72 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



moans, calling to us for assistance j 

 it was (asat Aboukir)a duty of some 

 difficulty to afford it them, without 

 being victims to their impatience, 

 or overwhelmed with numbers ; we 

 however, persevered, and saved all, 

 except those which the French took 

 prisoners, by wading into the water 

 after them ; neither did the enemy 

 interrupt us much in so doing. Ma- 

 jor Douglas and lieutenant Stokes, 

 who were with me on this service, 

 gave additional proofs of their zeal, 

 ability, and bravery, and the boats' 

 crews, as usual, behaved admirably. 

 The loss in killed, on our side, can- 

 not be ascertained. The French 

 general, in his offer to exchange 

 prisoners on the general account, 

 assures me he has 1 ,100. As to the 

 enemy's loss, we have no means of 

 estimating it, but it must have been 

 sufficient to con vince them, that such 

 victories as these, against troops 

 which, though irregular, Avill fight 

 hand to hand with them, must cost 

 thera dear in the end. 



I am, &c. 



W. S. Smith. 



Copy of a Letter from Lord Nelson, 

 to Vice-Admiral Lord Keith. 



Foudroyant, at Sea, off Cape 

 di Corro, 8 Leagues W. of 

 Cape Pnssaro, off Shore 

 about 4 Miles, Feb. 18. 



My lord. 

 This morning, at daylight, being 

 in company with the ships named in 

 the margin*, I saw the Alexander 

 in chase of a line-of-battle ship, 

 three frigates, and a corvette. At 

 about eight o'clock she fired several 

 shot at one of the enemy's frigates, 

 which struck her colours, and, leav- 



ing her to be secured by the ships 

 astern, continued the chase. I 

 directed captain Gould, of the 

 Audacious, and the El Corso brig, to 

 " take charge of this prize. At half 

 past one P. M. the frigates and cor- 

 vette tacked to the westward, but the 

 iine-of-battle ship not being able to 

 tack, without coming to action with 

 the y^lexander, bore up. The Suc- 

 cess being to leeward, captain 

 Peard, with great judgement and 

 gallantry, lay across his hawse, and 

 raked him with several broadsides; 

 in passing the French ship's broad- 

 side, several shot struck the Success, 

 by which one man was killed, and 

 the masterand eight men wounded. 

 At half past four the Foudroyant 

 and Northumberland coming up, 

 the former fired two shots, when the 

 French ship fii'ed her broadside, and 

 struck her colours. She proved to 

 be the Genereux, of 74 guns, bear- 

 ing the flag of rear-admiral Pei-ce, 

 commander-in-chief of the French 

 naval force in the Mediterranean, 

 having a number of troops on board 

 from Toulon, bound for the relief 

 of Malta. 



I attribute our success this day to 

 be principally owing to the extreme 

 good management of lieutenant 

 William Harrington, Avho com- 

 mands the Alexander, in the ab- 

 sence of captain Ball ; and I am 

 much pleased with the gallant 

 behaviour of captain Peard, of the 

 Success, as also with the alacrity 

 and good conduct of captain Martin 

 and sir Edward Berry. 



I have sent lieutenant Andrew 

 Thompson, first lieutenant of the 

 Foudroyant, to take charge of the 

 Genereux, whom I beg leave to 

 recommend to your lordship for 



* Northumberland, Audacious, and El Corso brig. 



