illness of Captain Brenton), captured a very valuable convoy of vessels, loaded with naval stores, and brought them safe to Spithead. Captain Brenton rejoined his ship, and proceeded to his station, watching a flotilla in Cherbourg.

At daylight, on the 2nd of July, a detachment of French gun-vessels was seen close under the land, steering for Barfleur, which they reached, notwithstanding every effort made by the Topaze and Minerve to prevent it. The former returned to her station off Havre; and in the evening the Minerve, running close in with Cherbourg in a thick fog, mistook Fort de la Liberté for Peleé; and a number of vessels being seen to the eastward, the pilot assured the captain he might run amongst them without hesitation. The helm was accordingly put up for the purpose, when just as the ship was about to open her fire, she grounded, and the fog at the same time dispersing, discovered her to be in a very perilous situation. She was on the western Cone Head, about six furlongs from Fort de la Liberté, of seventy guns and fifteen mortars; and one mile from the isle Peleé, of one hundred guns and twenty-five mortars, from both of which a fire almost immediately opened. This happened about nine o'clock in the evening. Captain Brenton, aware that strong and decided measures were necessary, and that the launch of a frigate was not calculated to carry out a bower anchor, immediately despatched his boats armed, to cut out a vessel from under the bat

teries, of sufficient capacity for the purpose; whilst the launch, with her carronade, should be employed in diverting the fire of two gun-brigs, lying in such a position ahead of the Minerve, às to annoy her greatly by a raking fire. The yawl, being the first boat in the water, was sent under the orders of the Honourable Lieutenant William Walpole, and the other boats were directed to follow as soon as ready: but the gallant officer,* to whom the enterprise was intrusted, found his own boat sufficient. He proceeded under a heavy fire of round, grape, and musketry, and from her position close to the batteries, cut out a lugger of fifty tons, laden with stone for the works, and towed her off to the ship. Before the bower anchor could be placed in this vessel, it was necessary to clear her of her cargo, and that this might be done, without adding to the shoal on which the ship lay, she was veered astern by the ebb tide to the length of a hawser. Unfortunately, the moon shone with great brightness. The enemy's fire became very galling; the more so, as no return could be made but from the two forecastle guns, those of the main deck having been all run close forward, for the purpose of lightening the ship abaft, where she hung. At eleven P. M. the lugger being cleared, was brought under the larboard cathead, to receive the small bower anchor, and during this operation, was so frequently struck

tain.

Brother of the present Earl of Orford ;- died a post-cap

from the gun-brigs, as to keep a carpenter constantly employed in stopping the shot-holes. By midnight all was ready; a kedge anchor had been previously laid out for the purpose of warping the lugger, but the moment the hawser became taut, it was shot away. Every thing now depended upon the boats, which were sent to take the lug ger in tow, and succeeded, under a severe fire, in gaining their object, and the anchor was let go in a proper position. At three o'clock in the morning, the wind had entirely subsided, and the Captain almost hopeless of being able to save the ship, contemplated the probable necessity of being obliged to abandon her. With this view he caused the wounded men to be brought up and put into the lugger, destroyed his private signals, and prepared fires in the store-rooms, to be lighted at the last extremity. A fine breeze, however, springing up from the land, as the tide rose, revived the hope of saving the ship, and the wounded men were returned to the cockpit. The lugger's masts were soon after shot away by the guns of the batferies, over the gangway of the Minerve. At four, the capstan was manned, and many of the crew were killed and wounded as they hove at the bars. At five, the ship floated, under the most heartfelt cheers of the crew. It was considered as a certainty, that in the course of two or three minutes they would be out of gun-shot of the batteries, and consequently out of danger; but this pleasing prospect soon vanished. The wind again declined

into a perfect calm, and the last drain of the flood tide carried the now helpless ship into the harbour, and laid her upon a broken cone. In this situation she remained till the top of high water, when she surrendered, after sustaining the fire of the enemy for ten hours, and having eleven men killed and sixteen wounded.

Such was the state of her masts, that had there been a moderate breeze, they must have gone by the board. She was lightened in the course of the day by the French, and got off. The capture of so fine a frigate at the commencement of the war, occasioned great triumph, and was announced in the theatre at Brussels, by Bonaparte in person; who, addressing the audience, stated the circumstance in the following terms: "La guerre vient de commencer sous les plus heureuse auspices, une superbe frégate de l'ennemi vient de se rendre à deux de nos chaloupes Cannonieres." The ship was called the "Cannoniere," in order to support this despicable falsehood.

Captain Brenton was detained a prisoner in France for two years and a half; many of his officers and men died in captivity. The greater part suffering a barbarous imprisonment of eleven years, were not released till the tyrant was defeated on the plains of Leipsic, in 1814. A British sailor, who had both his legs shot off while the Minerve lay under the fire of the batteries, was carried to the cockpit. Waiting for his turn to be dressed, he heard the cheers of the crew on

deck, and eagerly demanded what they meant. Being told that the ship was off the shoal, and would soon be clear of the forts; " Then d-n the legs!" exclaimed the poor fellow, and taking his knife from his pocket, he cut the remaining muscles which attached them to him, and joined in the cheers with the rest of his comrades. When the ship was taken, he was placed in the boat to be conveyed to the hospital; but determined not to outlive the loss of liberty, he slacked his tourniquets, and bled to death.

On the return of Captain Brenton to England, in January, 1806, being tried by a court-martial at Portsmouth, he was most honourably acquitted, and immediately appointed to the Spartan, a new frigate of the largest class, in which he was sent to the Mediterranean. The capture of the Minerve, and the subsequent treatment of her officers and men in captivity, form a distinct subject; shewing the rancorous hatred of the Chief Consul and his agents to any thing connected with England.

An able French writer, Monsieur Dupin, has attempted to throw the whole odium of the aggravated sufferings of the prisoners on the cruel policy of the government of this country.

*

He says, "There exist in Europe two rival nations for military fame, and the triumphs with which they have been crowned; but very differently celebrated for the use which they have Voyages dans Le Grande Bretagne, vol. i. p. 160.