108] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



teries, mounting ten 24- and 18 

 pounders, and two mortars. It 

 was agreed, as the shortest way of 

 accomplishing their purpose, that 

 the two ships should be run into 

 the mole, and the place carried by 

 assault. The weather was unfa- 

 vourable till the morning of the 

 26th, when the ships bore up in 

 close order with a fine breeze. The 

 enemy were prepared, and opened 

 their fire half an hour before the 

 ships' guns could be brought to 

 bear, but with little effect ; and 

 when the ships began to fire on 

 both sides, the defenders soon re- 

 treated into a strong tower. Col. 

 Coffin then landed, and pushed 

 his men for the tower; but the 

 commandant, not waiting for the 

 assault, hoisted a flag of truce, and 

 capitulated, the garrison remaining 

 prisoners of war. In this affair 

 not a man was lost la either ser- 

 vice. 



To the disasters which the Ame- 

 rican war has brought on the Bri- 

 tish navy, must be added that of 

 the destruction of the sloop of war, 

 Peacock, of 18 guns. Capt. Law- 

 rence, of the American sloop of 

 war, Hornet, relates that on cruiz- 

 ing from the coast of Surinam to 

 that of Demarara, after making the 

 latter, on the morning of Feb. 24th, 

 he discovered a vessel at anchor, 

 apparently an English brig of war. 

 On beating round a bank, in 

 order to get to her, he descried an- 

 other sail on his weather- quarter, 

 edging down to him. This proved 

 to be the Peacock ; and after some 

 manoeuvring to get the weather- 

 gage, in which the American suc- 

 ceeded, the action commenqed 

 about half past five, p. m. Capt. 

 Lawrence ran his antagonist close 

 on board on the starboard quarter, 



and kept up so heavy a fire that in 

 less than 15 minutes by his own 

 account, but, by that of some Eng- 

 lish who escaped, after an action 

 of 45 minutes, she surrendered by 

 hoisting a signal of distress. On 

 sending a lieutenant on board the 

 Peacock, it was found that her 

 commander, captain Peake, was 

 killed, and many other officers and 

 men killed and wounded, and that 

 the ship was sinking fast, having 

 six feet water in her hold. Not- 

 withstanding every endeavour to 

 keep her afloat till the prisoners 

 were removed, she went down, 

 carrying with her thirteen of her 

 crew, and three American sailors. 

 Four of her men bad previously 

 taken her stern-boat, and got to 

 land. The Peacock was consi- 

 dered as- one of the finest vessels of 

 her class, and appears to have en- 

 tered into action with confidence' 

 of success. The Hornet, however, 

 was of somewhat superior force, 

 and her fire, like that of all the 

 American ships which have en- 

 gaged the British, seems to have 

 been truly formidable. 



Captain Black, of the Weazle , 

 sloop of war, sent an account from ' 

 Lissa, on the coast of Dalmatia, 

 that on April 23rd he gave chase to 

 an enemy's convoy, making for the 

 ports of Trau and Spalatro. The 

 greater part of them, with ten gun- 

 boats, bore up for the bay of Bos- 

 caline, where he attacked them 

 under a fire of two guns, and 2 or 

 300 musketry. Six of the gun- 

 boats were taken, driven on shore, 

 and sunk, when four more arrived 

 and took part in the action, and 

 running behind a point, kept a 

 galling fire with grape upon the 

 Weazle's people. After dark, 

 boats were sent in, which destroyed 



