1813	Severn with Etoile and Sultane	261

The chase thus continued, the latter losing sight occasionally and again recovering it, during the remainder of the 17th, and the whole of the 18th and 19th. In the evening of the latter day the Cyane dropped astern ; but the Venerable was now fast coming up, and, at daylight on the 20th, was within two miles of the French frigate. The Venerable, from whose mast-head the Cyane was now not to be seen, presently opened a fire from her bow guns, and received in return a fire from the stern and quarter guns of the Iphigénie. Having thrown overboard her boats and cut away her anchors without effect, the French frigate, at 8 a.m., discharged her starboard broadside and struck her colours.

Neither the Venerable nor the Iphigénie appears to have suffered any loss from the other's fire : and the Cyane, whose gallantry and perseverance in the chase were so creditable to Captain Forrest, seems also to have escaped without loss. The same good fortune attended the Jason ; who with her two guns (6-pounders probably), gave so good an earnest of what Lieutenant Moffat would have done, had he commanded a vessel that mounted 20. The Iphigénie and Alcmène, being nearly new frigates, were both added to the British navy ; the first under the name of Gloire, the latter under that of Dunira afterwards changed to Immortalité.

In the latter end of October, 1813, the two French 40-gun frigates Etoile and Sultane, Captains Pierre-Henri Phillibert and Georges Du-Petit-Thouars, sailed from Nantes on a cruise. On the 18th of January, at 4 p.m., latitude about 24� north, longitude (from Greenwich) 53� west, these two French frigates discovered in the north-west the British 24-pounder 40-gun frigate Severn, Captain Joseph Nourse, escorting a convoy from England to the island of Bermuda, and steering west by north, with the wind a light air from the south-east. At 7 h. 30 a.m. the Severn proceeded in chase ; and at 8 h. 40 m., finding the strangers did not answer the private signal, the British frigate bore up north by east, and made all possible sail from them, signalling her convoy to take care of themselves.

At 10 h. 30 m. a.m. the Severn commenced firing her sternchasers at the leading enemy's frigate, and at noon lost sight of her convoy steering to the westward. At 4 h. 5 m. p.m. the headmost French frigate, the Etoile, hoisting her colours and broad pendant, began firing her bow guns. A running fight now ensued, which, without doing the slightest injury to the Severn, lasted until 5 h. 30 m. p.m. ; when the Etoile then distant less than two miles (the Sultane astern of her about one), ceased firing. The chase continued all night, rather to the advantage of the Severn. At 8 a.m. On the 19th the two French frigates gave up the pursuit, and hauled to the wind on the starboard tack.

The Etoile and Sultane afterwards proceeded to the Cape de

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