1809	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	166

The Furieuse was pursued by the Cherub, and effected her escape ; but the Félicité, found all her efforts unavailing to get from the Latona; who, on the 18th, overtook and captured her with little or no opposition. The Félicité, had belonged to the French 36-gun class, and measured about 900 tons ; but, being old and nearly worn out, she was not considered eligible for the British navy. An agent from Christophe at St.-Domingo purchased her, and, after being refitted, the Félicité, sailed for Cape François.

On the 5th of July, at 3 p.m., in latitude 43° 41' north, and longitude 34° west, the British ship-sloop Bonne-Citoyenne, of 18 carronades, 32-pounders, and two long nines, with a crew, including a few supernumeraries, of 127 men and boys, commanded by Captain William Mounsey, being on her way from Halifax, Nova-Scotia, to Quebec, steering north-west by west with the wind at south, descried, in the west-south-west, a large frigate, in the act of taking possession of an English merchant ship. The Bonne-Citoyenne went immediately in chase of the ship of war, which was no other than the Furieuse, so far advanced on her way to Europe. On the sloop's approach, the Furieuse abandoned the merchant ship, and steered, under a press of sail, to the northward, followed by Captain Mounsey ; who, from the French ship's inability to answer the private signal, had already discovered her to be an enemy. At sunset the two ships of war were about five miles apart, striving their utmost to get forward. During the night the Bonne-Citoyenne lost sight of the Furieuse, but, at 3 a.m. on the 6th, again descried her, at a great distance on the larboard quarter. The Bonne-Citoyenne immediately hauled up on that tack, with the wind now a point or two more easterly than it had been ; and, by 4 a.m., got within nine or 10 miles of the object of her pursuit.

At 9 h. 10 m. a.m. the Furieuse shortened sail, and hauled close upon a wind ; as immediately afterwards did the Bonne-Citoyenne, in eager pursuit. In another 10 minutes the French ship hove to ; and in five minutes more the British ship got alongside and commenced the action, within pistol-shot distance. A smart cannonade was now mutually kept up ; during which the Furieuse fired away more than 70 broadsides, and the Bonne-Citoyenne 129 ; the latter, alternately from the larboard and the starboard side, as she changed her position to avoid the necessity of slackening her fire from the carronades becoming overheated. This was, however, the case with three, which were dismounted and rendered useless early in the action. After the combat had lasted, in this way, for six hours and 50 minutes, and each ship had become greatly crippled in her masts and rigging ; and after the Bonne-Citoyenne, in particular, had expended nearly the whole of her powder, Captain Mounsey gallantly took a position close athwart the bows of his antagonist, preparatory to boarding

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