HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



143 



spread far and wide, but not the 

 slightest mischief was done either to 

 the ships or the batteries. A second, a 

 third, and a fourth, succeeded no 

 better: at length, after twelve iiad 

 been exploded, the engagement ceas- 

 ed about four o'clock on the fol- 

 lowing morning ; and the English 

 smaller vessels withdrew in perfef^-t 

 order, and without the loss of a man. 

 No mischief whatever was •scer- 

 tained to be done to the flotilla, but, 

 from the missiiig two brigs and some 

 .mailer vessels in their line, the next 

 day, lord Keith thought it possible 

 they might be destroyed. The 

 Freacli reports acknowledge the 

 loss of twenty-live men in killed and 

 wounded. Thus terminated, to the 

 confusion of the projectors, and the 

 bitter disappointment of the public, 

 an enterprize, in the preparation of 

 which much time, expence, and in- 

 genuity were wasted, and which 

 fully committed the reputation of 

 the government of the country to 

 derision and contempt, both at home 

 and abroad*. 



The invention on which so much 

 reliance had been placed, Avas not 

 new : it had been experimented 

 during the American war, by the 

 rebel force against some English 

 ships, in situations much more cal- 

 culated to secure success to sucii a 

 mode of attack, than those at Bou- 

 logne, and had completely failed. 

 It evinced, therefore, a great ab- 

 sence of common knowledge, as 

 ■well as of professional information in 

 the admiralty, to countenance, for a 

 moment, this base and contemptible 

 species of warfare, which hencefor- 

 ward was, in derision, termed " The 



Catamaran Project," and which 

 most deservedly fell into utter dis- 

 credit after the first attempt had 

 been made ; nor were the public 

 surprised or disappointed when a 

 subsequent attack, by the same 

 means, upon Fort Rouge, and the 

 flotilla protected by it, in the har- 

 bour of Calais, was thoroughly un- 

 siiccessful + . The public were now 

 divided in sentiment, whether "Th« 

 Stone Expedition," of the lastycar, 

 or " The Catamaran" of the pre- 

 sent, had most imposed upon their 

 credulity, or were most deserving 

 of reprobation. But it was recol- 

 le6ted, that the latter was planned 

 under the auspices of a man utterly 

 ignorant of nautical aifairs, whilst 

 the former had its origin under those, 

 of one of the first naval characters of 

 the age. 



It is scarocly necessary to detail 

 some further attempts which were 

 made, late in the year, to prevent 

 the junttion of various portions of 

 the enemy's ilotilla at Boulogne, by 

 the British cruizcrs, as they were 

 not only incft'ectual, but are giv6» 

 in their official form in another part 

 of this workt- In those eflorts, 

 the usual gallantry of the English 

 character was uniformly, though 

 unsuccessfully displayed, and many 

 valuable lives were fruitlessly sa- 

 crificed. 



The last fransaCtioa of the year 

 which we have to notice, was the 

 attack upon, and capture of the 

 Spanish homeward-bound treasure 

 ships, which was eft"e6ted by capt. 

 Moore of the Indefatigable, and 

 three other frigates under his com- 

 mand, oil' Cadiz. On the 5th of 



Vide Appendix for lord Keith's account, p. 553. 



t Ibid, 

 : Ibid. 



p. 554. 

 p. 557. 



October, 



