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CHAPTER XI.

West Indies.-Spanish settlements revolutionized by the news from the mother country-Duckworth pursues the Rochefort squadron-Spear's action with the French corvettes-Découverte destroys La DoradeMarie Galante taken-Martinique blockaded-Capture of the Carnation by the Palinure-Court-martial; execution of Sergeant Chapman for cowardice-Collier's action-Capture of La Cygne-Death of the gallant Lieutenant Bennet of the Maria-The Laurel taken by the Canonnière.

In the month of July, 1808, a new line of policy was adopted in the West Indies towards the colonies of Spain, in consequence of the mother country having become suddenly friendly to Great Britain. The governor of Cuba refused to acknowledge Joseph Bonaparte, and called in the assistance of England to support him in the fidelity which he honourably retained to his unworthy though lawful monarch, Ferdinand VII. The flame of liberty soon spread to the shores of the Continent; Cumana, Barcelona, and all the settlements along the coast, from Trinidad to Mexico, declared open hostility to France, and received the British shipping into their ports with the most affectionate welcome. From that moment the war in the western hemisphere possessed little interest for us, in point of profit or glory; but we had the superior satisfaction of beholding a people throw off the chains of tyranny, and assert the freedom to which they were justly entitled. That they have not yet reaped the entire fruits of their labours is to be lamented; but long years of discord must succeed a convulsion the result of tyranny, bigotry, ignorance, and avarice.

The Rochefort squadron having again escaped, the active and indefatigable Sir John Duckworth, with a squadron of seven sail of the line, and having his flag in the Royal George, sailed for Martinique, off which island he arrived in the month of February, 1808, but the enemy had not been seen, and he shaped his course once more for England, where he arrived on the 18th of April, and the Rochefort squadron got safe into Toulon on the 10th of the same month.

On the 22d Captain Joseph Spear, in the Goeree, a ship sloop, of 18 guns, and 120 men, had a very spirited action with two French brigs of war, the Palineure and the Pylade, of 16 guns each, 24-pound carronades, and 110 men. The enemy escaped, leaving the Goeree too much disabled to follow.

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On the Jamaica station Lieutenant Colin Campbell, in the Découverte schooner, drove one of the enemy's cruisers and her prize on shore, on the coast of St. Domingo, and destroyed them; and on the following day the same officer chased another privateer, which he brought to action, and subdued in 45 minutes; she was called La Dorade, mounted a long 18pounder, two long nines, and was manned with 72 men, of whom 14 were killed and three wounded.

In the month of March the island of Marie Galante was taken by Captain Selby, of the Cerberus, who, having the Captains Hugh Pigot, of the Circe, and Brown, of the Camilla, under his orders, in the blockade of Guadaloupe, landed these officers with 200 seamen and marines, and to this force the island surrendered without resistance. Captain Selby was sent shortly after with the Cerberus, and a squadron of small vessels, to take the island of Desiada, or Desirade, which he captured without loss, though after much resistance, and a heavy fire from the batteries. In this service he was assisted by the Captains Sherriff and Ward.

In the month of December, 1808, Captain Charles Dashwood, in La Franchise, of 36 guns, with the Aurora, Dædalus, Reindeer, and Port Mahon brig, attacked the port of Samana, on the east end of St. Domingo. The place was taken after very little resistance. Two privateers, of five guns each, with a complement of 100 men, and three merchant vessels, were found in the port.

In the month of November, 1808, Rear-admiral Sir A. Cochrane received orders to blockade Martinique, preparatory to its invasion. The island, from the vigilance of our cruisers, became daily more straitened for provisions; the Americans in vain endeavoured to relieve it; and the British merchants of the neighbouring islands scrupled not, in defiance of the blockading squadron, and of every moral obligation and duty to their country, to supply our enemies with the most essential articles for their defence and subsistence. The captures made by our cruisers, and the number of American vessels condemned for breach of blockade, exceeded that of any former period; and so deeply sensible was Bonaparte of the wants of the island, and of its importance to France, that he despatched squadrons of fast sailing frigates, corvettes, and schooners, with provisions, ammunition, and artillerymen, most of which were intercepted.

Captain George Saunders, in the Belette, and Captain Joseph Spear, in the Goeree, each took valuable letters of marque, bound with provisions to the French islands. Two small frigates were also captured on the home station, by the Loire and the Aimable, with similar cargoes for the same des

tination. The Melampus captured a brig of 16 guns, called the Colibri, bound also to Martinique with flour.

The Palinure, one of the brigs which had engaged the Goeree, fell in, to windward of Martinique, with the Carnation, a brig of 18 guns, commanded by Captain Gregory, who, after a long chase, and a running fight of three hours, in which he had fired away all his filled powder, came fairly alongside the enemy, when Captain Gregory was killed, the first and second lieutenants desperately wounded, and taken below the two vessels then fell on board of each other, when the master of the Carnation ran from his quarters, as did the sergeant of marines, followed by every man in the vessel except the boatswain, a tall, daring, athletic man. This brave fellow mounted the mainrigging, and saw no one on the decks of the enemy except the captain, who, as it afterwards appeared, was too ill to walk the deck, but had caused himself to be placed there in his chair. In vain did the boatswain use every means of threat and of entreaty to animate the crew. "If 25 men (he exclaimed) will follow me, she is ours;" but they were panicstruck, and not a man would come up from below. The Frenchmen finding all quiet, a few of them came over the bows of the Carnation, and took her without farther resistance. This was one of the most disgraceful transactions that had occurred during the war, and was entirely to be attributed to the unfortunate death of the captain, and the severe wounds of the lieutenants. Without leaders, the men lost their 'spirits, and the vessel was sacrificed to the cowardice of the master and sergeant of marines. The Carnation arrived in Marin Bay, Martinique, where she was soon after burned by the enemy, to prevent her falling into our hands; and the Palineure was captured by Captain Hugh Pigot, in the Circe, as she went into Fort Royal Bay. The crew of the Carnation were retaken in her, and the commander-in-chief immediately ordered a courtmartial to be assembled for their trial. The facts above stated came out in evidence before the court. Sergeant John Chapman was sentenced to be hanged at the yard-arm, which was carried into execution on the following day, on board the Ulysses, in Fort Royal Bay, Martinique. The master died of the yellow fever previously to the trial, or he would have shared the same fate. Thirty of the men were sentenced to 14 years' transportation, as unworthy to belong to the British navy; but this sentence was declared by the 12 judges to be illegal, and was not carried into effect. The lieutenants were most honourably acquitted. The name of the first lieutenant was Decker, now deservedly a captain; the name of the second is unfortunately forgotten. The boatswain was strongly recommended to the

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notice of the admiral, by whom he was immediately appointed to the largest frigate on the station.

In October Captain Cockburn, in the Pompée, took the Pylade, the consort to the Palineure.

Captain F. A. Collier, in the Circe, with a squadron of sloops and small vessels, was stationed off the town of St. Pierre and the Pearl Rock; near which he discovered, on the 12th of December, a brig and two schooners at anchor. He immediately made all sail towards the enemy. On nearing them, he perceived that the shore was lined with troops and fieldpieces, besides regular batteries. The Circe, followed by the Stork sloop and Morne Fortunée brig, soon cleared the beach of the soldiers, and silenced the batteries, which they engaged within pistol-shot. One of the schooners had run on shore, and Captain Collier, leaving the Morne Fortunée to watch her, went on with the Stork to attack the brig and the other schooner lying at anchor, covered by batteries and troops of flying artillery, the boats of both ships being prepared to board as soon as the fire of the enemy was in any degree subdued. Unfortunately the daring intrepidity of Lieutenant Crook, who commanded the boats of the Circe, induced him to put off from his ship, and attack the enemy, before the boats of the Stork could come to his support, or the fire of the brig and the batteries was silenced by the Circe. So closely had Captain Collier placed his ship, that his men were wounded with musketry from the beach. At this critical moment the boats under the command of Lieutenant Crook interposing between the Circe and the enemy, the fire of the British frigate was necessarily withheld, and Captain Collier could only engage the batteries, or fire on the troops who lined the beach. Coming alongside the brig, the lieutenant found her with boarding nettings triced up to her yard-arms, and so well manned and prepared, that the boats were in a very few minutes nearly destroyed, with 56 of the officers and men either killed, wounded, drowned, or taken prisoners. The Circe and Stork stood off for the night. In the morning the brig weighed, and attempted to get into St. Pierre, but her movements were so closely watched that she was driven on shore, and burnt by the Amaranthe, as was also one of the schooners; the other was bilged on the rocks. The brig was called La Cygne, mounted 18 guns, 24pounders, and had 140 men. This vessel, as well as the schooner, was loaded with flour for the garrison. They had sailed from Cherbourg in company with La Vertu, La Junon, and L'Amphitrite frigates, and Lapillon brig. The schooners were both armed, and were a part of this squadron. The Amaranthe had one man killed and five wounded, one of them

mortally; the Stork had one man killed and two wounded; the Express, one killed and three wounded.

Α very noble defence was made by Lieutenant Bennet, in the Maria, a small brig of war, of 14 guns, 12 12-pound carronades, and two long fours, against Le Sard, a French brig of war, of 22 guns, of which 16 were 32-pound carronades, four long 9-pounders, and two long sixes, with a complement of men in proportion. Lieutenant Bennet chased and brought this vessel to action under the lee of Guadaloupe, but the wind dying away to a dead calm, the British vessel lay exposed to the raking broadside of a superior enemy, until perfectly disabled, notwithstanding every exertion of the lieutenant to get his brig's head the right way. When this was effected the fire was renewed with great vigour, but the Maria was sinking, and her colours being shot away, the Frenchman hailed to know if she had struck. The brave lieutenant answered "No," and a moment after three grape shot passed through his body, and he fell dead under the British flag, which he had rehoisted. The master continued the action till not a hope remained, and then struck. The enemy ran the vessel on the rocks, where she was wrecked. Besides the lieutenant, five

men were killed and nine wounded.

We have very little to say respecting the East Indies during this year: the enemy was quiet in that part of the world; their naval operations were confined to the predatory excursions of their frigates and privateers. The Laurel, of 22 guns, commanded by Captain J. C. Woolcomb, was taken after a severe action by the Canonnière, of 38 guns. Captain Woolcomb was cruising off the Isle of France when he fell in with the enemy, and, having no wish to engage a force so much superior, declined the action; but the Canonnière coming up, they fought for an hour and a half, when the Laurel, being disabled, was forced to surrender. Her damage was confined to her masts and rigging, to which the fire of the enemy seems to have been chiefly directed, and in which he completely attained his object; while, on the other hand, the fire of the Laurel being directed to the hull, the French frigate had five men killed, and 19 wounded. The character of Captain Woolcomb received no blemish from this misfortune, a court-martial having honourably acquitted him. In his mode of fighting he appears to have adhered to the old English maxim, of firing at the tier of guns. In a case of this sort, where the opponent was of so much greater force, perhaps it would have been better to have directed the whole fire at the main-mast head; that fallen, the ship might have become an easy prey to the Laurel.

In South America we find nothing to remark in the year 1808.