1814	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	270

distant in the east-north-east, suddenly shortened sail, and endeavoured to cross the hawse of her pursuer. This only hastened the junction ; and at 4 h. 45 m. the Eurotas fired a shot and hoisted her colours, as did also the Clorinde. At 5 p.m., having bore up, the Eurotas passed under the stern of the Clorinde and discharged her starboard broadside. Then, luffing up under the Clorinde's quarter, the British frigate received so close and well-directed a fire, that in the course of 20 minutes, and just as she had reached the larboard bow of her antagonist, her mizenmast fell by the board over the starboard quarter; and, nearly at the same time, came down the fore topmast of the Clorinde.

The French frigate now, shooting ahead, endeavoured to cross the bows of the Eurotas, with the intention of raking her. To evade this, and at the same time lay her antagonist on board, the Eurotas put her helm hard a-port and luffed up ; but, being obstructed in her manoeuvre by the wreck of the mizenmast, she could only pass close under the stern of the Clorinde, and pour in her larboard broadside. The two frigates again got side by side, and cannonaded each other with redoubled fury. At 6 h. 20 m. p.m. the Eurotas, then close on her opponent's starboard beam, had her mainmast shot away; and which, fortunately for her, fell over the starboard or unengaged quarter. Almost at the same instant the mizenmast of the Clorinde came down. At 6 h. 50 m., the two ships being nearly in the same relative position, the foremast of the Eurotas fell over the starboard bow ; and in a minute or two afterwards the mainmast of the Clorinde shared the same fate. The Eurotas was now quite, and the Clorinde almost, unmanageable. At 7 h. 10 m. p.m., being then on the larboard bow of the Eurotas, the Clorinde set the remains of her foresail and her fore staysail and stood to the south-east, out of gun-shot.

Captain Phillimore, who since the early part of the action had been dangerously wounded in the shoulder by a grape-shot (the loss of blood from which, according to a published statement,* had caused him to faint three times on deck), now consented to go below ; and the command of the Eurotas devolved upon Lieutenant Robert Smith. The boats' masts were immediately stepped on the booms, and the sails set, to endeavour, with a light westerly breeze, to keep after the enemy, still in the southeast. The wreck of the masts were also cleared away, and preparations made for getting up jury masts : and in the mean while the ship laboured much, owing to her dismasted state and a heavy swell from the westward.

By great exertions throughout the night, the Eurotas, at 5 a.m. on the 26th, got up a spare main topmast for a jury mainmast, and at 6 h. 15 in, a fore topmast for a jury foremast, and a rough spar for a mizenmast ; the Clorinde still preserving the

Naval Chronicle, vol. xxxi., p. 184.

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