iron ore, funk,

K 2

difcovered

difcovered at half past nine A. M. and after a chafe of five hours, with the wind upon the quarter, blowing fresh, the Immortalité was feen directly ahead of the enemy; fhe immediately joined in the purfuit, and much facilitated the capture of this privateer, which is a fast failer, and is extremely well found, having been out from Bourdeaux only one day. I am, &c.

The Earl of St. Vincent.

Admiralty Office, November 8.

W. LUKIN.

Copy of a Letter from Captain Curzon, of his Majefty's Ship Indefatigable, to Captain Keats, of the Boadicea.

Sir, Indefatigable, at Sea, October 23. THE fhip to windward I made the signal for, and afterwards chafed, was La Venus French national frigate, carrying 32 guns and 200 men, from Rochefort, bound to Senegal, and accounted a very fast failer, which I had the good fortune to come up with and capture fo early as feven o'clock in the evening, owing to the Fifgard having come in fight in the afternoon directly in the wind of the chase, and turning her, fo that both fhips croffed upon her courfe; we arrived up with her nearly at the fame time. I have the honour to be, &c.

Captain Keats, Boadicea.

C. CURZON.

Copy of a Letter from Vice-admiral Lord Hugh Seymour to Evan Nepean, Efq.; dated on board the Abergavenny, Port Royal Harbour, Jamaica, the 31/t Auguft.

Sir,

I HAVE very fincere pleasure in forwarding to you, for the information of the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, a letter which I have received from Captain Milne, of his Majefty's fhip Seine, defcribing an action which does great honour to him, his officers, and his fhip's company, and which ended in the capture of the French republican frigate the Vengeance, a ship of very fuperior force to that which he commanded.

Captain Milne has done fo much justice to his officers and men by his report of their conduct on that occafion, that I have only to offer my congratulations to their Lordships upon the fuccefs which attended their exertions, and to express my hope, that it will receive marks of their Lordships' favour proportioned to the fatisfaction which they must derive from the event, which has brought forward the merit of those engaged in it. I am, Sir, &c. H. SEYMOUR.

His Majefty's Ship Seine, off St. Deminge,
Auguft 22.

My Lord, I HAVE the fatisfaction to acquaint your Lordship, that on the morning of the 20th inftant I obferved a fhip on the starboard tack standing to the northward through the Mona Paffage; I foon perceived fhe was an ei emy, and made all fail in chase, with very light breezes; the wind having come to the northward obliged her to tack, as fhe could not weather Cape Raphael on the St. Domingo fhore; fhe then stood S. S. E. and made all fail; by this time it was near funfet, and I could perceive she was a large frigate; it was near midnight before I could

bring her to action, and then not fo clofe as I could with, as he always bore up and kept at long fhot; fhe however did us confiderable damage in our rigging and fails, but to appearance he fuffered equally: we feparated for fome time, and I took that opportunity to get our rigging, &c. again in complete repair.

On the morning of the 25th I had the pleafure of bringing him to clofe action; and after about an hour and a half hard fighting, an officer camé out on her bowfprit (the only place he could be feen from, owing to the mafs of confufion, by the lofs of her foreniaft, mizen-maft, and maintop-maft having fallen on board), and faid they had ftruck to the British flag. She was immediately taken poffeffion of, and proved to be the French frigate the Vengeance, Citizen Pitot, Capitain de Vaiffeau, commander, mounting 28 18-pounders on her main-deck, 16 12-pounders, and eight 42-pounders carronades on her quarter-deck and forecastle, and brafs fwivels on the gunwale, with fhifting guns on the main and quarter-decks. The weight of metal I have mentioned in French pounds.' The behaviour of the officers and fhip's company was ich as has always characterized the British feamen. To my firft lieutenant, Mr. Cheet ham, I am greatly indebted for his cool and fteady behaviour, and for the amazing fire kept up from the main-deck, which nothing could furpafs. My fecond lieutenant, Mr. George Milne, fell fighting nobly about the middle of the action. In him his Majefty has loft a valuable and as zealous an officer as any in the fervice. To my third lieutenant, Mr. Edeveair (whom I mentioned on a former occafion, when gunner of the Pique), I am equally indebted for his fervices; as likewife Mr. Barclay, the master, and Mr. M'Donald, lieutenant of marines, who was taken down wounded, and came up again when dreffed, but was obliged, from a fecond wound, to be taken below: but I am happy to ftate, the life of this valuable officer will be faved, to render further services to his Majefty. The behaviour of the petty officers, feamen, and marines, was fuch as does them the highest credit. The Vengeance is a very large frigate, five years old, and exactly the dimensions of the Fifgard in his Majesty's fervice, and is the fhip which had the action fome time fince with the American frigate the Conftellation. Previous to her leaving Curaçoa fhe had a large fupply of feamen from Guadaloupe, and was every way completely found, and bound to France.

His Majefty's fhip under my command has fuffered much in her masts and hull; fails and rigging entirely cut to pieces. Your Lordship will perceive the Vengeance is fuperior in fize, guns, and number of men, to his Majefty's fhip I have the honour to command;, but nothing could withstand the steady behaviour of this fhip's crew.

I have the honour of enclosing a lift of the killed and wounded. The lofs of the enemy has been very great, but I have not yet got a return. I have the honour to be, &c.

Right Hon. Lord Hugh Seymour, &c.

DAVID MILNE.

A Return of the killed and wounded on board his Majefty's Ship Seine, in the
Action with the French Republican Frigate the Vengeance, 21ft inftant.
Killed-One officer and 12 feamen.

Wounded-Three officers, 22 feamen, 3 marines, and 1 boy.
Name of officer killed-George Milne, fecond lieutenant.

Names of officers wounded-Archibald M'Donald, lieutenant of ma

rines; Andrew Barclay, mafter;

Horne, captain's clerk.

Copy of a Letter from Captain Wight, of his Majefty's Sloop Woolverine, ta Evan Nepean, Efq.; dated St. Helens, the 4th inftant.

Sir, · I HAVE to acquaint you, for the information of their Lordships, that on Sunday morning, Cape Barfteur light-house W.N.W. about four miles, I difcovered a French 'cu ter beating under the land; from my fituation to windward, I was happy to have it in my power to prevent her getting round the Cape; I got fo close up with her that flie ran on fhore infide of a reef of rocks under the village of Gouberville, and under a battery, while my fhot was going over her; the appeared to firike very hard on the fhore, as there was a great fea running, and a fresh gale of wind having come on in the evening, the muft inevitably be rendered felefs. I am, &c.

JOHN WIGHT.

From the LONDON GAZETTE, November 15, 1800.

Admiralty Office, November 15.

Letter from Vice-admiral Lord Keith, Commander in Chief of his Majefiy's Ships and Veffels in the Mediterranean, to Evan Nepean, Efq.; dated in board the Foudroyant, at Gibraltar Bay, the 29th ult.

1 HAVE just received a letter, of which the enclosed is a copy, from Captain Morris, acquainting me with the capture of a Spanish vetel of war by the boats of the Phaeton, under circumftances very highly creditable to Lieutenant Beaufort, and the officers and people who were employed on the occafion. I regret with him the lofs and injury which has been fuftained in the attack, but I anticipate with equal fatisfaction the approbation with which I am fure their Lordflips will regard the gallantry that has been evinced in the exccution of the enterprise.

My Lord, Phaeton, off Malaga, October 28. I HAVE the honour to acquaint your Lordthip, that on the 25th inftant, his Majefty's fhip under my commatid chafed a fhip polacre, which fhowed Spanish colours, enfign and pendant, to an anchor under the fortress of Fangerolle, where a French privateer brig alfo took refuge: as the wind was on fhore, and they were clofe into the furf, and directly under a battery of five heavy guns, there was no profpect of bringing them off then; the following night the brig efcaped to the weftward, and the fhip made two attempts for Malaga, but was driven back. Last night the land breeze appearing favourable, I fent the boats under the command of Lieutenant Francis Beaufort, who, at five o'clock this morning, in oppofition to a very obftinate refiftance on first boarding at the hatchways with mufketry, and from the rifing quarter-deck with fabres, gût poffeffion, and brought her out. She proves his Moft Catholic Majesty's armed hip the San Jofef, alias L'Anglies, mounting two 24-pounder, iron ordnance, in the bow, two brafs eighteens for stern chase, four bras twelves, and fix four-pounders, and most completely found in small arms of all kinds, commanded by an auxiliary officer of the navy, and manned with 49 feamen (of which 15 were abfent in her boat), and 22 foldiers as marines, employed as a packet, and carrying provisions between Malaga and Mefila. From the force of the fhip, her ftate of preparation, and fituation with respect to the fort, alfo the unfortunate circumstance

of

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