13? 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



At five minutes past three find- 

 ing the enemy's raking fire ex- 

 tremely heavy, captain Lambert 

 ordered the ship to be laid on 

 board, in which we should have 

 succeeded, had not our fore-mast 

 been shot away at this moment, 

 the remains of our bowsprit pass- 

 ing over his taffrail ; shortly after 

 this the maintopmast went, leav- 

 ing the ship totally unmanageable, 

 wjih most of our starboard guns 

 rendered useless from the wreck 

 lying over them. 



At half past three our gallant 

 captiiin received a dangerous wound 

 in the breast, and was carried be- 

 low ; fiom this time we could not 

 fire more than two or three guns 

 until a quarter past four, when our 

 mizen-mast was shot away ; the 

 ship tlien fell off a little, and 

 brought many of our starboard 

 guns to bear : the enemy's rigging 

 was so much cut that he could not 

 now avoid shooting a-head, which 

 brought us fairly broadside and 

 broadside. Our main-yard now 

 went in the slings, both ships con- 

 tinued engaged in this manner till 

 35 minutes past four, we frequent- 

 ly on fire in consequence of the 

 wreck lying on the side engaged. 

 Our opponent now made sail a- 

 head out of gun-shot, where he 

 remained an hour repairing his 

 damages, leaving us an unmanage- 

 able wreck, with only the main- 

 mast left, and that tottering. Every 

 exertion was made by us during 

 this interval to place the ship in a 

 state to renew the action. We 

 succeeded in clear'ng the wreck of 

 our masts from our guns, a sail 

 was set on the stumps of the fore- 

 mast and bowsprit, the weather 

 half of the main-yard remaining 

 aloft, the main-tack was got for- 



ward in the hope of getting th^ 

 ship before the wind, our helm 

 being still perfect : the effort un- 

 fortunately proved ineffectual, from 

 the main-mast falling over the side, 

 from the heavy rolling of the 

 ship, which nearly covered the 

 whole of our starboard guns. We 

 still waited the attack of the ene- 

 my, he now standing towards us 

 for that purpose ; on his coming 

 nearly within hail of us, and from 

 his manoeuvre perceiving he in» 

 tended a position a-head, where 

 he could rake us without a possi- 

 bility of our returning a shot. I 

 then consulted the officers, who 

 agreed with myself that our hav- 

 ing a great part of our crew killed 

 and wounded, our bowsprit and 

 three masts gone, several guns 

 useless, we should not be justified 

 in wasting the lives of more of 

 those remaining, who I hope their 

 lordships and the country will think 

 he^ve bravely defended his majes-» 

 ty's ship. Under these cirgum- 

 stances, however reluctantly, at 

 50 minutes past five, our colours 

 were lowered from the stump of 

 the mizen-mast, and we were 

 taken possession of, a Httle after 

 six, by the American frigate Con- 

 stitution, commanded by commo- 

 dore Bainbridge, who, immediate- 

 ly after ascertaining the state of 

 the ship, resolved on burning her, 

 which we had the satisfaction of 

 seeing done as sQon as the wound- 

 ed were removed. Annexed I send 

 you a return of the killed and 

 wounded, and it is with pain I 

 perceive it so numerous ; also a 

 statement of the comparative force 

 of the two ships, when I hope 

 their lordships will not think the 

 British flag tarnished, although 

 success has not attended us. It 





