534 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



ation of the remainder was not 

 equal to that of the frigate's ship's 

 company, as the merchant ships 

 drawing a less draught of water, 

 were mostly driven close on the 

 shore, and no person remained on 

 board them after the first morning. 

 The masters of the merchant ships 

 had tents upon the beach, and some 

 provisions thoy had saved from the 

 wrecks, which they very generously 

 distributed, and gave every assist- 

 ance to the Apollo's ship's com- 

 pany. Thus was lost one of the 

 iinest frigates in the British Navy, 

 with sixty-one of her crew. The 

 number of souls lost in the mer- 

 chants' ships was also considerable. 

 Dead bodies were every day floating 

 ashore, and pieces of wreck covered 

 the beach upwards of ten miles in 

 extent. 



Interesting Account of the Capture 

 of the Atdlantc Dutch National 

 Brig, mounting 16 Long Tzcclvc- 

 poimclcrs, and 76 J\Lii*, in a 

 Letter from Captain G.N. Ilard- 

 inge, to his Father, Mr. Justice 

 Hardinge. 



ScorjfAon, April 7, 1804. 

 My ever dearest friend, — I am on 

 fny way to the Nore, after six days of 

 .severe, but unrepentcd fatigue, and 

 have sixty Dutch prisoners on board: 

 we are accompanied by the Atalantc, 

 a Dutch war brig of sixteen guns, 

 prize to us. I was ordered on the 

 28th to reconnoitre at Vlie, and 

 perceivod a couple of the enemy's 

 brigs at anchor in the roads. Dis- 

 pairing to reach them wilh my ship, 

 on account of the shoals that sur- 

 rounded the eiitrance, I determined 

 upon a dash at the outermost one in 



* Vide Chron 



the boats, if a good opportunity 

 could be made, or found. It came 

 unsolicited March 31. Preparing 

 to embark, we accidentally were 

 joined by the Beaver sloop, who 

 offered us her boats to act in con- 

 cert with ours. We accepted the 

 reinforcement, under an impression, 

 that it would spare lives on both 

 sides, and would shorten the con- 

 test. At half past nine in the even- 



ing, we began the cnterprize in three 

 boats from the Scorpion, and two 

 from the Beaver. Captain Pelly (a 

 very intelligent and spirited officer) 

 did me the honour to serve under me 

 as a volunteer in one of his boats. 

 We had near sixty men, including 

 officers, headed by your humble ser- 

 vant in the foremost boat. As we 

 rowed with tide flood, we arrived 



along-side the enemy at half past 

 eleven. I had the good fortune, or 

 (as by some it as been considered) 

 the honour, to be the first man who 

 boarded her. She was prepared for 

 us, with board nettings up and with 

 all the other customary implements 

 of defence. But the noise and the 

 alarm, kc. so intimidated her crew, 

 that many of them ran below in a 

 panic, leaving to us the painful duty 

 of combating those whom we re- 

 spected the most. The decks were 

 slippery in consequence of rain, so 

 that grappling with my first oppo- 

 ncnt, a mate of the watch, I fell, 

 but recovered my position, — fought 

 him upon equal terms, and killed 

 him. I then engaged the captain, 

 as brave a man as any service ever 

 boasted ; he had almost killed one 

 of my seamen. To my shame be it 

 spoken, he disarmed me, and was 

 on the point of killing me, when a 

 seaman of mine came up, rescued 



me, 

 ide. Page 379. 



