captain Michel-Pierre Barreaut, hoisted her national 1799. colours, and fired a gun to-windward. At 3 h. 15 m. Feb. P. M. the Insurgente hailed the Constellation; for what purpose, the american accounts are as silent as about the previous loss of the french frigate's main topmast; but if, as the French insist, captain Barreaut was ignorant of the war, it might be for an explanation of the hostile manner in which the american frigate was approaching. At all events, very soon after the hail, the Constellation, ranging alongside the Insurgente, opened her broadside, and a spirited action ensued, which lasted one hour and 15 minutes; when the french ship, having, as already stated, lost her main topmast, and been in other respects greatly damaged, struck her colours.

The Constellation, out of a complement of about 440 men and boys, had the good fortune, besides receiving little or no injury in hull or spars, to escape with so slight a loss as one man killed and two wounded; while the Insurgente, out of a complement of 340 men and boys, is represented to have lost 29 men killed and 44 wounded.

As this victory, like many we have recorded, was gained by a "36," over a " 40," or as most of the english journals had it, " 44-gun frigate," there was no end to the panegyrics upon the american commodore Truxton. Nor was it empty praise alone. that the commodore received; for, in addition to the substantial testimonials which his transatlantic friends showered upon him, he was presented by the merchants of London with a handsome piece of plate, expressly for having captured a french frigate of "superior force."

Commodore Truxton carried his prize to the island of St.-Kitt's. The Insurgente cruised for a few years in the american service, and was then intended to be restored to France; but, in the mean time, she became lost at sea. Captain Barreaut, towards the end of the present year, was tried by a court-martial at Lorient for the loss of his ship, and, after an

1799. investigation which lasted nine days, honourably Feb. acquitted, chiefly because of the enormous disparity of force between the two vessels.

Of the relative force in the above case it will be sufficient to state, that the Constellation at this time mounted, although she afterwards exchanged them for eighteens, 28 long 24-pounders on the main deck, and 10 long 12-pounders, with ten 32-pounder carronades, on the quarterdeck and forecastle; total 48 guns the French say 50. The Insurgente was armed, according to the french accounts, with "trentesix canons," meaning without her four carronades; making her guns in all 40; as enumerated in commodore Truxton's letter, and particularized at No. 7 of the little table at p. 78 of the first volume.

On the 22d of February, at a quarter past 12 at noon, the town of Marbella in Spain bearing north-north-west distant three leagues, the british brig-sloop Espoir, of fourteen 6-pounders and 80 men and boys, captain James Sanders, discovered in the south-east and windward quarter two brigs and two xebecs. Both of the latter and one of the former appearing to be cruisers, the Espoir hoisted her colours; whereupon one of the brigs and one of the xebecs hoisted spanish colours, and, with the other xebec, formed in line ahead, to receive the Espoir. The second brig was a moorish vessel, which had been towed by one of the others, and was now cast off. The Espoir immediately hauled to the wind in chase, but was unable to weather her two opponents; with whom, however, the Espoir exchanged broadsides in passing, on opposite tacks. The Espoir then put about, and soon brought to close action the leewardmost of the vessels, which was his catholic majesty's xebec Africa, captain Josef Subjado, mounting 14 long spanish 4-pounders, and four brass 4-pounder swivels, with a crew of 75 seamen and 38 soldiers. The firing continued with spirit for an hour and a half; when, a favourable opportunity presenting itself, the Africa

was boarded, and after a sharp struggle of 20 1799. minutes carried, by the british crew. The Africa's Feb. two consorts, in the mean time, had continued standing on towards the shore, which, when the action ended, was only three miles distant; and they eventually effected their escape.

The Espoir's loss on this occasion amounted to two seamen killed, and two wounded. That of the Africa amounted to one officer and eight seamen killed, her commander, two other officers, and 25 seamen wounded.

The british 74-gun ship Majestic, captain Robert Cuthbert, was in sight during the action, but, being between five and six miles to-leeward, had of course no share in it. Captain Subjado, while he lay wounded in the Espoir's cabin, told captain Sanders, that he fully expected to have carried the Espoir into Malaga. Upon the whole, the result of the action was highly creditable to the officers and crew of the british brig.

In the month of June, 1798, we left rear-admiral June. Sercey at Batavia, whither he had just arrived from the Isle of France in the Brûle-Gueule corvette.* Of the subsequent cruises and performances of several of his frigates, we have since given some account. The Forte herself now demands our attention. Sometime in the latter end of the year 1798, this formidable french frigate, commanded by captain Beaulieu-le-Long, sailed from the Isle of France on a cruise in the bay of Bengal. The depredations committed by the Forte on eastern commerce soon attracted attention; and on the 19th of February the british 38-gun frigate Sibylle, captain Edward Cooke, sailed from Madras road in quest of her. On the 23d the Sibylle fell in with a cartel, bound to Madras, having on board some english prisoners taken out of one of the Forte's prizes, and on the 26th anchored in Balasore road. While lying here, captain Cooke despatched his boats for information to some

* See p. 316.

1799. country ships also in the road, but without success. Feb. The Sibylle then weighed and bent her course towards the Sand-heads off the river of Bengal.

Although no information had been gained respect ing the present movements of the Forte, enough had been learned of her formidable force to alarm a man of less intrepidity, or of less zeal in the duties of his profession, than the captain of the Sibylle. When the officer, in charge of the Forte's cartel fallen in with on the 23d, was brought on board the Sibylle, and informed of the special object of her cruise, he at once candidly pronounced her to be no match for the Forte; and, anticipating the glory that, in the event of a contest, would accrue to his countrymen, naturally expressed a wish that he had not quitted his ship. A captain Johnstone, also, whose ship, the Chance, had been taken by the Forte, on coming on board and viewing the force of the Sibylle, trembled for the consequences of a meeting; but, like a brave man, he volunteered to serve in the action.

Let us then, before we proceed further in the account of what ensued, see how this british and french frigate really stood in point of relative force. The Sibylle had been a french 40-gun frigate, until captured by the Romney 50, in June, 1794. On being fitted out in the british service, the Sibylle, a fine Toulon-built frigate of 1091 tons, was armed with 44 long 18 and 9 pounders; but, subsequently, 10 of her 16 nines were exchanged for fourteen 32-pounder carronades. This gave her 28 long 18-pounders on the main deck, and six long nines and fourteen 32-pounder carronades on the quarterdeck and forecastle, total 48 guns; which was the precise force of the Sibylle on the present occasion. Her net complement, as originally established, was 297 men and boys; but the ship, at this time, accidentally had on board a greater number, as we shall presently show.

Frigates mounting 24-pounders on the main deck have always been rare. The British possessed none until the three 64s, Indefatigable, Anson, and Mag

nanime, were reduced; nor the French until the 1799. Pomone was launched. The capture of the latter Feb. by the British gave birth to the Endymion; and, about the time that the Endymion was launched, the Americans set afloat three of the largest and heaviest frigates that the world had ever seen. The second 24-pounder frigate built by the French was, we believe, launched at Rochefort in the summer of 1795, and she was very appropriately named la Forte. The Pomone was about 1270 tons, and mounted twenty-six 24-pounders on her main deck. The Forte measured 1400 tons, and carried, for which she had ample room, one gun more of a side on her main deck than the Pomone; making, with 14 long eights and four brass 36-pounder carronades on her quarterdeck and forecastle, a total of 46 guns.

These, we have no doubt, were all the guns which, with a complement of 480 or 500 men, the Forte originally carried. But subsequently, when perhaps rear-admiral Sercey hoisted his flag on board of her in the beginning of the year 1796, four additional brass 36-pounder carronades were added to her armament; and, subsequently again, two long english 24-pounders, taken out of some prize probably, were placed in her two maindeck bow-ports; thus making her guns amount to 52, exclusive of eight 1-pounder swivels mounted along the top of her waist hammock-nettings. After this, it is hoped, not profitless digression, we return to the Sibylle, whom we left hastening towards the Sand-heads, which lie off the mouth of Bengal river, in the hope there to meet this same truly formidable french frigate.

On the 28th, at 8 h. 30 m. P.M., the outer edge of the western sea-reef bearing by account about north-east, the wind a light breeze from the south-south-west, and the night dark, the Sibylle, then standing in the south-east, observed several flashes in the northwest; which at first were supposed to be vivid lightning, very common in this quarter. A repetition of the flashes, however, until a few minutes before