| Naval history of Great Britain - Vol. IV
by
William James |
1807 |
Light Squadrons and Single Ships |
324 |
Charles A. Trusson and George Augustus Edward Sandwith, and covered by the Hirondelle, to cut out the vessel. In this service the boats fully succeeded, but with the loss of Lieutenant Watson and four men killed, and nine wounded. The ship had formerly been a French corvette of 18 guns, 10 of which she at this time mounted.
On the 15th of March the British 22-gun ship Comus, Captain Conway Shipley, cruising off the island of Grand Canaria, sent her boats, under the orders of Lieutenants George Edward Watts and Hood Knight, assisted by Lieutenant of marines George Campbell, to cut out some vessels in the harbour of Puerta de Haz. In this the party completely succeeded, without incurring any greater loss than one person (Lieutenant Campbell) wounded, although the vessels, which consisted of six merchant brigs, were moored near to, and defended by the cross fire of, three batteries.
On the 8th of May Captain Shipley again sent his boats, three in number, into Grand Canaria, commanded as before by Lieutenants Watts and Hood, to whom master's mate Jeaffreson Miles was this time added. The object of attack was a large armed felucca, lying under the protection of a strong fort and two batteries. Notwithstanding the fire from these, as well as of musketry from between 30 and 40 soldiers sent to assist in her defence, Lieutenant Watts, in his single boat, most gallantly boarded the felucca, and nearly cleared her decks before the two remaining boats from bad pulling were enabled to get up. On their arrival the vessel was quickly carried.
The cables of the vessel, which proved to be a Spanish packet from Cadiz to Buenos-Ayres, were now cut ; and, as the enemy had used the precaution to carry her sails and rudder on shore, the boats began taking her in tow. Just at that moment a hawser, fast under water astern, was manned in the fort, and, before it could be cut, the vessel was dragged nearly under the muzzles of the guns. ;An exceedingly heavy fire then commenced, and was continued from all the batteries until the vessel got out of sight. This very gallant enterprise was performed with the comparatively trifling loss of one man killed and five wounded, including Lieutenant Watts himself severely in several places, but not dangerously. Of the Spanish troops, 21 were made prisoners, including 18 wounded : the remainder, except a few who swam on shore, were killed. For his gallantry on this occasion, Lieutenant Watts was soon afterwards promoted to the rank of commander.
Between England and the United States of America, a spirit of animosity, caused chiefly by the impressment of British seamen, or of seamen asserted to be such, from on board of American merchant vessels, had long unhappily subsisted. It is, we believe an acknowledged maxim of public law, as well that no nation, but the one he belongs to, can release a subject from his
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