1808	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	54

the ship's colours ; but, no sooner had the lieutenant arrived near the frigate's stern, than the French crew opened upon the boat a heavy fire of round, grape, and musketry. The Amphion instantly threw out the signal of recall, and the jollyboat put back. Regardless of the shower of shot pouring around him, Lieutenant Bennett stood up in the stern-sheets ; and he and his few hands gave the French three hearty cheers. At 2 h. 20 m. p.m., finding that nothing further could be done, and the wind beginning to fall, whereby she might have a difficulty in getting beyond the reach of the batteries, the Amphion cut her cables and springs and made sail out of the bay.

In this spirited little affair, the Amphion received no material, damage, and had only one man killed and a few wounded. The loss on board, or the eventual fate, of the French ship, we have no means of showing, Her loss must, however, have been serious, to induce her to take the step she did ; and that the Baleine had run herself on shore with some effect is clear, because, at 5 p.m., she struck yards and topmasts, and on the third day after the action lay fast aground. It is a little singular that the Amphion, had been sent by Lord Collingwood to endeavour to capture this very ship at her anchorage at Majorca ; but, under an idea that she was a French frigate of the largest class, Captain Hoste had been directed to take under his orders the 28-gun frigate Hind, Captain Francis William Fane, supposed to be cruising off the Spanish coast.

On the 23d of June, while the British 22-gun ship Porcupine, Captain the Honourable Henry Duncan, was cruising off Civita-Vecchia, a vessel under French colours came out of the port, and endeavoured, by crossing the Porcupine, to get to the westward ; but, failing in the attempt, and finding no means of escape left, the vessel ran herself on shore under two towers mounting two guns each. Captain Duncan immediately detached the boats of the Porcupine under Lieutenant George Price, who effectually destroyed the vessel, without sustaining any loss, although under a very heavy fire.

On the 9th of July, at daybreak, as the Porcupine lay becalmed off Monte-Circello on the coast of Romania, two French gun-boats, with a merchant vessel under convoy, were observed going alongshore to the westward. The boats of the Porcupine, under the orders of Lieutenant Price, assisted by second Lieutenant Francis Smith, Lieutenant of marines James, Renwick, midshipmen Barry John Featherstone, Charles Adam, and John O'Brien Butler, and captain's clerk George Anderson, were immediately despatched in pursuit of the gun-vessels.

After a pull of eight hours in a hot sun, Lieutenant Price and, his party drove the merchant vessel on shore, and compelled the two gun-boats, each of which was armed with one long 24-pounder and 30 men, to take shelter under the batteries of Port-Dango. At this moment, three suspicious vessels being,

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