APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



215 



O'JVIeara, the only assistant on 

 board, very great fatigue. Tlie 

 conduct of Mr. W. H. Gibbons 

 and Mr. John J. Keeling, master's 

 mates deserves notice. The con- 

 duct of Captain Stevens, of the 

 royal marines, I cannot avoid men- 

 tioning, and that of Mr. Crawford 

 the master was perfectly to my 

 satisfaction. During the whole of 

 this severe action not a single explo- 

 sion took place on board, or a man 

 hurt, either through carelessness 

 or accident ; both the officers and 

 men, for their steady and cool 

 conduct, deserve every credit. I 

 have sent herewith the returns, as 

 far as I have been able to procure, 

 of the killed and wounded on 

 board the Rivoli. I landed a great 

 number of the wounded prisoners 

 in Istria, having sent a flag of truce 

 to the town of Pirang, to request 

 the commandant oFthat port would 

 send off boats to receive them, 

 which accordingly he did. I have 

 sent the remainder of them 

 from this port by a schooner to 

 Spalatro, in Dalmatia. When we 

 commenced the action, the Victo- 

 rious had only 506 persons actually 

 on board, 60 of which were in the 

 sick list, but most of the sick were 

 able to assist in the action. The 

 Uivoli had on board 863 persons at 

 the commencement of the action. 

 I have the honour to be, &c. 

 (Signed) John Talbot. 

 Captain of the Victorious, and 



senior officer of the upper part of 



the Adriatic. 

 To Charles Rowley, esq. Captain 



of the Eagle, and senior officer 



in the Adriatic. 

 His Majesty s sloop Weazle, Feb. 22, 



Cape Salvore, IS. E, by E, distant 



12 or 11 miles. 



Sir, — In pursuance of your di- 

 rections this morning at half-past 

 two, ordering me a-head and to 

 bring the enemy's brigs to action, 

 I have the honour to inform you, 

 that at a quarter past four a. m. I 

 came up with two French brigs, 

 one within half pistol-shot, which 

 we immediately engaged, and after 

 an action of 40 minutes, she blew 

 up without doing us any damage. 

 I am sorry we saved only three 

 men from her, and those much 

 bruised and wounded. She proves 

 to have been the French brig Le 

 Mercure, of 18 2't-pounderscarro- 

 nades, commanded by a Lieute- 

 nant de Vaisseau. During the 

 greater part of this time the other 

 brig engaged us on our bow, but 

 seeing the fate of her companion, 

 and from the darkness of the morn- 

 ing, and our rigging being much 

 cut, she made her escape. At 

 day-light we observed this brig and 

 another, the first about three miles 

 a-head. At six o'clock made all 

 sail in chase : answered the signal 

 of recall; bore up. At eight 

 o'clock came across the Rivoli's 

 bows, within musket shot, and 

 gave her a broadside, wore, and 

 tacked as necessary to continue 

 raking her ; at nine she fired a gun 

 to leeward, when we ceased firing. 

 The whole of the afore-mentioned 

 service, I am extremely happy to 

 say, was performed without the 

 loss of a man on my part, from the 

 steady, determined, and cool, be- 

 haviour of every officer and man 

 on board; and I most earnestly 

 request you will be pleased to re- 

 commend to the commander-in- 

 chief, Mr. George Elliot, my first 

 lieutenant, and every other officer 

 and man on board his INIajesty'ij 



sloop, 



