1809 - Rear-admirals Martin and Baudin

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1809 British and French Fleets 144

Having thus, by his energy and perseverance, caused the entire loss to France of a new 80 and a fine 74 gun ship, and having left in jeopardy a new 74 and a fine large frigate, Rear-admiral Martin, with his six sail of the line, stood away to the southward ; and on the 30th, in the morning, rejoined Lord Collingwood, then, with 10 sail of the line (the Conqueror having recently joined), cruising off Cape San-Sebastian. Lord Collingwood soon ascertained that the five ships of war, the failure of whose mission we have just done recording, were the whole that had sailed out of Toulon, the blockade of which port his lordship resumed. It appears, however, that both the Borée, and Pauline afterwards managed to get into the road from their insecure anchorage at Cette.

After the capture of the five vessels of M. Baudin's convoy by the British frigate Pomone, the remainder, consisting of seven merchant vessels, in charge of the armed store-ship Lamproie, of 16 long 8-pounders and 116 men, commanded by Lieutenant de vaisseau Jacques-Marie Bertaud-la-Bretèche, two armed bombards, the Victoire and Grondeur, and the armed xebec Normande, put into the bay of Rosas, and anchored under the protection of the castle of that name, of Fort-Trinidad, and of other strong batteries in the neighbourhood. Resolving to attempt the capture or destruction of these vessels, Lord Collingwood detached Captain Hallowell, with the Tigre, Cumberland, and Volontaire, also the frigates Apollo and Topaze, Captains Bridges Watkinson Taylor, and Henry Hope, and brig-sloops Philomel, Scout, and Tuscan, Captains George Crawley, William Raitt, and John Wilson.

On the evening of the 31st of October, after dark, the squadron bore up, with a fresh south-east wind, for the bay of Rosas ; and soon afterwards the five ships came to an anchor about five miles from the town of Rosas ; but the brigs, as had been ordered, remained under way. The boats of the squadron were then armed and manned ; and, owing to the care that, in this instance, had been taken to insert the names of the officers in the London Gazette, we are enabled also to give them.

Boats of the Tigre: Lieutenants John Tailour, Augustus Wm. Jas. Clifford, Edward Boxer, William Waterface, William Hamilton, and John Brulton ; master's mates James Caldwell and Joshua Kynson; midshipmen Day Richard Syer, Honourable Robert Churchill Spencer, Henry Fawcett, George Francis Bridges, George Sandys, James Athill, Honourable George James Percival, James Montage, and Frederick Noel; and assistant surgeon Alexander Hosack. Cumberland: Lieutenant John Murray, Richard Stuart and William Bradley, Captain of marines Edward Bailie, master's mate John Webster, and midshipmen Charles Robert Milbourne, Henry Wise, William Hollinshed Brady, and Annesley Blackmore. Apollo: Lieutenants James Begbie, Robert Cutts Burton, and John Forster ;

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