242 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



sioned us the laborious task of 

 warping the ships down the river, 

 in which a day's delay took place, 

 owing to the Devastation pround- 

 ing. The enemy took advantage 

 of this circumstance to attempt 

 her destruction by three fire- 

 vessels, attended by five row- 

 boats ; but their object was de- 

 feated by the promptitude and 

 gallantry of Captain Alexander, 

 who pushed ofi'" with his own 

 boats, and being followed by those 

 of the other ships, chased the boats 

 of the enemy up to the town of 

 Alexandria. The cool and steady 

 conduct of Mr. John Moore, mid- 

 shipman of the Seahorse, in towing 

 the nearest fire vessel on shore, 

 whilst the others were removed 

 from the power of doing mis- 

 chief by the smaller boats of the 

 Devastation, entitles him to my 

 highest commendation. 



The Meteor and the Fairy, as- 

 sisted by the Anna Maria dispatch 

 boat, a prize gun-boat, and a boat 

 belonging to the Euryalus, with a 

 howitzer, had greatly impeded 

 the progress of the enemy in their 

 works ; notwithstanding which, 

 they were enabled to increase 

 their battery to eleven guns, with 

 a furnace for heating shot. On 

 the 3rd, the wind coming to the 

 JJ. W. the Etna and the Erebus 

 succeeded in getting down to 

 their assistance, and the whole of 

 us, with the prizes, were assem- 

 bled there on the 4th, except the 

 Devastation, which, in spite of 

 our utmost exertion in warpin» 

 heri, still remained five miles higher 

 up the river. This was the mo- 

 ment when the enemy made his 

 greatest efforts to efftct our de- 

 struction. 



The Erebus behig judiciously 



placed by Captain Bartholomew in 

 an admirable position for harassing 

 the workmen employed in the 

 trenches, was attacked by three 

 field-pieces, which did her consi- 

 derable damage before they were 

 beaten off. And another attempt 

 being made to destroy the Devas- 

 tation with fire vessels, I sent the 

 boats under Captain Baker to her 

 assistance: nothing could exceed 

 the alacrity with which Captain 

 Baker went on this service, to 

 which I attribute the immediate 

 mtreat of the boats and fire-vessels. 

 His loss, however, was considera- 

 ble, owing to their having sought 

 refuge under some guns in a nar- 

 row creek thickly wooded, from 

 which it was impossible for him to 

 dislodge them. 



On the 5th at noon, the wind 

 coming fair, and all my arrange- 

 ments being made, the Seahorse 

 and Euryalus anchored within 

 short musket-shot of the batteries, 

 while the whole of the prizes 

 passed betwixt us and the shoal ; 

 the bombs, the Fairy, and Erebus, 

 firing as they passed, and after- 

 wards anchoring in a favourable 

 position for facilitating, by means 

 of their force, the further removal 

 of the frigates. At three p. m. 

 having completely silenced the 

 enemy's fire, the Seahorse and 

 Euryalus cat their cables, and the 

 whole of us proceeded to the next 

 position taken up by the troops, 

 where they had two batteries, 

 mounting from fourteen to eigh- 

 teen guns, on a range of cliffs of 

 about a mile extent, under which 

 we were of necessiljy obliged to 

 pass very close. I did not intend 

 to make the attack that evening, 

 but the Erebus grounding within 

 runge, we were aeeessanly callKd 



