1808	Boats of Falcon at Endelau &c.	33

acting commander Lieutenant John Price, being off the island of Endelau, discovered nine large boats on the beach. Observing some troops near them, Lieutenant Price detached three boats, and succeeded in burning and destroying eight of the Danish boats, the soldiers on the island making a poor attempt to defend them. At the island of Thunoe six other small-craft were destroyed by the Falcon's boats without any resistance. On the 3d of May a large man-of-war schooner attempted to escape from Arbures ; but, after a long and circuitous chase by the Falcon, she was forced back into her port, where lay three other armed vessels.

Learning from a market-boat he had taken, that the entrance of the harbour of Kyeholm on the island of Samsoe was being strongly fortified ; that 50 pieces of heavy cannon had already been mounted on the batteries, and that vessels were expected from Callundborg with mortars for the same purpose, Lieutenant Price detached the boats of the Falcon in-shore every night, in the hope to intercept them. On the 7th the boats, which were under the command of Mr. James Ellerton, the master of the Falcon, discovered the two vessels they were seeking at anchor close under the batteries of Lundholm. The vessels were boarded and carried in an instant, under a heavy but ill-directed fire of great guns and musketry. One of the boats, which contained 13-inch mortar with all its equipment, and 400 shells, grounded in the way out ; and, as she lay within range of the batteries, Mr. Ellerton found it necessary to destroy her. The other vessel, similarly laden, was brought safe out ; and the whole service was performed with so trifling a loss to the British as one seaman slightly wounded with a musket-ball in the arm. One Dane, who being the artillery officer placed in charge of the mortars and mortar stores, felt it incumbent upon him to persevere in resisting after all resistance was vain, was unfortunately killed.

On the 24th of May, at noon, the British hired cutter Swan, of ten 12-pounder carronades, and 40 men and boys, Lieutenant Mark Robinson Lucas, being off the island of Bornholm, on her way to Rear-admiral Sir Samuel Hood with despatches from the commander-in-chief, observed a cutter-rigged vessel standing from the land towards her. The Swan immediately hove to and hoisted a Dutch jack for a pilot. This decoyed the strange cutter so far from the shore, that, at 2 p.m., the Swan found herself in a situation to chase with a prospect of overtaking the vessel before she could get back.

At 4 p.m. the Swan got within gun-shot ; when the strange cutter opened her fire. The battery of Bornholm also commenced firing at the Swan, then about a mile from the beach. Attempting now to get a long gun in her stern to bear upon her pursuer, the strange cutter was caught in the wind. This accident enabled the Swan to get within musket-shot ; and, after an action.

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