Shepperdson), one master's mate (Thomas Mullins), and 34 seamen and marines wounded, and one midshipman (Thomas Blackstone) and 19 seamen and marines prisoners ; total, nine killed and 39 wounded. The 20 prisoners, with the deceased lieutenant, had belonged to the Revenge's boat ; which was struck by a large shot, and would have sunk but for the proximity of the shore. The survivors, on landing, were of course made prisoners. The César is represented to have lost, exclusive of her brave commander, 13 of her crew killed or wounded. With a proper appreciation of lieutenant Sibly's gallantry and wounds, the rank of commander was conferred upon him soon after his return to port.

On the 28th of March, early in the morning, a French squadron composed of the two 40-gun frigates Revanche, Commodore Amand Leduc, and Guerrière, Captain Paul-Mathieu Hubert, 36-gun frigate Syrène, Captain Alexandre Lambert, and 16-gun brig corvette Néarque, sailed from Lorient, on a cruise off the coast of Iceland, Greenland, and Spitzbergen, for the purpose of destroying British and Russian whale-ships ; a service intrusted to M. Leduc, because, having himself been a Dunkerque whaler, he was considered to be well acquainted, both with the navigation of the Arctic sea and with the haunts of those who usually resorted thither.

Scarcely had the French commodore got well to sea, ere a fine chance was afforded him of returning to port with a valuable prize. At about 1 P.M. the British 38-gun frigate Niobe, Captain John Wentworth Loring, cruising between the Glénans and the isle of Groix, discovered, and, hoping to cut off one of them, chased M. Leduc's three frigates and brig. The latter, however, far front evincing any intention to molest the Niobe, continued their course to the southward, under all sail. The British frigate gained in the pursuit. At 9 P.M. the Néarque, who was at some distance astern of her companions, seeing her danger, fired a gun, let off several rockets, and hoisted five lights, one over the other, in the hope to induce the commodore to put about and save her. But the voyage to Greenland presented, in the eyes of M. Leduc, fewer dangers, perhaps, than an action between one English and three French frigates. At 10 P.M. the Niobe got alongside the Néarque, and, after firing a volley of small arms into her, which fortunately injured no one, carried her off as a prize. The French brig mounted 16 gun, with a crew of 97 men, and was victualled for five months.

The winter being unusually long, M. Leduc, as a proof that be need not have been in such haste to run from the Niobe, found himself stopped by the ice : he, in consequence, bent his course to a temperate latitude, and, after cruising some weeks the Azores and Cape Clear, stood again to the northward. On 21st of May the squadron made the south-east point of Iceland and, standing on to the northward, met with the ice on

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