1810	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	238

them dangerously. The Orestes suffered no damage of consequence, and had not a man of her crew hurt.

On the 8th of November, in the evening, as the British 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Quebec, Captain Charles Sibthorpe John Hawtayne, was running past the Vlie and Schelling, to resume her station before the Texel, a very fine French private schooner was observed at anchor within the Vlie stroom. Lieutenant Stephen Popham, first of the frigate, immediately volunteered his services to make an attempt upon the vessel. The Quebec now brought to just without the sands and in sight of the enemy : and three boats, the first commanded by lieutenant Popham, the second by lieutenant Richard Augustus Yates, and the third by master's mate John M'Donald, pushed off. There were also present in the boats, Gilbert Duncan the Captain's clerk, and Charles Ward " gentleman volunteer. " The schooner to be attacked was the Jeune-Louise, of 14 guns, (six 12, and eight 9-pounder carronades,) and 35 out of a complement of 60 men, commanded by " Captain Galien Lafont, capitaine vaisseau and a member of the legion of honour."

The three boats had to pull against a very strong tide, they found the schooner closely surrounded by sands and fully prepared for the attack. At 9 h. 30 m. p.m., when within pistol-shot of the Jeune-Louise, the three boats grounded on sand, and in that situation received three distinct broadside, cannon and musketry. Notwithstanding this, Lieutenant Popham and his party extricated themselves, and boarded and carried the vessel, the French captain falling in a personal conflict with Lieutenant Yates. The British loss on the occasion amounted to one seaman killed, one wounded, and one drowned: one of the boats also was destroyed. The French had one seaman, besides the captain, killed, and one wounded.

A difficult part of the enterprise was still unaccomplished, to get out the schooner from among the sands and shoals by which she was surrounded. This was at length effected ; and at daybreak on the 9th, after a long and anxious night passed captain Hawtayne and his officers, their fears were relieved by the sight of the schooner, with English colours over French, beating out of the enemy's harbour, through the intricate navigation of the passage. With respect to the alleged rank of the late captain of the Jeune-Louise, we think Lieutenant Popham must have been imposed upon by some of the prisoners ; for can find no such name as Galien Lafont, among the capitaines de vaisseau of the French navy : there was in 1810 a Mathias Lafond, " an officer of the legion of honour," but he was alive in 1812.

Some allusion has already been made to the immense works going on in the port of Cherbourg, by the orders of the Free emperor. The principal improvement consisted of a basin

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