146 
alfo undeifiood at the fame time, that my 
information relative to the eight India- 
men was correct ; they having entered Li- 
merick three days atter I had been obliged 
to leave the neighbourhood of that port. 
As there were only a twenty-gun fhip 
and two cutters in Leith Road, I deemed 
it_practicable to lay thele two places under 
contribution. I had indeed noother force 
to execute this project, than the Richard, 
the Pallas, and the: Vengeance; but I 
well knew, that, in order to perform a 
_ brilliant action, it is not always neceflary 
to poflefs great means. I therefore held 
out the profpect of great booty to the 
aptains under my command ; and, as to 
mylelf, I was fatisfied with the idea of 
making a diverfion iv favour of the Count 
D’Orvilliers, who was then in the ‘Chan- 
nel. j 
I now diftributed red cloaths to my 
men, and put fome of them on board the 
prizes, fo as to give them the appearance 
of tranfports full‘of troops. All the ne- 
eeflary arrangements were alfo taken to 
earry the enterprife into execution: but, 
about a quarter of an hour before the de- 
{cent was to have been made, a fudden 
tempeft arofe, and drove me out of the 
Forth, or Edinburgh Frith, and fo violent 
was the florm that one of my prizes was 
hoft. . 
This did not, however, deter me, not- 
withftanding the fmallnefs of my forces, 
from forming different enterprizes of a 
&milar nature: but I could not induce the 
Captains of the Pallas and Vengeance to 
fecond my views. I was therefore obli- 
ged to content myfelf with {preading alarm 
on the coaft, and deftroying the thipping, 
which I did as far as Hull. 
On the morning of the 23d of Septem- 
ber, while I was cruifing in the latitude of 
Flamborough Head, which I had appoint- 
ed as a place of rendezvous for my little 
fquadron, and where I hoped to be re- 
joined by the Alliance and Le Cerf, and 
alfo to fall in with the Baltic fleet; this. 
convoy accordingly appeared, at a time 
when I had been abandoned by feveral of 
my conforts, had loft two boats, with 
theis crews, who had run away-on the 
eoaft of Ireland, and when a third, with 
eighteén men on board, was in chafe of a 
merchantman to the windward, leaving 
me with a fcanty crew, and only a fingle 
lieutenant, and fome inferior officers, on 
board. aR; 
It was about two o’clock in the after- 
noon that the Baltic fleet appeared in 
view ; I then happened to have the wind 
ef it, and was about two leagues diltant 
« 
. Account of Paul Fonese. 
[Sept. 1; 
from the coaft of England. I learned 
from my prifoners, that the convoy was 
efcorted by the Serapis, a new veffel, that 
could mount fifty-fix guns but then car- 
ried only forty-four, on:two decks, the 
lower battery carrying eighteen-pounders, 
and the Countefs of Scarborough, a new 
twenty-two gun fhip. 
We were no fooner defcried than the 
armed veffels ftood out to fea, while the 
trade took refuge under the cannon of 
Scarborough Caftle. 
- As there was but little wind, I covld_ 
not come up with the enemy before night. 
The moon did not rife until eight, and 
at the clofe of day the Serapis and Count~. 
efs of Scarborough tacked and ftood in 
for the fortrefs. Iwas lucky enough te 
difcover this manceuvre by means of m 
night-glafs, without which I fhould have 
remained in ignorance of it. On this IE 
immediately altered my courfe fix points, 
with a view of cutting off the enemy; 
which was no fooner perceived by the Pal- 
las, than it was fuppofed my crew had 
mutinied, which induced her. captain to 
hava bis wind, and ftand out to fea while 
the Alliance /ay to, to windward, at a confi- 
derable diftance; and, as the captain of 
this veffel had never paid any attention 
whatever to the fignals of the Richard 
fince her leaving France; I was obliged to 
run all rifks, and enter into aétion with 
the Richard only, to prevent the enemy’s 
efcape. 
T accordingly began the engagement at 
feven o’clock at night, within piltol-fhor 
of the Serapis, and fuftained the brunt of 
it for nearly a whole hour at that diftance, 
expofed, not only to her fire, but alfo tothat 
of theCountefs of Scarborough,whichraked 
the Richard, by means of the broadfides 
fhe fired into her ftern. 
It ought to be here remarked, that the 
Richard, properly fpeaking, was only a 
thirty-four-gun frigate, carrying only 
twelve-pounders: but fix eighteen-pound- 
ers had been placed in the gun-room, in 
cafe of being obliged to recur to a can- 
nonade in an enemy’s harbour. The fea 
being very calm during the engagement, ~ 
I hoped to be able to derive great advan- 
tage from this circumftance ; but, inftead 
of this, they burft at-the commencement 
of the action, and the officcrs and men 
potted at this fervice, and who were féle&t- 
ed as the beft of the whole crew, were 
either killed, wounded, or affrighted to 
fuch a degree, that none of them were of 
any fervice during the reft of the engage- 
ment. 
In this unfortunate extremity, having 
i ta 
