1813	Achates and Trave	163

the thick weather obscuring the Weser from her view. Steering, during that day and night, a course deemed the most likely to rejoin the French frigate, the Scylla, at daylight on the morning of the 20th, fell in with the British 18-gun brig-sloop Royalist, Captain James John Gordon Brewer. The latter, volunteering the two brigs, with the wind from the south-west, bore away to seek and engage the enemy, then supposed to be in the east-north-east. At 9 h. 30 m. a.m. the Weser was discovered in the north-east, and chased ; latitude at noon 48� 28' north, longitude 6� 18' west. At 3 h. 30 m. p.m. the two brigs opened their fire, the Royalist stationing herself on the frigate's starboard bow, and the Scylla on her starboard quarter. At 5 p.m., being much cut up in their sails and rigging, and the Scylla having her mainmast shot through, and the Royalist five men badly wounded, the two brigs hauled off to repair their damages.

Since 1 h. 30 in. p.m. a sail had been observed to leeward. This was the British 74-gun ship Rippon, Captain Sir Christopher Cole, using her utmost efforts to take a part in the action. Captain Macdonald now detached Captain Brewer to reconnoitre the ship to leeward. The Royalist accordingly bore up and the Scylla continued following the French frigate. On the 21st, at a little before daylight, the Royalist spoke the Rippon, and again made all sail on a wind to close the Scylla and frigate. At 9 h. 30 m. a.m. the Scylla, taking a raking position, recommenced firing at the Weser; and the Royalist, placing herself on the latter's larboard bow, soon joined in the action. In 10 minutes, finding that the Rippon was nearly within gun-shut on her lee quarter, and that all hopes of escape were at an end, the Weser fired her larboard guns at the Royalist, and, standing on towards the Rippon, hauled down her colours. A boat from the Royalist immediately boarded the French frigate ; and the Rippon, on arriving up, took the prize in tow, and conducted her to Falmouth.

In this creditable performance on the part of the two brigs, the Scylla had two seamen wounded, and the Royalist two seamen killed, her first lieutenant (James Waring), master (William Wilson, severely), five seamen, one marine, and one boy wounded ; total, on board the two brigs, two killed and 11 wounded. As a proof that the carronades of the brigs had produced some effect, the Weser, out of a crew of 340 men and boys, had four men killed and 15 wounded.

On the morning of the same day on which the Weser was captured, the British brig-sloop Achates, of fourteen 24-pounder carronades and two sixes, Captain Isaac Hawkins Morrison, standing to the south-south-east with the wind at south-west, fell in with the Trave, upon her weather beam. The Achates immediately made sail in chase, and, as soon as she had fore-reached sufficiently, wore and stood for the French frigate. At 7 h. 50 m. a.m. the Achates gallantly engaged the Trave in

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