tastrophe attending this capture, which, after being more than an hour in our possession, was found to be rapidly sinking, in consequence of her innumerable shot-holes: every exertion was made to preserve her; but, alas! at eight, she foundered close beside us. I had, some time previous to this event, ordered every body to quit her; but British humanity, while striving to extricate the wounded Frenchmen from destruction, weighed so forcibly with Mr. Archibald Montgomery and 20 brave followers, that they persevered in this meritorious service until the vessel sunk under them. The floating wreck, I rejoice to say, buoyed up many of them from de struction; but, with sorrow I mention, Mr. Frederick Spence and Mr. Auckland, two promising young gentlemen, with five of my gallant crew, unfortunately perished. The delay occasioned by this unhappy event, securing 120 prisoners, knotting the rigging, and repairing sails, detained me until eleven before I could pursue the flying enemy, which, I assure you, was done with all alacrity, but without success, as the night favoured their escape. I cannot conclude this account of my proceedings without informing you how highly I approve of the conduct of lieut. Robert Barrie, lieut. James Alexander Gordon, Mr. Mac Cleverty the master, and Mr. Montgomery my acting lieutenant. The proceedings of warrant and petty officers gave me every satisfaction; and I have not words to offer sufficiently in the praise of the ship's company for their steady obedience to my orders in not wasting a single shot. I trust it will not be deemed too assuming in recommending my first lieutenant, Mr. Robert Barrie, to the notice of the lords commission ers of the admiralty, as an officer highly worthy of advancement. T. MANBY. N. B. Allow me to subjoin the statement of the enemy's force; and to mention, that the only capture made by this squadron was the Susan brig, of Hallifax, bound to Surinam, which they burnt. La Curieuse, of 390 tons, 18 ninepounders, 169 men, not two years old, with 34 feet beam, and 90 feet keel, commanded by capt. Radelet. La Mutine, of 300 tons, 16 long sixpounders, 156 men, commanded by captain Raybun.-L'Esperançe schooner, mounting six four-pounders, 52 men, commanded by capt. Hammond. J. T. DUCKWORTH. Admiralty-office, 11. Letter from capt. sir E. Hamilton, of his majesty's ship Trent, off Cawsand Bay, April 7th, 1801, to the right hon. lord A. Beauclerk, captain of his majesty's ship Fortune. In obedience to your signal, the chase was continued until dark, at which time, being becalmed among the rocks of the isles of Brehat, I anchored; and the next morning (the 3d inst.) observing a large ship with French colours, under the protection of a cutter and lugger privateers, making sail with the flood from the anchorage of Brehat to Plampoul, the boats were immedi ately dispatched under the command of lieut. Chamberlayne, having under his orders Mr. Scallon, second lieutenant, Mr. Bellamy, third; Mr. Hoskins, master; and Mr. Taite, marine officer, &c. &c. The enemy seemed at first determined to resist, and defend their vessels, and sent inany boats from the shore to their as sistance, who, with the lugger, took the ship in tow; but, on the very spirited and near approach of the (B2) Trent, Trent, the lugger and boats cast off the tow, and after maintaining a severe conflict, aided by a continued fire from five batteries, they were at length subdued and chased on the rocks after which the ship, in the face of open day, was most gallantly boarded by the first lieutenant and marine officer, who, I am sorry to say, has lost his right leg; and the very meritorious and spirited zeal with which all the officers and men were animated on this enterprise reflects on them the highest honour. The ship appears English-built, about 300 tons, with a cargo of corn, and various other articles; but not having made any prisoners, further particulars are unknown. Enclosed i return you a list of killed and wounded; that of the enemy could not be exactly ascertained; two were killed on board the ship, and several were drowned. The state of the prize requiring protection into port, and the wind being easterly, I judged it prudent to put into this place. E. HAMILTON. List of killed and wounded. Two seamen killed; one marine officer wounded. [This Gazette also acquaints us with the following captures: La Poisson Volant French privateer lugger, of 14 carriage-guns and 55 men, by the Stag cutter, lieutenant Irwin; La Mascarada, French privateer schooner, of 12 guns and 40 men, by the Fortunée, lord A. Beauclerk; and L'Héros brig, of 14 guns and 73 men, by the Atalanta, capt. Griffiths.] Admiralty-office, 15. Capt. Otway, of his majesty's ship the London, arrived in town this morning, with dispatches from admiral sir Hyde Parker, commander in chief of a squadron of his majesty's ships employed on a par ticular service, to Evan Nepean, esq. dated on board the London, in Copenhagen Roads, the 6th inst. of which the following are copies: SIR, You will be pleased to acquaint the lords commissioners of the admiralty, that since my letter of the 23d of March, no opportunity of wind offered for going up the Sound until the 25th, when the wind shifted in a most violent squall from S. W. to N. W. and N. and blew with such violence, and with so great a sca, as to render it impossible for any ship to have weighed her anchor. The wind and sea were even so violent as to oblige many ships to let go a second anchor to prevent them from driving, notwithstanding they were riding with two cables an end; and, by the morning, the wind veered again to the southward of the west. On the 30th of last month, the wind having come to the northward, we passed into the Sound with the fleet, but not before I had assured myself of the hostile intentions of the Danes to oppose our passage, as the papers, marked Nos. I, II, III, and IV, will prove: after this intercourse, there could be no doubt remaining of their determination to resist. After anchoring about five or six miles from the island of Huin, I reconnoitred, with viceadm. lord Nelson and rear-adm. Graves, the formidable line of ships, radeaus, pontoons, galleys, fire-ships, and gun-boats, flanked and supported by extensive batteries on two islands called the Crowns; the largest of which was mounted with from 50 to 70 pieces of cannon; these were again commanded by two ships of 70 guns; and a large frigate in the inner road of Copenhagen, and two 64 gun ships (without masts), were moored on the flat, on the starboard side of the entrance into the arsenal. The day after, the wind being southerly, we again examined their position, and came to the resolution of attacking them from the southward. Vice-admiral lord Nelson, having offered his services for conducting the attack, had, some days before we entered the Sound, shifted his flag to the Elephant; and after having examined and buoyed the outer channel of the Middle Ground, his lordship proceeded with the 12 ships of the line named in the margin, all the frigates, bombs, fire-ships, and all the small vessels, and that evening anchored off Draco Point, to make his disposition for the attack, and wait for the wind to the southward. It was agreed between us, that the remaining ships with me should weigh at the same moment his lordship did, and menace the Crown batteries, and the four ships of the line that lay at the entrance of the arsenal; as also to cover our disabled ships as they came out of action. I have now the honour to enclose a copy of vice-adın. Nelson's report to me of the action on the 2d inst. His lordship has stated so fully the whole of his proceedings on that day, as only to leave me the opportunity to testify my entire acquiescence and testimony of the bravery and intrepidity with which the action was supported throughout the line. Was it possible for ine to add any thing to the well-earned renown of lord Nelson, it would be by asserting, that his exertions, great as they have heretofore been, never were carried to a higher pitch of zeal for his country's service. I have only to lament that the sort of attack, confined within an intricate and narrow passage, excluded the ships particularly under my command from the opportunity of exhibiting their valour; but I can with great truth assert, that the same spirit and zeal animated the whole fleet; and I trust that the contest in which we are engaged will, on some future day, afford them an occasion of showing that the whole were inspired with the same spirit, had the field been sufficiently extensive to have brought it into action. It is with the deepest concern I mention the loss of capts. Mosse and Riou, two very brave and gallant officers, and whose loss, as I am well informed, will be sensibly felt by the families they have left behind them; the former a wife and children, the latter an aged mother. From the known gallantry of sir T. Thompson on former occasions, the naval service will have to regret the loss of the future exertions of that brave officer, whose leg was shot off. For all other particulars, I beg leave to refer their lordships to captain Otway, who was with lord Nelson in the latter part of the action, and able to answer any questions that may be thought necessary to put to him. A return of the killed and wounded you will receive herewith. H. PARKER. P. S. The promotions and appointments that have taken place on this occasion will be sent by the next opportunity that offers; but I cannot close this without acquainting their lordships, that capt. Mosse being killed very early in the action, lieut. John Yelland continued it with the greatest spirit and good conduct; I must, therefore, in justice to his merit, beg leave to recommend him to their lordships' favour. Elephant, Defiance, Monarch, Bellona, Edgar, Russel, Ganges, Glatton, Isis, Agamemnon, Polyphemus, Ardent. (B3) No. No. I. London, in the Categat, March 27. "From the hostile transaction of the court of Denmark's sending away his Britannic majesty's chargé d'affaires, the commander in chief of his majesty's fleet is anxious to know what the determination of the Danish court is, and whether the commanding officer of Cronberg cas. tle has received orders to fire upon the British fleet as they pass into the Sound, as he must deem the firing of the first gun a declaration of war on the part of Denmark. (Signed) HYDE PARKER." TRANSLATION, No. II. ANSWER. "Cronberg, March 28. "In answer to the admiral's honoured letter, I have to inform him, that no orders are given to fire on the English fleet; an express is gone to Copenhagen, and should any orders be sent, I shall immediately send an officer on board to inform the admiral. (Signed) STRICKER, Governor." TRANSLATION, No. III. "Cronberg-castle, March 28. "In answer to your excellency's letter, which I did not receive till the following day, at half past eight, I have the honour to inform you, that his majesty the king of Denmark did not send away the chargé d'affaires, but that upon his own demand he obtained a passport. As a soldier, I cannot meddle with politics; but I am not at liberty to suffer a fleet, whose intentions are not yet known, to approach the guns of the castle which I have the honour to command. In case your excellency should think proper to make "In answer to your excellency's note just now received, the under signed has only to reply, that, finding the intentions of the court of Denmark to be hostile against his Britannic majesty, he regards the answer as a declaration of war, and therefore, agreeably to his instructions, can no longer refrain from hostilities, however reluctant it may be to his feelings; but at the same time will be ready to attend to any proposals of the court of Denmark for restoring the former amity and friendship which had for so many years subsisted between the two courts. (Signed) H. PARKER. "His excellency the governor of Cronberg-castle." Elephant, of Copenhagen, April 3. In obedience to your directions to report the proceedings of the squadron named in the margin*, which you did me the honour to place under my command, I beg leave to inform you, that having, by the assistance of that able officer captain Riou, and the unremitting exertions of captain Bisbane, and the masters of the Amazon and Cruizer, in particular, buoyed the channel of the Outer Deep and the position of the Middle Ground, the Elephant, Defiance, Monarch, Bellona, Edgar, Russel, Ganges, Glatton, Isis, Agamemnon, Polyphemns, Ardent, Amazon, Desirée, Blanche, Alcmene; sloops, Dart, Arrow, Cruizer, and Harpy; fire-ships, Zephyr and Otter; bombs, Discovery, Sulphur, Hecla, Explosion, Zebra, Terror, and Volcano, squadron squadron passed in safety, and an- gates and sloops. The bombs were other officer and soldier under his orders, shared with pleasure the toils and dangers of the day. The loss in such a battle has naturally * Blanche, Alcmene, Dart, Arrow, Zephyr, and Otter. (B4) been |