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APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. 



London Gazette, January 21. 

 Admiralty- Office. 

 Copy of a Letter from Admiral Sir 

 Hyde Parker, Knt. Commander- 

 in-Chief of his Majesty's Ships 

 and Vessels, at Jamaica, to Evan 

 Nepean,Esq. datedin Port Royal 

 Harbour, the itk of Novetnber, 



1799. 

 Sir, 



I HAVE the peculiar satisfaction 

 of communicating to you, for the 

 information of my lords commission- 

 ers of the admiralty, that his ma- 

 jesty's late ship Hermione is again 

 restored to his navy, by as daring 

 and gallant an enterprize as is to be 

 found in our naval annals, under the 

 command of captain Hamilton him- 

 self, with the boats of the Surprise 

 only. 



Captain Hamilton's own letter, 

 with the reports accompanying it, 

 (copies of which are enclosed,) will 

 sufficiently explain to their lordships 

 the detail of this service, and the 

 bravery with which the attack was 

 supported, and leaves me only one 

 observation to make on this very gal- 

 lant action, which adds infinite 

 honour to captain Hamilton as an 

 officer, for his conception of the 

 service he was about to undertake. 

 This was, sir, his disposition for the 

 attack ; which was, that a num- 

 ber of chosen men, to tlie amount 

 of fifty, with himself, should board, 

 and the remainder in the boats to 

 cut the cables and take the ship in 



tow. From this manoeuvre he had 

 formed the idea, that while he was 

 disputing for the possession of the 

 ship, she was approaching the Sur- 

 prise, who was laying close into the 

 harbour, and in case of being beat 

 out of the Hermione, he would 

 have an opportunity of taking up 

 the contest upon more favourable 

 terms. 



To the steady execution of these 

 orders was owing the success of 

 this bold and daring undertaking, 

 which must ever have rank among 

 the foremost of the many gallant 

 actions executed by our navy this 

 war. 



I find the Hermione has had a 

 thorough repair, and is in complete 

 order; I have, therefore, ordered 

 her to be surveyed and valued, and 

 shall commission her as soon as the 

 reports are made to me from the 

 officers of the yard, by the name of 

 the Retaliation. 



I have the honour to be, &c. 

 H. Parker. 



Surprise, Port-Royal Harbour, 

 Jamaica, Nov. 1. 

 Sir, 



The honour of my country and 

 the glory of the British navy were 

 strong inducements for me to make 

 an attempt to cut out, by the boats 

 of his majesty's ship under ray com- 

 mand, his majesty's late ship Her- 

 mione, from the harbour of Porto 

 Cavallo, where there are about 



