1810	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	252

Lieutenants of marines Thomas Moore of the Amphion, and Jeremiah Brattle of the Cerberus; also by master's mate Charles H. Ross, and midshipmen Joseph Gape, Thomas Edward Hoste, Charles Bruce, and Cornwallis Paley, schoolmaster James Leonard Few, and volunteer Samuel Jeffery, of the Amphion ; and, belonging to the Cerberus, the gunner, John Johnson, and midshipmen John Miller, George Farrenden, Joseph Stoney, George Fowler, William Sherwood, Charles Mackey, and Lewis Rollier, pushed off, and before daylight on the morning of the 29th landed, without the firing of a musket, a little to the right of the town.

Advancing immediately to the attack of the town, above which the vessels lay moored, the British were met, about the dawn of day, by a body of troops and peasantry ; who opened a very destructive fire, and obliged the former to retire to the shelter of some hillocks. Conceiving that their opponents were retreating to their boats, the French quitted their advantageous position, and charged with the bayonet. They were received with the bravery and steadiness so characteristic of British seamen and marines, and a lieutenant, a sergeant, and 38 privates of the 81st regiment of French infantry were made prisoners. Lieutenant Slaughter and his party now entered the town, and took possession of the vessels, 25 in number. At about 11 a.m. a detachment of the 5th regiment of French infantry, consisting of a lieutenant and 22 men, entered Groa from Maran, a village in the interior.

They were instantly attacked by the force that was nearest to them, consisting of a division of seamen and marines under Lieutenants Slaughter, Moore, and James Mears of the Active, whose boats had landed just as the men of the Amphion and Cerberus had achieved their exploit. The same intrepidity, which had ensured success on that occasion, produced it on this ; and the 22 French troops, with their officer, laid down their arms and surrendered. Every exertion was now made to get the convoy out of the river ; but, it being almost low water, that object could not be effected before 7 p.m. ; and then not without great labour and fatigue, the men having to shift the cargoes of the large vessels into smaller ones, in order to float the former over the bar. By 8 p.m., however, the whole detachment and the prizes reached the squadron, which had anchored about four miles from the town.

The loss on the part of the British, in performing this very gallant service, amounted to four marines killed, one lieutenant of marines (Brattle), three seamen, and four marines wounded ; and the loss sustained by the French amounted to 10 killed, eight by bayonet wounds, a proof of the nature of the conflict, and eight wounded. Of the captured vessels, 11 were burnt. in the river, because too large to pass the bar in the state of the

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