218 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



ten, the other frigate appeared to 

 be on fire also (some smoke having 

 been seen on board her from the 

 time the firing ceased), and at half 

 past 11, the flames burst forth 

 from her ports and every part with 

 unextinguishable fury, which un- 

 looked-for event leavingmenothing 

 more to attempt in the morning, 

 the brig being quite on her beam 

 ends, and very much damaged by 

 our shot in every part of her bot- 

 tom, even very near her keel, I 

 weighed anchor at midnight, with 

 a very light air from the northward, 

 with the Growler in company, 

 profiting by the brightness of the 

 moon to get to sea ; but it was so 

 near calm, that I made very little 

 progress, and therefore saw the 

 frigate burning from head to stern 

 all night, and explode at thirty-five 

 minutes after two in the morning 

 of yesterday, leaving a portion of 

 her afterpart still burning till it was 

 entirely consumed ; and in the 

 course of the day I had the satis- 

 faction to see, from oft' the N. W. 

 point of Groa, a third fire and ex- 

 plosion in the same spot, which 

 could have been no other than the 

 brig. During the time of firing on 

 the enemy's vessels, a seaman, who 

 states himself to be a native of 

 Portugal, captured in the ship 

 Harmony, of Lisbon, by the fri- 

 gates, on the 22d of February, 

 swam from one of them to the 

 Northumberland, by whom I am 

 informed their names were I'Ari- 

 anne and I'Andromache, of ■il- 

 guns and 450 men each, and the 

 Mameluke brig, of 18 guns, and 

 150 men ; that they sailed from 

 the Loire in the month of January, 

 had been cruizing in various parts 

 of the Atlantic, and had destroyed 

 36 vessels of different nations 



(Americans, Spaniards, Portu- 

 guese, and English), taking the 

 most valuable parts of their cargoes 

 on board the frigates (and they ap- 

 peared very deep for ships so long 

 at sea), and one vessel they sent 

 as a cartel to England, with about 

 200 prisoners. I am happy to 

 have now the gratifying duty to 

 discharge of bearing testimony to 

 the creditable conduct of every 

 officer and man I had the honour 

 to command on the occasion above 

 related, whose zealous exertions in 

 supporting the honour of his Ma- 

 jesty's naval power, and in hum- 

 bling that of the enemy, were con- 

 spicuously displayed, without re- 

 gard to the peculiar intricacy of the 

 situation, or the risksanddifficulties 

 which appeared to interpose ; and 

 I hope the circumstances of his 

 station may permit me to make 

 particular report of the services of 

 the senior lieutenant, John Banks, 

 without prejudice to, or neglect of 

 the other meritorious and deserving 

 officers, who were all equally in- 

 spired with intrepidity, and pos- 

 sessed with confidence and cool- 

 ness, which rendered that qualifi- 

 cation the more valuable. But as 

 the safety of his Majesty's ship, 

 and the success of the operations 

 which resulted in a navigation so 

 narrow and difficult, with almost 

 every description of danger to 

 avoid, is attributable, next to Pro- 

 vidence, to the ability with which 

 she was steered and conducted 

 under the direction of Mr. Stewart 

 (the master), and the pilot, I 

 should be wanting in my duty if I 

 were to omit to represent to you, 

 that nothing could exceed the firm- 

 ness, good judgment, and skill of 

 those officers whose experience on 

 the coast was extremely beneficial 



to 



