1808	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	38

Accordingly the boats of the Alceste pushed off, under Lieutenant Stewart, accompanied by Lieutenant Philip Pipon, Lieutenant of Marines Richard Hawkey, master's mates James Arscott and Thomas Day, midshipmen J. Stevens Parker, James Adair, Charles Croker, Abraham M'Caul, and Thomas Henry M'Lean ; and the boats of the Mercury, under Lieutenant Watkin Owen Pell, * accompanied by Lieutenant Robert James Gordon, Lieutenant of Marines James Whylock, master's mates Charles Du Cane and Maurice Keating Comyn, quickly followed. Dashing in among the convoy, the two divisions of boats, led by Lieutenant Stewart, soon boarded and brought out seven tartans, from under the very muzzles of the enemy's guns and from under the protection of the barges and pinnaces of the Franco-Spanish squadron of seven sail of the line ; which barges and pinnaces had also by that time effected their junction with the gun-boats.

Exclusive of the seven tartans captured, two of the gun-boats were destroyed, and several compelled to run on shore, by the fire from the two British frigates and brig, which did not entirely cease until 6 h. 30 m. p.m. All this was effected with so slight a loss to the British, as one man mortally and two slightly wounded on board the Grasshopper. The damages of the latter, however, were extremely severe, as well in hull, as in masts, rigging, and sails. With the exception of an anchor shot away from the Mercury, the damages of the two frigates were confined to their sails and ridging, and that not to any material extent.

In the month of April, while the British 12-pounder 36-gun frigate Nymphe, Captain Conway Shipley, and 18-gun ship-sloop Blossom, Captain George Pigot, were cruising off the port of Lisbon, information was received, that a large. brig-corvette, the Garotta, of 20 guns and 150 men, late belonging to the Portuguese navy, but since fitted out by the French, was lying at anchor in a bight above Belem castle, waiting for an opportunity to escape to sea. Having rowed up the Tagus at night in his gig, and reconnoitred the position of the brig, Captain Shipley resolved to attempt cutting her out. For this purpose the boats of both ships were detached, and upon a principle highly honourable to him, were placed by Captain Shipley under the command of Captain Pigot ; the former merely accompanying the expedition to point out the situation of the vessel. Owing to some cause with which we are unacquainted, the boats returned without effecting their object, or even, we believe, getting within gun-shot of the French brig. A second attempt ended much in the same way.

Captain Shipley now resolved to head the boats himself ; and accordingly, on the 23d, at 9 p.m., eight boats, containing about

* In mentioning the wound of this officer when a midshipman of the Loire in February 1800 (see vol., iii., p. 31), we should have stated that he lost his left leg, and was then under 12 years of age.

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