APPENDIX to the CHPvONICLE. 



541 



received information- from captain 

 Hancock, then olf Ostond, that the 

 enemy's llotilla was hauling out of 

 that pier, and had already 21 one- 

 masted vessels, and one schooner 

 outside in the roads ; and at half 

 past seven the same morning I had 

 the satisfaftion to see the Flushing 

 flotilla, of 59 sail, viz. two ship- 

 rigged praams, 19 schooners, and 

 "38 schuyts, steering along shore 

 from that port towards Ostond, un- 

 der circumstances Avhich allowed me 

 to hope I should be able to bring 

 them to action. The signal was 

 made in the Cruizer and Rattler for 

 an enemy in the E. S. E. to call their 

 attention from Ostend ; the squa- 

 dron weighed the moment the flood 

 made, and allowed of the heavier ships 

 following them over the banks; the 

 signals to chase and engage were 

 obeyed with alacrity, spirit, and 

 judgment by the active and experi- 

 enced officers your lordship has done 

 me the honour to place under my 

 orders. Captains Hancock and 

 Mason attacked this formidable line 

 with the greatest gallantry and ad- 

 dress, attaching themselves particu- 

 larly to the two praams, both of 

 them of greater force than them- 

 selves, independent of the cross lire 

 from the schooners and schuyts; I 

 sent the Amiable by signal to sup- 

 port them. The Penelope (having 

 an able pilot, Mr. Thornton), on 

 signal being made to engage, capt. 

 Broughton worked up to the centre 

 of the enemy's line, as near as the 

 shoal water would allow, while the 

 Antelope went round the Stroom 

 Sand to cut the van olf from Ostend. 

 LInfortiinati'Iy our gun-boats were 

 not in sight, having, as I understood 

 since, devoted their attention to 

 preventing the Ostend divLsion from 

 moving westward. The enemy at- 



tempted to get back to Flushing; 

 but being harrassed by the Cruizer 

 and the Rattler, and the wind coming 

 more easterly against them, they 

 v,ere obliged to run the gauntlet to 

 the wcstv.ard, keeping close to the 

 beach under the protection of the 

 batteries. Having found a f)assage 

 for the Antelope within the Stroom 

 Sand, she was enabled to bring 

 her bro?.d-sid? to bear on the 

 headmost schooners bel'or-e they got 

 the length of Ostend. The leader 

 struck immediately and the crew 

 deserted her : she was however re- 

 covered by the followers. The ar- 

 tillery from the town, and camp, 

 and the rowing gun-boats from the 

 pier, keep up a constant and well- 

 directed tire tor their support ; our 

 shot, however, which went over the 

 schooners, going ashore among the 

 horse artillery, interrupted it in a 

 degree ; still, however, it was from 

 the shore we received the greatest 

 annoyance ; for the schooners and 

 schuyts crowding along could not 

 bring their prow guns to bear with- 

 out altering their course towards us, 

 which thiy could not venture; and 

 their side guns, though numerous 

 and well-served, were very light. 

 In this manner the Penelope and 

 Antelope engaged every part of their 

 long line from four to eight, while 

 the Amiable, Cruizer, and Rattler, 

 continued to press their rear. Since 

 two o'clock the sternmost praam 

 struck her colours and ran on shore: 

 but the artillery-men from the army 

 got on board, and she renewed her 

 fire on the Amiable with the pre- 

 cision of aland battery, from which 

 that ship suffered much. Captain 

 Bolton speaks much in praise of 

 lieutenant Mather, who is Avounded. 

 Several of the schooners and schuyts 

 imiliediatcly under the fire of the 



ships, 



