May.

12 and 6 pounders, besides a pair or two of carron- 1798. ades on her quarterdeck, with a crew, according to her rôle d'équipage, of 300 men, lieutenant Acklom, with the boats, at about 2 h. 30 m. P. M., returned to the Hydra in the offing.

This dashing service was performed without injury to a single man on board of, or belonging to, any one of the three british vessels; and the only damage which the latter sustained was a slight wound by shot in the Hydra's mainmast, and some injury to her rigging. From the number of slain left on board and the state of her decks," the Confiante appeared to have sustained a severe loss; but, as the wounded were carried off and the killed are not enumerated in either the english or french accounts, we are unable to state its amount.

As soon as, on the ebbing of the tide on the morning of the 30th, the Vesuvius and Trial had hauled off from the Vésuve, the french crew began shoring up the corvette, to prevent her falling over: they next got down her yards and topmasts, and laid out an anchor in the north-west, ready to heave her afloat on the rising of the tide. This was effected while the Hydra's boats were boarding the Confiante; and, in the course of the afternoon, the Vésuve got safe into the river Dive. Here, at the little port of Sallenelle, was lying captain Muskein's division of gun-boats on its return to Hâvre.

In order to protect the corvette from a second attack, captain Muskein landed a portion of his guns, and erected batteries at Cabourg and other suitable spots at the entrance of the river. These batteries were worked by the seamen from the gun-boats, assisted by the 200 troops of the Boulogne battalion that had embarked in them. This prompt measure saved the Vésuve from sharing the fate of the Confiante; and, even when on the 1st of June the 38-gun frigate Diamond, captain sir Richard John Strachan, joined the little squadron before Havre, the British were obliged to retire without effecting

1798.

any thing further. As soon as their departure was May. ascertained, and the Vésuve had rigged herself afresh, the corvette and gun-boats got under way, and reached Hâvre in safety.

A french writer complains, that lieutenant Lecolièr did very little to support his commodore; and it certainly would appear, as well that captain Pevrieux, when he permitted the Vésuve, instead of running on shore, or making off as the cutter had just done, to follow the Confiante in tacking from the coast, did expect to derive some benefit from the cooperation of his consort, as that the latter bore up out of gun-shot the instant she felt the effects of the Hydra's heavy broadside. Nor, considering the disparity of force between the Hydra and Vésuve, and the apparent neglect of the Confiante, who was to-windward, to close for his support, could lieutenant Lecolier be blamed for the step he took.

As the Vesuvius and Trial had gone in pursuit of the corvette, then was the time for captain Pevrieux to have emulated the conduct of many other french officers of his rank, and, instead of running from, to have at least" shown fight" with, the Hydra. Having, however, previously declined to engage a british 18-pounder frigate, when commanding a french frigate of the same maindeck force,* captain Pevrieux would hardly be the assailant now that the ship he commanded carried no heavier metal than twelves.

The same french writer, who blames lieutenant Lecolier for his early abandonment of the action, would, in all probability, have been less lavish in his encomiums upon captain Pevrieux for his intrepidity in conducting it, but for two mistakes, so happily coinciding as to double the intended effect. He calls the Confiante "une corvette," with as much reason as he calls the Hydra " un vaisseau rasé, portant du 24 en batterie et des caronades de 64 sur les gail

* See vol. i. p. 475.

lards." Where can this french writer produce a 1798. corvette with a 66 capitaine de vaisseau" and a crew of 300 men? The Vésuve mounted 20 long 8pounders, and yet was commanded, as the writer acknowledges, by a "lieutenant de vaisseau." Of the fact, that the Confiante was a frigate, similar in size and force to the Néréide and a great many others, we entertain not the slightest doubt; and, indeed, if our memory is not treacherous, we have seen the Confiante designated as a frigate in the columns of the Moniteur.

The

Since the failure of their attempt in December, 1796, to make a descent upon Ireland, the French had endeavoured, by means of spies and emissaries, to gain over the catholics to their cause. In this they at length succeeded, and unhappy Ireland became the theatre of open and bloody rebellion. object of the french directory now was, at every risk, to aid the rebels with a few disciplined troops, and a great quantity of arms, ammunition, and clothing. This indeed the directory had pledged themselves to do, but they had let the summer nearly pass away before they made any attempt to fufil their promise. At length two expeditions were set on foot, and were to have sailed simultaneously, one from Brest, the other from Rochefort.

Owing to some delay in paying the seamen and troops of the Brest expedition, that from Rochefort was the first to sail. It consisted of the following ships:

On board this squadron were 1150 troops, with four field-pieces, under the command of general Humbert, having under him the adjutant-generals

* Victoires et Conquêtes, tome viii. p. 290. VOL. II.

N

1798. Fontaine and Sarrazin. Each ship carried also a considerable quantity of powder, and the same of arms and accoutrements.

Aug.

On the 6th of August commodore Savary got under way with his squadron from the road of the Isle of Aix, and escaped to sea unobserved. On the 21st the squadron made the westernmost end of Ireland, and the general intended to disembark the troops at Killembach; but contrary winds drove the ships towards the bay of Killala. The french squadron made its approach under english colours, and on the evening of the 22d cast anchor near Killcumin head, the western point of Killala bay. In the course of the evening the troops disembarked, taking on shore with them four field-pieces, four loaded ammunition waggons, 30000 lbs. of powder, and uniforms and equipments complete for 3000 rebel Irishmen.

The only british force at the post consisted of a small detachment of the Prince of Wales's fencible regiment, and a few yeomanry attended by some clergymen of the neighbourhood, in number altogether about 200. These, or the loyal portion of them at least, offered what resistance they could, but were at length compelled to give way, after having lost a few in killed and wounded, and a great many willing and unwilling prisoners. An officer and 25 privates of the fencible regiment, being the whole of the prisoners who preferred captivity to freedom under the terms on which alone it was offered, were sent on board the french squadron. Commodore Savary soon afterwards weighed and set sail from the coast; and these four french frigates were fortunate enough to reach in safety the port whence they had departed.

The subsequent operations being wholly of a military nature, it may suffice to state, that general Humbert was soon joined by several bands of United Irishmen, but not in such numbers as he had been led to expect; that he had several skirmishes with

the loyal part of the inhabitants and the troops sent 1798. against him; and that finally, on the 8th of Septem-Ang ber, at Ballinamuck, the french general, with 843 of his followers including officers, surrendered, at discretion, to a superior british force under lieutenant-general Lake.

About a week after the surrender of general Humbert and his "armée d'Irlande," the french privateer-brig Anacréon, from Dunkerque, having on board the irish rebel Napper-Tandy, and the french general Rey, besides some other officers and a detachment of light artillery, together with a quantity of arms, ammunition, and clothing, appeared off the irish coast, near a small island which lies to the westward of the county of Donegal. A communication from the shore soon acquainted general Rey with the fate of general Humbert, and the Anacréon immediately made sail on her return. Going northabout, the french brig fell in with and captured two british letters of marque from the Baltic; with which in her company, the Anacreon reentered Dunkerque.

The expedition to which we alluded, as being appointed to sail from Brest at the same time as that under commodore Savary from Rochefort, consisted of one ship of the line, eight frigates, and an aviso, under the orders of commodore Bompart, the captain of the Embuscade in her action with the Boston at the beginning of the war, and now on board the 74-gun ship Hoche. † This squadron contained about 3000 troops commanded by generals Hardy and Ménage, a large train of artillery, and some battering cannon, with a detachment of men belonging to these two armies, under colonel Pernetly and captain Kirgenery, also a great quantity of military stores of every description. The * Victoires et Conquêtes, tome x. p. 390.

+ Late Pégase, but newly named after the celebrated general; who had died at the head-quarters at Wetzlar on the 18th of September, 1797, of a disease in the chest, and was buried, with the highest military honours, by the side of general Marceau, in the redoubt of Petersberg, near Coblentz.