APPENDIX to the CHHONICLE. 



561 



zeal for his majesty's service, has af- 

 forded me the most essential confi- 

 dence and assistance. 



I am happy to add, that the mas- 

 ters of the captured vessels, as also 

 their crews, amounting to twenty 

 English seamen, were on board Jie 

 Contre-Admiral Mai^on at tlu- time 

 of capture, and are now on board 

 the cruizer. 



John Hancock. 



Particulars of the Attempt to de- 

 stroy Fort Rouge and the Flotilla 

 protected by it in the Harbour of 

 Calais, contained in the folloz^ing 

 Letters from Lord Keith. &:c. <Sc. 

 to Mr. Marsden, Secretary to tlie 

 Board of Admiralty. 



Monarch, offRamsgate, 

 Sir, Dec.'w, 1804. 



Divisions of the enemy's ilotilla 

 passing from the eastward towards 

 Boulogne having frequently, when 

 pursued by his majesty's ships and 

 vessels, taken shelter in the harbour 

 of Calais, their entry into which 

 has been particularly covered and 

 protected by the advanced pile bat- 

 tery of Fort Rouge, I considered it 

 an object of some importance to ef- 

 fect the destruction of that work ; 

 and lately diredted capt. Sir Home 

 Popham, of the Antelope, amongst 

 other objects, to hold in view a fa- 

 vourable opportunity for making 

 this attempt. I now transmit, for 

 I their lordship's information, a letter, 

 ' and the inclosures to which it refers, 

 which I have received from that of- 

 I ficer, reporting the result of an as- 

 I $ault which he directed to be made 

 upon it early on the morning of the 

 J 8th instant ; and from which there 

 1 is reason to conclude that the fort 

 has sustained material damage : but 

 Vol. XL\ I. 



that, from the unfortunate circum- 

 stance of its not having been possi- 

 ble, under the existing state of the 

 weather and tide, to carry up two 

 of the explosion vessels to the 

 point of attack, the injury has been 

 far le? extensive than might have 

 otheiwise beenr-xpected. 'rhe con- 

 duct o lieutenant Hew Stewart, of 

 the ^lonarch, on this recent occa- 

 sion, will not fill, I am sure, to ex- 

 cifc! tiieir lordships' admiration and 

 praise. I have great pleasure in 

 conveying to tlieir lordships capt. 

 sir Home Popham's testimony to his 

 distinguished merit, and to the zea- 

 lous and active assistance which he 

 received from capt. Brownrigg, 

 lieut. Lake, and Mr. Bartholomew. 



Keith. 



Antelope, Downs^ 

 My lord, Dec. 10. 



I avail myself of the first moment 

 of my return to the Downs, to ac- 

 quaint you, that towards noon on 

 Saturday the 8th, the wind promis- 

 ing to come to the S. K. and know- 

 ing it to be your lordship's intention 

 to attack the enemy at every assail- 

 able point, I sent the Dart, on the 

 close of the evening, to an assigned 

 station between Sengate and Fort 

 Lapin, accompanied by the Susan- 

 nah explosion vessel, and two car- 

 casses, with a view of making an as- 

 sault against Fort Rouge. Lieut, 

 Stewart, of the Monarch, com- 

 manded the explosion vessel ; Mr. 

 Bartholomew, acting lieutenant of 

 the Antelope, had the charge of the 

 first carcass intended to be applied, 

 and capt. Brownrigg requested to 

 take the other. Your lordship is 

 aware how difficult it is to ascertain 

 the ])recise injury done to the ene- 

 my in an enterprise of this nature, 

 which in most cases must be under- 



O o taken 



