GENERAL HISTORY. 



[107 



minutes past 11, wlien the French 

 frigate bore away, leaving the 

 Amelia in an ungovernable condi- 

 tion, with her sails and rigging cut 

 to pieces, and her masts injured. 

 During the action the Amelia twice 

 fell on board the enemy in attempt- 

 ing to thwart his hawse ; when he 

 made efforts to board, but was re- 

 pulsed. " The superior force of 

 the enemy (says capt. Irby), the 

 considerable quantity of gold-dust 

 we have on board, as well as the 

 certainty of the other frigate com- 

 ing up, would have prevented my 

 seeking a renewal of the action, if 

 it had not been totally impractica- 

 ble." The slaughter on board the 

 Amelia was too good a proof, to- 

 gether with the disabling of the 

 ship, how well the enemy's guns 

 were served. The return of killed, 

 and since dead, was 51, of wound- 

 ed, 95. Among the former were 

 three lieutenants, and lieutenant 

 Pascoe, of the Daring. Capt. Irby 

 was severely wounded. He imme- 

 diately proceeded homewards, and 

 arrived at Spithead on March 22nd. 

 A brilliant service performed by 

 the Sicilian flotilla under the com- 

 mand of capt. Hall, aided by a 

 part of the 75th regiment, was re- 

 ported by sir Edward Pellew, the 

 admiral in the Mediterranean, in 

 the month of March. Capt. Hall, 

 in a letter to lord W. Bentinck, 

 relates, that the enemy having 

 thrown up new works, at Pietra 

 Nera, on the coast of Calabria, 

 confided so much in their strength, 

 that a convoy of 50 armed vessels 

 assembled to transport timber and 

 other government property to Na- 

 ples. On receiving this intelli- 

 gence, capt. Hall, on the night of 

 Feb. Hth, proceeded with two 

 divisions of the flotilla, and four 



companies of the 75th regiment, 

 commanded by major Stuart, and 

 arriving at day-light, landed about 

 150 of the soldiers, with an auxi- 

 liary party of seamen under the 

 command of lieut. Le Hunt. 

 Major Stewart immediately led 

 them to occupy a height defended 

 by a whole battalion, with two 

 troops of cavalry, and two pieces of 

 artillery. A most determined at- 

 tack was made, which was resisted 

 till the enemy's commander and 

 most of his officers were killed or 

 made prisoners, and the height was 

 covered with their dead. The 

 flotilla, under capt. Imbert, in the 

 meantime was cannonading the 

 batteries, which held out till they 

 were stormed by lieut. Le Hunt 

 with his seamen. Every thing now 

 came into the possession of the 

 assailants, who launched the most 

 valuable of the vessels and timber, 

 and set the rest on fire. Of the 

 enemy, 150 were killed, and 163 

 wounded, and their two guns were 

 taken. The loss of the victors was 

 comparatively trifling, but the gal- 

 lant major Stewart was unfortu- 

 nately killed by a musket shot as 

 he was pushing off from shore 

 after the re-embarkation of the 

 troops. 



Another successful enterprise in 

 which the land and sea forces were 

 conjointly engaged was the cap- 

 ture of the Isle of Ponza, off the 

 gulf of Gaeta, on the Neapolitan 

 coast. Capt. Napier, of the Thames, 

 having taken on board lieutenant 

 col. Coffin, and the 2nd battalion 

 of the 10th regiment, arrived off 

 Ponza, accompanied by the Fu- 

 rieuse, on Feb. 23rd. The harbour 

 of the island is about a quarter of 

 a mile wide, with a mole at the 

 extremity, defended by four bat- 



