and ship's company, accompanied by Mr. Grenville 1799. and his suite, proceeded to Cuxhaven; travelling, Feb. as before, over the ice, and encountering a similar succession of difficulties. At length, however, the party arrived in safety. The captain, with the remainder of his officers and men, remained at Newark, in hopes to be able to save some of the stores from the ship. On the 8th the master, Mr. Anthony, volunteered, with a party of seamen, to go on board for that purpose. He did so, and found the frigate lying on her beam-ends, with seven and a half feet of water in her hold; having her quarterdeck separated from the gangway six feet, and, to all appearance, only kept from entirely parting by the ice that surrounded her. From this account, it was agreed not to visit her again; but, on the 10th, the clearness of the day induced Mr. Anthony, taking with him the surgeon, one midshipman, the boatswain, and two seamen, to go off a second time. These bold adventurers got safe on board, but neglected to return when the tide suited. At about 10 P. M. a violent storm came on from the south-south-east ; and the tide rose, in consequence, to an uncommon height. This, as it raised the ice that stuck to the ship, floated her and that together; and the wreck, after beating about for some time, was at length cast on shore at the island of Baltrum. From this spot Mr. Anthony and his little party providentially escaped, and soon afterwards joined their friends at Cuxhaven; whither the whole of the officers and crew left at Newark, except the captain, had since arrived.

Ill-health, occasioned chiefly by anxiety of mind at the supposed loss of the master and the five persons with him, detained captain Wallis at Newark island till towards the end of February. On the 26th of March the captain, his officers, and ship's company, having arrived home, were tried for the loss of their ship. It need hardly be stated, that they all received an honourable acquittal: in addition to which the highest encomiums were passed upon

1799. the late Proserpine's seamen for their unparalleled Feb. good conduct throughout the whole of the melancholy and trying occasion. To mark their sense of the hospitable treatment which they had experienced from Lorenti Wittké, of the island of Newark, the officers and men presented him with a piece of plate in the shape of a coffee-urn, bearing a suitable inscription. Of rear-admiral Sercey's indian squadron of seven frigates, we have already shown that three had quitted him for Europe; and we rather think a fourth, the Cybèle, got back to Lorient. This frigate had arrived at the Isle of France a year or two before the war commenced, and therefore could not, towards the close of the year 1797, when her name last occurs, have been in a very good state. Without reckoning the Cybèle, the french frigates which, at the commencement of the present year, were still cruising in the indian seas, were the Forte, Preneuse, and Prudente. In what manner the last of these was stopped in her career, we shall now proceed to relate.

On the 9th of February, soon after daybreak, in latitude 31° 30′ south, and longitude 33° 20′ east, the british 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Dædalus, captain Henry Lidgbird Ball, steering to the southward and westward, with the wind right aft, or north-east, discovered two sail on her starboard bow. These were the french 36-gun frigate Prudente, captain Emanuel-Hippolite Le Joliff, and an american ship from China, her prize; and on board of which, it would appear, the frigate had placed, along with a crew of 17 officers and men, all her quarterdeck 6-pounders but two; thus leaving herself with 26 long 12 and two long 6 pounders, and two brass 36-pounder carronades, total 30 guns. The force of the Dædalus consisted of 32 long 12 and 6 pounders and six 24-pounder carronades.

At 7 A. M. the Dædalus hauled to the northward in chase; and the two strangers, now seen to be ships, separated, the smaller one standing to the

southward, and the larger, which was distant from 1799. the Dædalus about six miles, bearing away north- Feb. west. The Dædalus immediately bore up after the large ship; which, at about 10 A. M., put right before the wind, and was followed by the Dædalus under all sail. At 3 P. M. the Prudente hoisted her colours, and opened a fire from her stern-chasers. At 10 minutes past noon the Prudente shortened sail, hauled to the wind on the larboard tack, and fired a broadside at the Dædalus; who, by this time, had shortened sail to her topsails. At 25 minutes past noon the british frigate bore up across the stern of the french frigate, within half pistol-shot, and, after pouring in a raking broadside, luffed up under her lee. The two ships, thus side by side, commenced an animated interchange of broadsides; and, in a quarter of an hour, the mizenmast of the Prudente fell over her quarter. The latter, nevertheless, continued the cannonade until 1 h. 21 m. P. M.; when, being much cut up in masts, rigging, and sails, and considerably shattered in hull, the Prudente struck her colours.

The damages done to the Dædalus were of comparatively trifling amount. Her main stay was cut through, and her running rigging and many of her lower shrouds injured; but her hull was scarcely touched. Out of a crew of 212 men and boys, she had one seaman and one marine killed, and 11 seamen and one marine wounded. The Prudente was much shattered in both hull and masts, and, out of a crew, as deposed by her officers, of 301 men and boys, (four less than the number stated in captain Ball's letter,) lost 27 officers and men killed and 22 wounded.

COMPARATIVE FORCE OF THE COMBATANTS.

The slight disparity in the broadside weight of metal by no means equals the disparity in execution.

Feb.

1799. Not a doubt therefore remains that, had the Prudente mounted the few 6-pounders which she wanted of her establishment, the result of the action would have been precisely the same; a result, result, especially when the difference in number of men is considered, highly creditable to captain Ball, his officers, and ship's company. On the other hand, let us in justice remark, that the reason the Prudente made sail, when first descried by the Dædalus, does not appear to have been to avoid an engagement, but to allow her prize an opportunity of effecting her escape. As soon as the latter was considered to be out of danger, and the prize did, we believe, reach the Isle of France in safety, the Prudente shortened sail for her adversary to come up; and that captain Le Joliff did not surrender at an earlier moment than was consistent with his duty, the damage and loss which his ship sustained in the action abundantly proves.

Taking her prize in tow, the Daedalus proceeded to Table bay; where, on the 15th, the two ships came to an anchor. The cost of repairing the prize in that country being deemed by the naval commanding officer at the Cape, captain George Losack of the 50-gun ship Jupiter, more than the ship, although a very fine frigate of her class, was worth, the Prudente was not purchased for the use of the british navy. It would gratify us to be able to state, that the first lieutenant of the Dædalus, who brought in the prize, and whom captain Ball recommends "in the strongest terms," received the reward usually conferred on first lieutenants, after actions of far less merit than that of the Dædalus and Prudente; but an admiralty-list before us, of July, 1823, still contains among the lieutenants the name of Nicholas Tucker.

On the 6th of February, at 4 P. M., while the british 44-gun ship Argo, captain James Bowen, accompanied by the 74-gun ship, Leviathan, captain John Buchanan, was drawing round the east end of Majorca, under storm staysails, with a violent westerly gale, two spanish frigates were discovered at anchor,

near a fortified tower on the south point of the 1799. Bahia de Acude. The latter, which were the 34-gun Feb. frigates Santa-Teresa and Proserpine, immediately cut their cables and made sail to the north-northeast. The two british ships, as quickly as possible, were under all the canvass they could bear; under more, indeed, than the Leviathan could, for she presently split her main topsail and dropped astern.

This accident to the largest of their pursuers the two spanish frigates saw, and, shortly after the close of day, having previously spoken each other, took advantage of, by separating. The Proserpine hauled sharp up to the northward, and the Santa-Teresa, setting her topgallantsails, kept right before the wind. The Argo, selecting the point of sailing in which she excelled, followed the latter, and signalled her consort to alter her course to port in pursuit of the former. But the Leviathan, neither seeing the Proserpine's change of course nor the Argo's signal, continued to follow the latter.

At

midnight, after having fired her bow-guns for some time previous, the Argo got alongside of the SantaTeresa; who, notwithstanding that her small sails had all been cut by shot, or carried away in the chase, and that the Leviathan was at no great distance from her, persevered in her endeavours to get off, not surrendering until she had received, without returning it, the Argo's whole broadside; which wounded two of her men, and did much damage to her rigging.

The Santa-Teresa mounted 34 long spanish 12 and 6 pounders, and, we believe, eight 24-pounder carronades, total 42 guns, besides swivels and cohorns. She was commanded by captain don Pablo Perez, with a crew of 280 seamen and marines, besides 250 soldiers, and was stored and victualled for four months. Being a fine ship of 949 tons, and just out of dock, the Santa-Teresa became an acquisition to the class of british 12-pounder 36-gun frigates. Her consort, the Proserpine, of the same force but rather smaller, effected her escape. 2 H

VOL. II.