612 ANNUAL REGISTER, 180D. 



the ships who were with him in the 

 pursuit. Nothing less ardent, or 

 less skilful, would have produced a 

 result so fortunate, where the coast 

 near the Rhone is exceedingly shoal 

 and dangerous, so that some of the 

 ships were in five and six fathom 

 water, the weather thick, and the 

 south east wind blowing strong. 



I enclose to you, sir, rear-admi- 

 ral Martin's letter, and beg to con- 

 gratulate their lordships on three 

 great ships of the enemy being thus 

 destroyed, without the smallest re- 

 sistance on their part, or a shot be- 

 ing fired by the British ships, except 

 a few by the Tigre at the Boree, 

 when she was pushing ashore at 

 Cette ; of their two frigates, the Po- 

 mone and Pauline, one hauled her 

 wind some time in the night, and 

 fetched into Marseilles Road. 



The other part of the French 

 squadron are found to remain in 

 Toulon, by the ships which have 

 since examined that port. 



I have the honour to be, &c. 

 (Signed) 



COLLINGWOOD. 



Cannpus at Sea, Oct. 27, 1S09. 



My lord, — In obedience to the 

 signal for the Canopus to chase E. 

 N. E. I stood that way the whole of 

 the night of the 23rd, and the fol- 

 I'^wing day, in company with the 

 Renown, Tigre, Sultan, Leviathan, 

 and Cumberland; in the evening 

 four sail were seen, to which we 

 immediately gave chase, and pur- 

 sued them till after dark; when, 

 from shoal water and the wind be- 

 ing direct on the shore, near the en- 

 trance of the Rhone, it became ne- 

 cessary to keep to the wind during 

 the night. The following morning, 

 the 25th, the same .<hips were again 

 seen, and chased between Cette and 

 Frontignan, where theyraii on shore. 



Two of them (an 80 gun ship, bear- 

 ing a rear-admiral's flag, and a se- 

 venty-four) at the latter place, and 

 one ship of the line and a frigate at 

 the former. From the shoal water 

 and intricacy of tlie navigation, ii 

 was impossible to get close enough 

 to the enemy's two line of battle 

 ships near Frontignan, to attack 

 them when on shore, for in attempt- 

 ing to do so, one of his majesty's 

 ships was under five fathom water, 

 and another in less than six. On 

 the 26th, I sent the boats to sound, 

 meaning, if possible, to buoy the 

 channel (if any had been found) by 

 which the enemy's ships could be 

 attacked ; but at night we had the 

 satisfaction to see them set on fire. 



From the circumstances under 

 which the ship and frigate ran on 

 shore at the entrance of the port 

 of Cette, I have little doubt the 

 former will be lost ; and the frigate 

 must certainly have received consi- 

 derable damage ; but they cannot 

 be got at on account of the bat- 

 teries. 



Your lordship must be well 

 aware that nothing but the great 

 press of sail carried by his majes- 

 ty's ships, and the good look out 

 kept, could have enabled them to 

 close with those of the enemy from 

 the distance they were at the time 

 they commenced the chase. 



[ have the honour to be, &c. 

 (Signed) 



G. Martix. 

 Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood, 



Comniander-in-ChieJ', S)-c. S;c. 



Ville de Paris, off Rosas, Nov. 



1, 1809. 



Sir, — When the enemy's convoy 



was chased on the 23rd ultimo, 



their transports separated from the 



ships of war, and, under the protec- 



tioa 



