1810 - Queen Charlotte and Indomptable

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1810 Queen Charlotte and Indomptable 233

reconnoitre them ; when, late in the night, they opened a fire upon him, and proved to be three Danish gun-vessels ; two of them, the Bolder and Thor, commanded by Lieutenants Dahlreup and Rasmusen, schooner-rigged, and mounting each two long 24-pounders and six 6-pounder howitzers with a crew of 45 men. The third gun-vessel was of a smaller class, and carried one long 24-pounder with 25 men.

On the morning of the 23d Captain Byron detached upon the service of capturing or destroying these gun-vessels, the launch, barge, and two cutters of the Belvidera, also, the launch, pinnace, and yawl of the Nemesis : the four first boats under the orders of Lieutenants Samuel Nisbett, and William Henry Bruce, and Lieutenant of marines James Campbell ; and the three last, of Lieutenants Thomas Hodgskins and Marmaduke Smith. The Danes opened a heavy fire upon the boats as they advanced, and received in return a fire from the carronades in the bows of the launches. In a very short time the two gun-schooners hauled down their colours and were taken possession of without the slightest loss, but the Danes on board of them had four men killed. The remaining gun-boat ran up a creek, and was there abandoned by her crew and burnt by the British.

On the 29th of August, at 3 p.m., the island of Alderney bearing south-south-west three or four leagues, the British hired armed cutter Queen-Charlotte, of 76 tons, eight 4-pounders, and 27 men and boys, commanded by Mr. Joseph Thomas, a master in the royal navy, while proceeding towards the blockading squadron off Cherbourg, observed a large cutter, with an English white ensign and pendant, approaching from under the land in the south-east. At 3 h. 30 m. p.m. the stranger, whose true character had been suspected and caused suitable preparations to be made on board the Queen-Charlotte, came lose close to the latter, luffed up, and, when in the act of changing her colours to French, received a well-directed broadside. The French cutter immediately sheered off, as if not expecting such a salute, but soon returned to the combat. A close action was now maintained, nearly the whole time within pistol shot, until 5 p.m. when the French vessel ceased firing and hauled to the north-east leaving the Queen-Charlotte in no condition to follow, she having had her boatswain killed and 14 men wounded, including one mortally and several badly.

The French cutter was the late British revenue-cutter Swan, lengthened so as to measure 200 tons, and mounting 16 long 6-pounders, with a crew, as afterwards found on board of her, of 120 men. To have beaten off an antagonist so greatly superior in force, was a truly meritorious act on the part of Mr. Thomas and his brave associates. The Queen-Charlotte, with more than half her crew in a wounded state, and with her rigging and sails very much cut, was obliged to put into St.-Aubin's bay. Among the badly wounded was a passenger, Mr. P. A. Mulgrave employed

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