Ambuscade captured a brig and a chasse-marée, and placed in charge of the former her second lieutenant and a party of her best men, receiving on board, from the two vessels, about 30 French prisoners. At this time her third lieutenant, Joseph Briggs, was confined to his cabin with a dangerous illness, and, of her complement of 212, including a large proportion of boys, no more than 190 remained.

Thus circumstanced, the Ambuscade, on the 14th, at 7 a.m., while lying to off the port of Bordeaux, in momentary expectation of being joined by the 32-gun frigate Stag, Captain Joseph Sydney Yorke, discovered a sail coming down from the seaward. None seemed to doubt that this was the Stag ; and, as the ship approached end-on, no opportunity was afforded of judging from the appearance of her hull. Accordingly, at the usual hour, the officers and men went unconcerned to breakfast. At a little before 9 a.m. the stranger had approached nearly within gun-shot ; when, suddenly, she hauled close to the wind, and made all sail to get away. The mistake was now discovered : the hands were turned up ; and, in a little while, the Ambuscade was under a press of sail in chase. In order to quicken her progress to windward, the hammocks were piped down. After this the Ambuscade gained upon the chase; and at length, between 11 and 12 in the forenoon, got near enough to fire a shot. This was immediately returned by the stranger, whom we may now introduce as the French 28-gun frigate, or, in the old nomenclature, when the quarterdecks of this class were not armed, "` 24-gun corvette," Baïonnaise, mounting 24 long French eights upon the main deck, and six long sixes, with two brass 36-pounder carronades, upon the quarterdeck, total 32 carriage-guns, besides eight large swivels mounted upon her barricade. The Baïonnaise was commanded by Lieutenant de vaisseau Jean-Baptiste-Edmond Richer, and had on board, including an officer and 30 troops which she had brought from Cayenne, a crew of at least 250 men and boys. Indeed, according to the "rôle d'équipage," found on board this same ship when destroyed by a British ship of war at a subsequent day, her established crew alone amounted to 280.

Each ship, as soon as she had fired a shot in the manner related, hoisted her colours. Soon afterwards the Baïonnaise shortened sail, and the action commenced. After it had continued about an hour, to the evident disadvantage of the French ship, one of the Ambuscade's maindeck 12-pounders, abreast of the gangway, burst. By this unfortunate accident the gangway was knocked to pieces, the boats on the boom stove, the lower-sill of the port blown away even with the deck, and 11 men badly wounded. An accident of the kind never fails to damp the ardour of the bravest and best disciplined ship's company: what then must have been its effect upon a set of men so

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