1809	Boats of Spartan, &c. off Pizaro	169

sloop, Mr. John Black and Mr. Angus M'Auley, who in the handsomest manner volunteered their services, and assisted at the guns, and wherever they could make themselves useful.

Steel's monthly Navy-list, until some correspondent caused the mistake to be partially corrected, made the Furieuse of 50 guns ; " which exceeds, by two, the number Captain Mounsey states the ship to have been pierced for, by six, the number she could have mounted without filling her chase-ports, and, by as many as 30, the number she did actually mount when captured. The French were very sore at this exaggeration of the force of their frigate, but laid the blame in the wrong quarter. A publisher is seldom very scrupulous on these points ; but, a British officer, although liable to be charged with every printed mistatement magnifying his own action, is too honourable to countenance such barefaced cheatery.

On the 17th of May, at noon, latitude 44� 6' north, longitude 11� 20' west, the British 10-gun brig-sloop Goldfinch (eight l8-pounder carronades and two sixes, with 75 men and boys), Captain Fitzherbert George Skinner, standing close hauled on the larboard tack with the wind from the north-east by north discovered and chased a ship directly to windward. This ship was the French corvette Mouche, of 16 long brass 8-pounders and 180 men and boys, commanded by Lieutenant de vaisseau Antoine Allègre ; and, although of so decided a superiority of force, M. Allègre suffered himself to be chased all the afternoon and night, and until 3 a.m. on the 18th, when the Goldfinch gallantly brought the Mouche to action. The two vessels continued to engage on opposite tacks, but at too great a distance for the brig's carronades to produce their proper effect, until 7 a.m.; when the corvette, with the head of her fore topmast shot away, made off to windward, leaving the Goldfinch with the loss of three men killed and three severely wounded, and her masts, rigging, and sails a good deal cut up.

On the 21st, off the north coast of Spain, the Mouche fell in with the British hired armed lugger Black-Joke, Lieutenant Moses Cannadey, and, after exchanging broadsides with her, stood away for the harbour of San-Andero. Here the Mouche, with a French gun-brig and schooner, was found and captured, on the 10th of June, by the British 38-gun frigates Amelia, Captain the honourable Frederick Paul Irby, and Statira, Captain Charles Worsley Boys ; who had arrived off that port to co-operate with the Spanish patriots under General Ballesteros in expelling the French from their territory.

On the 23d of April, while the British 38-gun frigate Spartan, Captain Jahleel Brenton, 18-pounder 32-gun frigate Amphion, Captain William Hoste, and 28-gun frigate Mercury, Captain the Honourable Henry Duncan, were cruising off the town of Pesaro, in the gulf of Venice, a number of vessels were observed to be lying in the mole. Deeming it practicable to take possession

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