Having hoisted in her boats, the Galatea, who had dropped to leeward during the night, made sail and beat up, to reconnoitre more fully the position of the Lilly. On nearing the road, the Galatea discovered the French privateer schooner lying close to the ship ; and, as a proof that there were batteries to protect both ship and schooner, the frigate was repeatedly fired at with shot and shells, some of the latter bursting at no great distance. The Galatea continued turning to windward until about 10 P.M., by which time she had nearly weathered the Saintes. Having hove to, the frigate hoisted out four boats, embarked in them about 90 officers and men, armed the launch with an 18-pounder carronade, and then towed the boats within three miles north-west of the citadel. Casting themselves off, the four boats, under the command of Lieutenant Charles Hayman, first of the Galatea, assisted by several other officers, including Lieutenant Robert Hall, of the marines, and Mr. Michael Birbeck, the master, pulled towards the harbour, hoping, under cover of the night, to surprise the object of their attack.

To prevent the possibility of such an occurrence, the Lilly, or rather, the Général-Ernouf, for that was the ship's new name, had, just as it grew dark, sent one of her boats to row guard at the entrance of the road. By this, the ship, the schooner, the forts, and the town, became fully apprized of the approach of the British ; who, finding no shot fired at them from the batteries, no signals of alarm made along the coast, naturally concluded that they were unseen. Eager to be the first at the post of danger, Lieutenant Hayman in the barge pushed ahead of his comrades, and, at a few minutes past 1 A.M. on the 14th, got nearly alongside of the Lilly. Then it was that the fire began. Heedless of it all, the barge, followed by the other boats, was soon in contact with the ship. A dreadful struggle ensued. Lieutenant Hayman fell, mortally wounded both by musketry and the bayonet ; and, out of 26 or 27 officers and men in the barge, three only, it appears, were left free from dangerous wounds. The three remaining boats tried in vain to overcome the numerous and still increasing force opposed to them. After sustaining nearly an hour's fire from great guns and musketry, they were compelled to turn their bows to the offing, leaving the barge to her fate. But the British were only quitting one set of foes to get within the clutches of another. The batteries now opened their fire, and a dreadful fire it was. The cannonade continued, gradually slackening as the boats receded from the shore, until 3 h. 30 m. a.m., when it entirely ceased.

Just as the day dawned, the miserable remnant of the expedition reached the frigate. Out of about 90 officers and men, who had quitted the Galatea on the preceding night, not more than 20 returned in an unwounded state. Among the

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