Desauney. The San-Fiorenzo and Nymphe immediately tacked and hauled close to the wind, until, having gained the weathergage, they bore down for the two strangers, who had by this time hoisted French colours, and the headmost of whom now fired at the British ships. The distance from Pointe Saint-Mathieu being less than three leagues, the French fleet of 14 sail of the line and six frigates in sight from the tops, and the wind a leading one out of Brest, that which was likely to be the most decisive, was deemed the best, mode of attack.

Accordingly, the two British frigates stood for, and, at the distance of about 40 yards, soon engaged, the headmost ship, the Résistance ; which, after a slight defence, struck her colours. By the time this ship was taken possession of, the other had arrived up, and, being attacked by both British frigates as warmly as her consort had been, in 10 minutes surrendered also. The action, which was a running fight, did not last longer than half an hour ; but it is due to Captain Desauney to state, that, although commanding by far the weaker ship, he made a much more creditable defence than his commodore : the Constance, indeed, soon after being taken possession of, lost her mainmast and fore topmast, owing to the fire she had withstood. Just at the close of the action, the British 74-gun ship Robust, Captain George Countess, and 28-gun frigate Triton, Captain John Gore, hove in sight ; a circumstance that, doubtless, had its effect in facilitating the capture.

Neither of the British ships suffered the slightest damage or loss. The Résistance, on the other hand, had 10 men killed, her first lieutenant and eight men wounded ; the Constance, eight men killed and six wounded : total, 18 killed and 15 wounded:

There is little doubt that, had the odds in this case been reversed, the British would have made an honourable, if not a successful defence. Taking into the account, however, that a British 74 and frigate were present at the close, and must have been in sight during the continuance of the action, all that can be said is, that the British gained, without the occurrence on their part of a single casualty, two remarkably fine ships. The Résistance mounted 48 guns, or four more long 8s than No. 5 in the table at p. 54 of vol. i., (but not, as a contemporary states, "24-pounders on the main deck," *) and measured 1182 tons. The Vengeance was her sister-ship. The larger prize, under the name, in allusion to the spot at which the Résistance and her consorts had disembarked their convict freight, of Fisgard, continued for a long while at the head of the 38-gun frigate class, and the smaller one retained her French name as a 22-gun post-ship.

On the 13th of March the British 14-gun cutter Viper,

* Brenton, Vol i., p, 408

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