t 
1802. ] 
to contend with three times my own 
ftrength, the Richard being in imminent 
danger of going to the bottom, and her 
guns being no Jonger in a condition té re- 
turn the enemy’s fire, I had recourfe toa 
dangerous expedient, to grapple with the 
Serapis,:in order, on the one hand, to 
render her fuperiority ufelefs, and, on the 
other, to cover ourfelves from the fire of 
her confort. This manceuvre fucceeded 
moft admirably, and I fattened the Serapis, 
with my own hands, to the Richard.. On 
this, the Captain of the Counte(s of Scar- 
borough, who was a natural fon of the 
Duke of Northumberland, condu&ed him- 
felf like a man of fenfe, and from that 
moment ceafed to fire upon us,well know- 
ing that he muft at the fame time damage 
the Serapis. 
That veflel being to windward at the 
moment we had grappled, inftantly drop- 
ped her anchor, hoping by this to difen- 
gage herfelf from us; but this did not 
aniwer her expectations, and the engage- 
ment, from that moment, conitted of the 
difcharge of great guns, fwivels, mu/que- 
try, and grenades. The Englifh, at firft, 
teftified a defire to board the Richard, 
but they no fooner faw the danger than 
they defitted. The enemy, however, pof- 
fefled the advantage of their two batteries, 
- befides the guns on their forecaftle and 
quarter-deck, while our cannon were ei- 
ther burft or abandoned, excepting four 
pieces on the forecaftle, which were allo 
relinquifhed during fome minutes. Mr. 
Meafe, the officer who commanded thefe 
guns, had been dangeroufly wounded on 
the head, and having, at that period, no 
greater object to occupy my attention, I 
myfelf took his poft. A few failors 
came to my.afliftance of their own accord, 
‘and ferved the two guns next to the enemy 
with furprifing courage and addrefS. A 
Short time after this, I received fufficient 
afhiftance to be able to remove one of the 
forecaftle guns from the oppofite fide ; but 
wehadnotftrength fufhcient to remove the 
ether, fo that we could only bring three 
to bear upon the enemy during the re- 
mainder of the a€tion. 
The moon, which, as I have already 
obferved, rofe at eight, beheld the two 
vefiels furrounded by flame, in confequence 
of the explofion of the cannon. It fo hap- 
pened at this period, that the main-maft 
of the Serapis, which was painted yellow, 
appeared extremely diitinét, fo as to torm 
an excellent mark ; on this, I pointed one 
of my guns at it, taking care to ram home 
the thot. In the mean time, the two other 
pieces were admirably ferved againgt the 
Account of Paul Fones. 
147 
and {wept its forecaftle, by means 
of an oblique fire. The zops alfo fecond- 
ed us bravely, by means of mufquetry and 
fwivels, and allo threw a multitude of 
grenades fo as greatly to annoy the ene- 
my. By thefe means they were driven 
from their quarters, notwithftanding their 
fuperiority 19 point of men and artillery. 
The Captain of the Serapis, after con- 
fulting with his officers, refolved to ftrike ; 
but an unlucky accident, which occurred 
on board the Richard, prevented this: a 
bullet having deftroyed one of the pumps, 
the carpenter was feized with a panic, and 
told the gunner, and another petty officer, 
that we were finking. Someone obferved at 
the fame time, that both I and the lieute- 
nant were killed ; in confequence of which 
the gunner, confidering himfelf as com- 
manding officer, ran inftantly to the quar- 
ter-deck, in order to hawl down the Ame- 
rican colours, which he would have ac- 
tually hawled down, had not the flag-ttaff 
been carried away at the time the Richard 
grappled with the Serapis. eH 
The captain, on hearing the gunner ex- 
prefs his wifhes to furiender, in confe- 
quence of his f{uppofing that we were fink- 
ing, inftantly addrefled himlelf to me, and 
exclaimed, “ Do you afk for quarter ?— 
Do you afk for quarter?” I was fo oc- 
cupied, at this period, in ferving the three 
pieces of cannon on the forecaftle, that I 
remained totally ignorant of what had oc- 
curred on deck; I replied, however, « E 
“do not dream of furrendering, but I am 
determined to make you ftrike!”” 
The Englifh commander, however, con- 
ceived fome faint hopes, in coafequence of 
what had been faid, that the Richard was 
actually finking ; but when he perceived 
that her fire did not diminifh, he immedi- 
ately ordered his men from the forecaftle, 
where they were too much expofed, and 
ftationed them below, where they kept 
up fuch a tremendous difcharge againit 
the Serapis, that it at once indicated ven- 
geance and’ defpair. 
It has already been obferved, that when 
I commenced the action, the Pallas was 
at a great diflanceto windward, while the 
Alliance lay to ia the fame. pofit.on. 
When the Captain of the former per- 
ceived that the engagementtook place, he- 
fpoke to his confort; but they lot a 
greatdealof time,and it wasno> yati) iow, 
that they came withia gun fhot of the 
Countefs of Scarborough, and a kind of - 
running fight took place between the lic. 
ter and the Pallas Tie Aliiznce f 1. 
lowed them, and, on palling us, fired a 
broadfide, which, as we were cloiciy en- 
L2 gaged 
