1810 - Briseis and Sans-Souci, Calliope and Comtesse d'Hambourg, Orestes and Loup-Garou

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1810 Briseis and Sans-Souci 237

sea, fell in with the French privateer-schooner Sans-Souci, of Amsterdam, mounting ten 12-pounder carronades and four long 2-pounders, with a complement of 55 men, commanded by Jules Jacobs. After an anxious chase of eight hours, the Briseis succeeded in bringing the schooner to action, which the latter maintained, in the most determined manner, for one hour ; the two vessels touching each other the greater part of the time, and during which the privateer's men made three vain attempts to board the British brig. The Sans-Souci. then struck her colours, with the loss of eight men killed and 19 wounded ; and the Briseis sustained a loss of one master's mate (Alexander Gunn), her captain's clerk (James Davidson), and two seamen killed, and eight seamen and three marines badly wounded : a proof that the privateer was fought with skill as well as with resolution.

On the 25th of October, at 7 a.m., in latitude 54� 47' north, and longitude 2� 45' east, the British 10-gun brig-sloop Calliope (same force as Briseis), Captain John M'Kerlie, discovered a schooner in the south-east under easy sail standing towards her. As the vessel, evidently a privateer, appeared to take the Calliope for a merchant brig, Captain M'Kerlie thought it prudent not to set any additional sail until the stranger found out her mistake. At 8 h. 30 m. a.m., when about three miles off, the privateer made the discovery, and instantly bore up and crowded sail to escape.

The Calliope was quickly in chase, and at 10 h. 30 m. a.m. began an occasional fire from her bow-chasers. At 11 a.m. she got near enough to fire musketry ; but the Calliope could not bring her great guns to bear, as the schooner kept on her lee bow. At 11 h. 30 m. a.m. the brig got far enough advanced to open a fire of round and grape. At noon the schooner lost her mainmast by the board ; and, in a minute or two afterwards, having had the sails and rigging on the foremast cut to pieces, her captain hailed that he struck. The prize proved to be the Comtesse d'Hambourg of 14 guns, eight of them 12-pounder carronades, and six described as 8-pounders, with a crew of 51 men. Of these, doubtless, several must have been killed and wounded ; but the official account notices no other loss than that of the Calliope, which consisted of only three men wounded, two of them slightly.

On the 27th of October, at daylight, latitude 48� 30' north, longitude 8� 56' west, the British 16-gun brig-sloop Orestes, (14 carronades, 24-pounders, and two sixes, with 95 men and boys), captain John Richard Lapenotiere, fell in with, and after an hour's chase overtook, the French brig-privateer Loup-Garou, of 16 guns, (6-pounders probably), and 100 men and boys. After about half an hour's close action, the privateer hauled down her colours, with the loss of four men wounded, two of

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