On the 28th of September, at 4 h. 30 m. a.m., the British hired cutter Rose, Lieutenant William Walker, of eight 4-pounders and only 13 men and one boy on board, being near to the island of Capraria on her passage from Leghorn to Bastia in Corsica, discovered three French lateen-rigged privateers to leeward. At this time almost the only man on deck was the steersman, but the alarm soon brought up from their beds the remainder of the cutter's small crew ; and, although he had on board a king's messenger, Mr. Mason, and two ladies, as passengers, and �10,000 in specie, Lieutenant Walker formed the bold resolve of attacking the three vessels, either of which, in point of men at least, was known, from the complement they usually carried, to be more than treble the force of the Rose.

The cutter was quickly cleared for action, and bore down with a moderate breeze and smooth sea directly for the largest of the privateers, which was at some distance to leeward of the other two. It was the intention of Lieutenant Walker to give this privateer the cutter's stem, and for that purpose he himself attended to the steering ; but, the Rose getting near, the lieutenant rushed forward to be among the foremost of the boarders, when the man whom he had left at the helm either misunderstood or neglected his orders, and permitted the privateer to shoot too far ahead.

The consequence was, that instead of striking the privateer amidships, the cutter with her bowsprit merely carried away the former's mizenmast and the projecting part of her stern. While passing to leeward, however, the Rose poured in a destructive raking fire with three round shot in every gun. She then luffed up, with the intention of placing herself on the bows of her antagonist, but became becalmed by the latter's sails. At length the Rose moved ahead, and, in tacking, carried away with her main boom the privateer's fore yard. On coming round upon the other tack, the Rose discharged a second broadside into her antagonist, and set fire to her foresail and mizen. The privateer instantly called for quarter, and struck.

After threatening the French captain to sink his vessel if he attempted to make sail, Lieutenant Walker, who could have ill spared any hands to take possession, stood after the nearest of the two other privateers, and, by a well-directed broadside between wind and water, sent the second privateer to the bottom ; nor, circumstanced as he was, and knowing the unprincipled character of these sea-banditti, could that officer be blamed for not staying to pick up the drowning crew. The Rose left them to their fate, and, finding the third privateer making off to windward, stood towards, and with great difficulty secured the one that had struck to her.