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with the Loire; and at about 10 h. 30 m. A. M. the 1798. cannonading commenced between the two ships. Oct. At 11 h. 45 m. A. M., while the Loire and Anson lay mutually disabled, the latter with her head in a line with the former's stern, the Kangaroo bore down, and received a shot from the Loire, accompanied by several volleys of musketry. To this the brig immediately replied by a broadside. Shortly afterwards the Loire's mizenmast came down, and with it her colours. These the french ship, having six feet water in the hold, and being reduced to an utterly defenceless state by the Mermaid and Anson's shot, did not attempt to rehoist. As soon, therefore, as she was hailed for that purpose, the Loire surrendered, and was taken possession of by a boat from the Kangaroo.

Out of her complement of 327 men and boys, the Anson had one quartermaster and one seaman killed, her first lieutenant of marines, (William Abell,) two midshipmen, (William Robilliard and Francis R. Payler,) eight seamen, and two marines wounded; total, two killed and 13 wounded. The Kangaroo, whose complement was 120 men and boys, escaped without any loss. The Loire's loss, according to the french account, amounted to 46 men killed and 71 wounded. Her total number of sailors and soldiers, at the commencement of the action, is stated in captain Durham's letter at 664; but her officers, when examined in the prize-court, deposed to 624. A great part of the difference is probably to be accounted for by the Loire's loss in her two previous actions. If so, as only five men are admitted to have been killed on board the Loire in her first action, a great many more must have been killed in her action with the Mermaid.

The Anson and Loire, in point of relative force, had they each met in a perfect state, would have been similarly matched to the Indefatigable and Virginie. Whatever chance of success, therefore, *See vol. i. p. 465.

1798. the Loire may have had with the Mermaid, she had Oct. very little with the Anson, and none whatever with

the Anson and Kangaroo united. The undoubted bravery, which captain Segond, his officers, and crew displayed in this contest, affords a tolerable proof, that the Loire would not have quitted her former antagonist, had not her injuries by the Mermaid's shot been of the most serious kind.

The Loire had on board a brass field-piece, with the necessary apparatus and stores, clothing complete for 3000 men, 1020 muskets, 200 sabres, 350 pouches, and 25 cases of musket-ball cartridges, evidently to serve for equipping the recruits expected among the irish malecontents. Leaving the prize in tow by the Kangaroo, and attended by the Anson, we shall proceed to show which was the next of commodore Bompart's frigates, that was successfully intercepted on her return to a french port.

On the 20th of October, at 8 A. M., in latitude 48° 23′ north, and longitude 7° west, the british 38gun frigate Fisgard, captain Thomas Byam Martin, while standing on the larboard tack with the wind at west-south-west, saw a strange sail due west, on the opposite tack, steering free. At 8 h. 45 m. A. M. the Fisgard tacked in chase, and gained on the stranger; who was no other than the Immortalité, pursuing her course to Brest, and which port, but for this to her unlucky encounter, she would very soon have reached. At 11 A. M. the Immortalité hoisted french colours, and commenced firing her sternchasers. At 11 h. 30 m. A. M. the Fisgard hoisted english colours, and opened a fire in return with her bow-guns, still, with a fine moderate breeze on the quarter, coming up with the object of her pursuit.

At half past noon the Fisgard got close alongside her opponent, and a spirited action commenced. So effectual, however, was the Immortalité's fire, that, in 25 minutes, the Fisgard was rendered quite ungovernable, having her bowlines, braces, topsail-ties, back-stays, and the whole of her running rigging,

Oct.

cut to pieces. The Fisgard, in consequence, dropped 1798. astern; and the Immortalité, profiting by the occasion, crowded sail to escape. At 1 h. 30 m. P. M., by the active exertions of her crew, the Fisgard was again alongside her opponent; and a cannonade now commenced, more furious than the first. At the end of half an hour the Fisgard had received some shots so low in the hull, as to have six feet water in the hold. Still her resolute crew persevered; and at 3 P. M., after nearly an hour and a half's close engagement, the Immortalité, then nearly in a sinking state from the Fisgard's shot, and having her mizenmast gone close to the deck, and her fore and main masts, and all her other spars, as well as rigging and sails, much cut; and having, besides, lost her captain and first lieutenant, hauled down her colours.

The Fisgard had her masts, rigging, and sails a good deal injured, and was struck so low in the hull by some of the Immortalité's 24-pound shot, as to oblige her to keep one pump constantly going. Her loss, out of a crew of 281 men and boys, and who, the more to their credit, were quite a young ship's company, amounted to 10 seamen killed, one lieutenant of marines, (Mark A. Gerrard,) 23 seamen, and two marines wounded. The Immortalité, out of a crew, including soldier-passengers, of 580, (in which number both captain Martin and the french officers agree,) lost, including her brave commander and first lieutenant, also a general of the army, (Monge,) and seven other naval and military officers, 54 officers, seamen, and soldiers killed, and 61 wounded.

The Fisgard mounted 46 guns, the same as those of 'he Révolutionnaire, described at vol. i. p. 459. The (mmortalité, as a french frigate, was of a class by herself. It is probable that she was intended, while building, to carry 26 long 18-pounders; but the Immortalité was afterwards constructed with one port less of a side, and fitted with 24 long french 24-pounders, making, with 14 long 8-pounders and

1798. four brass 36-pounder carronades on her quarterdeck Oct. and forecastle, a total of 42 guns. In comparing the force of these ships, we shall, for the reason given at a former page, not reckon the troops that were on board the french frigate.

COMPARATIVE FORCE OF THE COMBATANTS.

FISGARD. IMMORTALITÉ.

Here we come again, after a long interval, to a well-matched pair of combatants; an action ably contested on both sides, doing credit to the vanquished, as well as to the victor. No obtrusive vessel became a spectator of, much less a participator in, the long and arduous struggle. Considering the numerous cruisers, british in particular, that are usually roaming about the chops of the Channel, a fair single combat, from first to last, is rare, and therefore deserves to be prized.

This is the proper place to notice a paragraph that appeared in the Moniteur of the 27th of November, 1798: "Lorsque le capitaine Legrand a abandonné la frégate anglaise, après l'avoir mise hors d'état de le poursuivre, il était chassé par trois vaisseaux, tous à sa vue." There is always a ready way of confuting assertions like these. Had any british ship of war, much less "three ships of the line," hove in sight during the chase or at the capture of the Immortalité, she would have been entitled to a share of the prize-money: whereas it stands recorded, that no other ship than the Fisgard received, or claimed to receive, a doit of it. Moreover, as placing the matter beyond all doubt, the french officers, in the customary certificate to enable the captors to get their head-money, made not the slightest allusion to any other ship than the Fisgard. The whole of the seven prizes, after the most

shattered of them had put into a port by the way, 1798. reached Plymouth. The Hoche was newly named Oct. the Donegal, after the bay near to which she had been captured. She was a fine ship of 1901 tons, and long proved a serviceable cruiser. The Embuscade was also a fine little frigate of 916 tons, and, under the name of Seine, (the Ambuscade being a name that, after the middle of December, excited in England no very pleasant recollections,) was long attached to the 12-pounder 36-gun class. The Coquille, a similar frigate to the Embuscade, on the 14th of December, while lying at anchor in Hamoaze, and just after she had been surveyed preparatory to her purchase by the government, caught fire and blew up: by which accident three midshipmen, seven seamen, and three women unfortunately perished. The Bellone and Résolue were frigates of a smaller class than either of the preceding; the one measuring 888, and the other 877 tons: both were purchased into the navy, but, being old and worn out, never afterwards went to sea. The Loire, on the other hand, was a fine new frigate, and had recently been presented to the french government by the city of Nantes. The Immortalité was also a fine frigate, but less than the Loire by about 90 tons; and therefore very far from being, as a contemporary represents her," one of the largest frigates that had fallen into our hands."* Not being considered capable of carrying to advantage a battery of 24-pounders, (of which heavy guns, however, that same writer had assigned her "twenty-eight," instead of twenty-four,) the Immortalité was fitted with twenty-six 18-pounders; and that was giving her one gun more of a side than she could fairly use upon her broadside.

We must not forget to mention, that the thanks of both houses of parliament were subsequently voted to commodore sir John Borlase Warren,