232 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S16. 



tar-boats ready, with several more 

 in forward repair. 1 he Dey had 

 cli)Sfly confined the Consul, and 

 refused eitlier to give him up or 

 promise his peisonal safety ; nor 

 Would he hear si word respecting 

 the oflficers and men seized in the 

 boats of the Prometheus. 



From the continuance of ad- 

 verse winds and calms, the land 

 to the westward of Algiers was 

 not made before the 26th, and 

 the next morning, at day-break, 

 the fleet was advanced in sight of 

 the city, though not so near as I 

 had intended. As the ships were 

 becalmed, I embraced this oppor- 

 tunity of dispatching a boat, under 

 cover of the Severn, with a fliig 

 of truce, and the demands I had 

 to make in the name of his Royal 

 Highness the Prince Regent, on 

 the Dey of Algiers (of which the 

 accompanying are copies) ; direct- 

 ing the Officer to wait two or 

 three iinurs for the Dey's answer, 

 at which time, if no reply was 

 sent, he was to return to the flag- 

 shij) : he was met near the Mole 

 by the Ca|)tain of tlie port, who, 

 on being told the answer was ex- 

 pecte<l in one hour, replied, that 

 it was impossible. Ihe Officer 

 then said he would wait two or 

 three hours; he then observed, 

 two hours was quite sufficient. 



1 he fleet at this time, by the 

 springing up of the sea-breeze, 

 had 1 cached the bay, and were 

 i;reparing the boats and flotilla lor 

 servite, until near two o'clock, 

 when, observing my officer was 

 returning ^\ith the signal flying 

 that no answer hao been received, 

 after a delay of upwaids of three 

 hours, I instantly made the signal 

 toknow if the ships were all ready, 

 which b€ing- answered in the 



affirmative, the Queen Chailotte 

 bore up, followed up by the fleet, 

 for their appoinieil stations ; the 

 flag, leading in the prescribed 

 order, was anchoretl in the en- 

 trance of the i\Io!e, at about fifty 

 yards' distance. At this moment 

 not a gun had been fiied, and 1 

 began to sus[)ect a full compliance 

 with the terms which had been so 

 many hours in their hands ; at 

 this period of profound silence, a 

 shot was fired at us fiom the 

 Mole, and two at the ships to the 

 northward then foUowing ; this 

 was promptly returned by the 

 Queen Charhlte, who wa.s tlien 

 1,-ishing to the mainmast of a brig, 

 fast to the shore in the mouth of 

 the Mole, and which we had 

 steered for, as the guide to our 

 position. 



Thus commenced a fire as ani- 

 mated and well supported as, 

 I believe, was ever witnessed, 

 from a quarter before three until 

 nine, without intermission, and 

 which did not cease altogether un- 

 til half past eleven. 



The ships immediately follow- 

 ing me were adniiiabiy and coolly 

 taking their stations, with a pre- 

 cision even beyond my most san- 

 guine hope ; and never did the 

 British fl.'ig receive, on any occa- 

 sion, moie zealous and honourable 

 support. To look further on the 

 line than immediately round me 

 was perfectly impossible, but so 

 well-grounded was my confidence 

 in the gallant officers I had the 

 honour to command, that my 

 nund was left perfectly free to at- 

 tend to other objects, and 1 knew 

 them in their stations only by the 

 destructive eflec of tlieirfiie upon 

 the walls and batteries to which 

 they were opposed. 



I had 



