1822	Piratical Vessels	391

prize made sail towards Green Key, to attack the schooner, which was ascertained to be a pirate of five guns, with a complement of 37 men : she, however, had escaped during the night. In this gallant affair, which reflects the highest credit upon Mr. Nurse, the Eliza lost two men killed (John White and John Goff) and eight wounded. Amongst the severely wounded, were Mr. Nurse the commander, John M`Dermott who died of his wounds shortly afterwards, John Welsh, Edward Bambrill, and Benjamin Inkpen : slightly wounded, William Adams, William Watts, and Henry Wilmot. We give below the relative force of each vessel, and by so doing we shall afford the reader a better idea of the gallantry of this exploit, in which the Spaniards sustained a loss of nine killed. The remaining part of the crew of the felucca, with the exception of four made prisoners, jumped overboard.

In the official report Mr. Nurse mentions the services of Mr. George White, midshipman, whose bravery was highly conspicuous, and Mr. Clark, the assistant surgeon, who is since dead.

In March, in this year, Rear-admiral Sir Charles Rowley, the commander-in-chief in the West Indies, despatched Captain John Edward Walcott, in his majesty's frigate Tyne, having under his orders the sloop Thracian, Commander John Walter Roberts, to endeavour to extirpate the piratical vessels which infested the West India station, and which generally made the different ports of the island of Cuba their rendezvous. Captain Walcott commenced his arduous task of searching 400 miles of coast, in order to examine the different creeks and inlets where small vessels could be sheltered and concealed.

If Captain Walcott failed in discovering the object of his search,, -he had the gratification of gaining information that a piratical schooner bad been seen off the east end of the island of Cuba, and that she did occasionally visit a harbour in that neighbourhood, in which she disposed of her plunder to many of the residents. It may here be remembered that Captain Walcott, during his examination of the different creek, found on an island, situated within the harbour of Nerangos, a cargo consisting of 1100 casks of wine and spirits ; and upon his own

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