1810	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	312

distressed situation, feeling the firmest conviction that every energy and exertion was called forth, under the influence of the strongest impression I had discharged my duty and upheld the honour of his majesty's arms, feeling it a duty I owed to the officers and crew, who had nobly displayed that bravery which is so truly their characteristic, when I had lost all hopes of saving his majesty's ship, to prevent a useless effusion of blood, I was under the painful necessity of directing a light to be shown to the second ship that we had struck."

The following is an extract from the log of the Ceylon, authenticated in the customary manner: " At 4, enemy having dropped to leeward two cables' lengths, his fire nearly done, saw his consort coming down under all sail. The ship at this period being entirely unmanageable, on the second ship crossing our bow, apparently to rake us, to prevent a further and unnecessary effusion of blood, struck our colours to enemy about � past 4. At 5, 10, a lieutenant and party of men came on board from the sloop of war Victor, of 18 guns." According, therefore, to the concurrent testimony of the French captain's account and the British ship's log, but in opposition to the British captain's public letter, the Ceylon struck to the Victor without being fired at by her. We must, however, in justice to Captain Gordon remark, that the expression, enabled him to take and keep his raking position, and pour in a heavy and destructive fire," appears to refer to Vénus, and the previous expression, " having opened her fire," to the Victor. A little more pains, in framing his letter, would have prevented this obscurity. With respect to the exact time of surrender, that is of little consequence ; but the " showing of a light " proves that day had not quite broken and consequenty that it could not well have been after " 5 a.m."

Next to the loss of his frigate, the greatest misfortune that has befallen Captain Gordon, is the zeal with which a brother officer of his, and a contemporary of ours, advocates his cause. " She (the Ceylon) mounted ," not 40 but, " 30 guns. " On the 17th of September, she arrived off Port-Louis, and discovered seven sail of French frigates, and a corvette, lying in the harbour. The British squadron not being in sight, Captain Gordon made all sail for the island of Bourbon, pursued by two of the frigates, one of which brought him to close action, which was maintained for an hour and ten minutes. About midnight the enemy hauled off and dropped astern, but renewed the action at two in the morning, accompanied by the second frigate, who was very soon reduced to a mere wreck by the gallant fire of the Ceylon ; and she fell astern with her mizen mast, and fore and main topmasts over the side. Unfortunately, the united fire of the two frigates shot away the topmasts of the Ceylon about the same time, and she became unmanageable. The action was still continued until five a.m. when one of the frigates with her

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