tial for the loss of his ship, was most honourably acquitted, and appointed to the command of the Ville de Milan, which was purchased into the

service.

Captain (now Sir John P.) Beresford commanded the Cambrian, a noble frigate, on the same station; cruising to the southward, he captured a schooner, the command of which he gave to Mr. Pigot, one of his lieutenants. This young officer proceeded off the mouth of the river St. Mary, in which he had obtained information that some enemy's vessels lay at anchor. On the 7th of July he ran twelve miles up a narrow river, and got within gun-shot of a ship, a brig, and a schooner, lying moored across the stream. After an hour's fighting he took them all; then turning his guns on the militia, who had come, to the number of one hundred men, with a field piece, he routed them; and though wounded in two places, he never quitted the deck for three weeks, except to have his wounds dressed. Two of his men were killed, and fourteen wounded. The ship was called the Golden Grove, and the brig the Ceres of London, taken by the schooner, which was a Spanish privateer of six guns and seventy men. The ship was armed with eight six pounders, six swivels, and fifty men. The Spaniards had thirty killed, among whom were five Americans, and twenty-two wounded. This was a most gallant and daring enterprise, and concludes our active operations on the North American coast for the year 1805.

Previously to the arrival of Lord Nelson in the West Indies, two very fine actions were fought by the British cruisers; one to windward, the other to leeward, or on the Jamaica station.

The first in order of time was that between the Curieux, a brig of sixteen guns, and one hundred men, and the Dame Ernouf, of sixteen guns, and one hundred and twenty men. The British vessel was commanded by Captain George E. Byron Bettesworth, a youth whose professional talents, and career of glory, were too transcendent to promise the attainment of old age. The action was fought about twenty leagues to windward of Barbadoes. The Curieux sustained the fire of the enemy, from the time of coming within point blank shot, until she ranged up close to her weather quarter, when she opened her fire in return, and both vessels fought with obstinacy for forty minutes. The enemy having got on the weather quarter of the Curieux, Captain Bettesworth dexterously putting his helm a starboard, caught the enemy's jib-boom between the foremast and the aftermost fore-shroud of the Curieux, and kept him in that position until, with great guns and musketry, he had completely cleared his decks, when the vessels separated, and the Frenchman surrendered. In giving the details of an action like this, we regret that such an officer as Captain Bettesworth should not have lived to command a British ship of the line.

Captain Bettesworth was himself wounded,

with three of his men. Mr. Maddox, the purser, and four seamen, were killed. The enemy had the incredible number of thirty killed and forty wounded.

In writing on this subject to the admiralty, Commodore Sir Samuel Hood says, "Indeed I want words to express the gallantry and spirit of this officer (Captain Bettesworth), who so lately received three wounds in capturing the vessel he now commands, has again a severe wound by a musket-ball in his head, and I trust will merit the notice of the lords commissioners of the admiralty, as an emulative and persevering young officer, who has gained every step by his zeal and courage."

It was a curious coincidence that while the Dame Ernouf was thus nobly defended to windward, the General Ernouf, about the same time, was still more unfortunate to leeward. On the 20th of March,Captain Coghlan, of the Renard sloop of war, of eighteen guns, on the Jamaica station, fell in with the General Ernouf privateer, of nearly the same force in number of guns, but having one hundred and sixty men; about double the complement of the Renard. The Frenchman waited the attack, and Captain Coghlan very soon brought him to close action, by running down and placing his vessel within pistol-shot on the weather bow of his. enemy. After engaging him thirty minutes, the Frenchman took fire and blew up, and the British seamen instantly flew to the rescue of the unfortunate survivors floating on the wreck; of these they saved about fifty. The loss on board of the

Renard was only nine men wounded. Captain Coghlan is the same officer who, in 1800, cut out the Cerbere, from the harbour of Port Louis, with such peculiar gallantry as to merit and receive a sword from the hand of the Earl of St. Vincent, his commander-in-chief.

On the 8th of October, Captain George Tobin, in the Princess Charlotte, captured the Cyane, formerly in his Majesty's service, a ship-sloop, mounting twenty, six pounders, and six, twelve pound carronades. This vessel, and the Naiad, a corvette of sixteen guns, were just from Martinique, victualled and stored for three months, and bound on a cruise; the Naiad was taken a week after by Captain W. B. Champain, in the Circe, of thirty-two guns.

In the month of July, Captain Zachary Mudge, of his Majesty's ship the Blanche, of thirty-six guns, fell in with a squadron of the enemy's vessels, consisting of La Topaze, of thirty-eight guns, and four hundred and ten men, La Departement des Landes, twenty guns, nine pounders, and two hundred and thirty-six men, La Torche, eighteen guns, corvette, and two hundred and thirteen men, and La Faune, sixteen guns, and one hundred and twenty-three men. The force and number of men are taken from Captain Mudge's official letter, except that he calls the Topaze, a forty-four, to which we have no objection, if it be also admitted that the Blanche mounted forty-two guns; certain it is, however, that the force opposed to

the British ship was about three to one against her. To escape by sailing, Captain Mudge thought was impossible, and therefore made every disposition for action, which began at eleven o'clock, and lasted about forty-five minutes; the frigates, close alongside of each other, two of the brigs astern, and the corvette on her starboard quarter. The Blanche thus surrounded was very soon disabled, her standing and running rigging cut to pieces, her foremast, with ten shot in it, was expected to fall, seven of her guns dismounted, and her crew reduced to one hundred and ninety men. Thus situated, the Captain and officers of the Blanche considered farther resistance unavailing, and at noon the colours were struck. She had eight men killed, and thirteen wounded. At six o'clock, when the Blanche was reported to be sinking, the French very wisely set her on fire. As Captain Mudge, his officers, and crew, were honourably acquitted by the sentence of a court-martial, we have no reason to doubt that every thing was done which could be effected for the preservation of the ship, and that the British flag lost no honour on the occasion. Had Captain Mudge made all sail from the enemy, as soon as he discovered their superiority, it is probable they would not all have got into action at the same time; or that, being cruisers in search of our merchantmen, they would not have continued the pursuit of a ship of war, naturally supposing she would lead them in sight of others, or by obstinate resistance