1798 - Recovery and Revanche, Victorieuse and French privateer


 
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Naval History of Great Britain - Vol II
1798 Light Squadrons and Single Ships 204

frigate would have remained where she had struck, instead of sailing again on a cruise as the Charente subsequently did. The Canada remained on the sand-bank about two hours and a half : when, having started 20 tons of water and being favoured by the rise of the tide, the ship floated off ; making 14 inches of water per hour.

Great credit was undoubtedly due to Captain Bruilhac, for his persevering and, as we have seen, successful efforts to save his ship from capture by a force so superior ; and we are a little surprised that no account of the escape of the Charente should have found its way into any French naval work, especially as the French minister of marine made a public boast of the Charente's performance.

On the 17th of April, the British king's schooner Recovery, of ten 3-pounders, and from 40 to 50 men and boys, commanded by Lieutenant William Ross, being on a cruise in the West Indies, fell in with the French privateer-schooner Revanche, of 10, believed to have been 4 pounders, and 54 men, commanded by Citizen Antoine Martin. The latter hove to for the Recovery, who was to windward, and reserved her fire until she got within pistol-shot. At the end of a 45 minutes' mutual cannonade, the Revanche, having had all her sails but the standing jib cut to pieces, attempted to escape by the aid of her sweeps ; but the Recovery, having her sails perfect, easily kept way with her antagonist, and at length compelled the Revanche to surrender.

The French privateer had three men killed and nine wounded, four of them dangerously. The Recovery did not have a man hurt, and suffered no greater damage than one gun dismounted and a few small shot in her masts. Lieutenant Ross describes his crew as consisting chiefly of young and inexperienced boys and lads, and yet declares that their conduct would have done honour to the most experienced seamen.

On the 7th of May, as the British 14-gun brig-sloop Victorieuse, Captain Edward Stirling Dickson, was passing to leeward of Guadeloupe, having in charge the trade from Trinidad to St.-Kitts, two French privateers, a schooner of 12 guns and 80 men, and a sloop of six guns and 50 men, bore down for the purpose of carrying the brig by boarding. The Victorieuse soon compelled the sloop, which was the Brutus, Captain Rousel, to strike her colours ; with a loss of four killed, and four wounded. Owing to Captain Dickson's not being able to chase far from his convoy, the schooner effected her escape ; but evidently with considerable damage, and no doubt a proportionate loss. The Victorieuse sustained no loss whatever.

We do not know the calibers of the guns of these privateers, but, taking the number of men on board each as a guide, we should consider that the guns were 4, or, at most, 6 pounders. With respect to the Victorieuse, she was an anomaly as a 14-gun brig. Her establishment of guns and men, as ordered for her on

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