APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



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Venerable, at Sea, Jan. 16, 

 1814. 



Sir, — 1 have the satisfaction of 

 •tating, that this day, at nine a. m. 

 the Cyane made the signal for two 

 strangers in the north-east, which 

 were imnaediately given chase to, 

 and, owing to the very superior 

 sailing of the Venerable, I was 

 enabled to come up within gun- 

 shot of them at the close of the 

 day, leaving the Cyane far astern. 

 On ranging up with the leeward- 

 mast, (the night was too dark to 

 distinguish her colours), desirousof 

 saving her the consequences of so 

 unequal a contest, I hailed her 

 twice to surrender, but the evasive 

 answer returned, obliged me to or- 

 der the guns to be opened, as they 

 would bear ; upon this the enemy 

 immediately put his helm up, and 

 under all sail, laid us on board, for 

 which temerity he has suffered most 

 severely. The promptitude with 

 which Capt. Worth repelled the at- 

 tempt to board, was not less conspi- 

 cuous than the celerity with which 

 he passed his men into the enemy's 

 frigate, and hauled down herensign. 

 I have much pleasure in naming 

 the petty officers who distinguished 

 themselves on this occasion, Messrs. 

 Maltman, Walker, and Nevil, 

 mu-ter's mates, and Mr. Grey, 

 midshipman. This ship proves to 

 be the Alcmenc, a beautiful French 

 frigate of 44 guns, having a com- 

 plement, at the conamencemeut of 

 the action, of 319 men, command- 

 ed by Captain Ducrest de Ville- 

 iieuve, an officer of much merit, 

 and who was wounded at the time 

 of boarding. To his determined 

 resistance, aided by the darkness of 

 the night, the other frigate for the 

 present owes her escape ; but I 



have every hope that the Cyane 

 will be enabled to observe her until 

 I have shifted the prisoners, and 

 repaired the trifling injury done to 

 the rigging, during the period of 

 the enemy being on board. Our 

 loss consists of two seamen killed, 

 and four wounded : that of the 

 enemy two petty officers and thirty 

 seamen killed, and fifty wounded. 

 Lieutenant G. Luke, whom I have 

 placed in the frigate, is an old and 

 very deserving officer, who has 

 served twenty years under my com- 

 mand. 



I have the honour to be, &c. 



P. C. Durham, 



Rear Admiral. 



Venerable, at Sea, Jan. 20. 

 Sir, — It aft'ords me ranch plea- 

 sure to communicate to you, for 

 their Lordships' information, the 

 capture of the French frigate that 

 escaped on Sunday night. The 

 vigilance of Captain Forrest en- 

 abled him to keep sight of her 

 during the night and two following- 

 days, when having run 153 miles 

 in the diriction I j udged the enenay 

 had taken, the Venerable's supe- 

 rior sailing gave me the opportu- 

 nity of again discovering the fugi- 

 tive, and after an anxious ehase of 

 19 hours, to come up with and 

 capture. She is named the Iphi- 

 genie, a frigate of the largest class, 

 commanded by Captain Enierie, 

 having a complement of 325 men, 

 and like her consort the Alcmeue, 

 perfectly new. Every means to 

 effect her escape were resorted to, 

 the anchors being cut nway, and 

 her boats thrown overboard. On 

 our coming up we had run the 

 Cyane out of sight from the mast 

 head. 



