Lieutenant Daniel Burdwood, proceeded towards the spot. The wind being very light, and the current setting strong to the eastward, the squadron stood to the north-west until 3 p.m. ; keeping far enough from the land to avoid being seen, it being the commodore's intention to surprise the vessels with the boats under cover of the night.

Having stood in, so as to be close to the eastward of Jean-Rabel before the land wind came off, the frigates ran along to the westward until within two miles of the vessels ; when the boats of the squadron were sent in, with directions to row close alongshore until they discovered the objects of their attack, which, owing to the extreme darkness, were not then visible from the frigates. The latter, in the mean while, kept running under easy sail, about a mile from the shore, in order to draw off the enemy's attention from the boats.

At about 1 a.m. on the 21st, a fire of musketry announced that the action between the boats and the French vessels had commenced. At this time the British were in possession of many of the vessels, and had got one of them under way. The batteries now opened a fire upon the ships, which they occasionally returned. At 4 a.m. nine vessels, consisting of one ship, three brigs, three schooners, and two sloops, being all in the port except two small row-boats, were in possession of the British, and standing out to the squadron with the land breeze. This dashing and not unimportant service was performed without the loss of a man ; and we regret that Captain Pigot, by omitting them in his official letter, has prevented us from giving the names of the lieutenants and others who were present on the occasion.

On the 6th of April, in the night, the boats of the 32-gun frigate Magicienne, Captain William Henry Ricketts, and 44-gun ship (armed en flûte) Regulus, Captain William Carthew, placed under the orders of Lieutenants John Maples and Alexander M'Beath, first of their respective ships, assisted by Charles Cheshire and James Reid the masters of each, Philip Luscombe Perry, lieutenant of marines, Abraham Adams, purser, and John Jordain, surgeon, belonging to the Magicienne, and George Frazer, lieutenant of marines belonging to the Regulus, entered the harbour of Cape-Roxo, in the island of St.-Domingo, the grand receptacle for French privateers and their prizes.

Here the British boats captured, sank, and burnt 13 sail of square-rigged vessels and schooners, being the whole in the port, except one Danish ship. They also destroyed two batteries of two guns each, 6 and 4 pounders, at the entrance and head of the harbour. To add to the value of this gallant enterprise, it was performed without the loss of a man on the British side. We acknowledge ourselves indebted to Captain Ricketts for having subjoined to his official letter the surnames of the officers employed in this expedition, and should have been still more so, had the Christian names been added ; the omission of which,

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