The Life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 279 pages of information about The Life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth.

The Life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 279 pages of information about The Life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth.

The San Fiorenzo was again the fortunate frigate which stopped the career of the enemy.  Commanded by Captain George Nicholas Hardinge, brother of Lord Hardinge, the present Commander-in-Chief—­a young officer of great promise and distinguished courage—­she fell in with the Piedmontaise on the evening of the 6th of March, 1808; and after an exchange of broadsides that night, and a severe but still undecided engagement next morning, brought her to close action on the afternoon of the third day, and took her.  The San Fiorenzo commenced action with only 186 effective men; the Piedmontaise, a larger and heavier frigate, had more than 500, including 200 Lascars.  Captain Hardinge was unfortunately killed on the third day.  For some time before the enemy struck, the first lieutenant was seen exposing himself to the hottest of the fire; till, disappointed of the death he sought, and dreading to fall into the hands of the British, he discharged his pistols into his own body.  It is said, that as he did not die immediately, he ordered some of his people to throw him overboard alive.

The French naval force in the Indian seas was at no time considerable, for whenever a cruiser was known to be committing depredations, her career was generally cut short by some of the squadron.  It consisted chiefly of privateers, for which the Isle of France afforded a convenient rendezvous; and of which some were large enough to capture a regular Indiaman.  The Emiline, taken after a two days’ chase by the Culloden, had been a British sloop of war:  and the Bellone, taken by the Powerful and Rattlesnake, was added to the navy as a small-class frigate, and actually maintained a running fight with the seventy-four.  The resemblance between ships of war and the larger Indiamen more than once deceived the enemy.  The Union, a small privateer, mounting only eight guns, thus ventured to chase, and was taken by the Culloden; and the Jena, national corvette, was taken in the same manner by the Modeste frigate.  The Jena was a remarkably fine and fast vessel, and, as the Revenant privateer, had formerly cruised long and very successfully.  She was commissioned as the Victor, to replace a sloop of war of that name, which in the preceding year had been the scene of one of the most extraordinary and tragical events on record.

The Victor, commanded by Captain George Bell, whose name has been already mentioned in connection with the Nymphe and Indefatigable, had taken four brigs in Batavia Road, and was returning to Prince of Wales’ Island.  On the 15th of April 1807, off Cheribon, she met three Malay prows under Dutch colours, which, on its falling calm, she detained with the armed boats, and brought alongside.  The crews of two of them, a hundred and twenty men, were taken on board the Victor, and placed under a guard, while the prows were being examined;

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The Life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.