Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp1.djvu/25

 . The bowsprit being at length cut away by a shot from one of the brig’s carronades, the schooner then dropt astern, and afterwards sunk close abreast of her Admiral. The Cruiser appears to have been incessantly engaged for six hours and a half.

Captain Mason, owing to the delay occasioned by his shortening sail in order to take possession of a schuyt which had struck to the Cruiser, and which he was directed by signal to secure, could not get up with la Ville d’Aix, the praam he meant to engage, until she was very close to the shore. This was about 20 minutes after he first commenced action with the flotilla; and it appears by the Rattler’s log that he continued engaging his powerful opponent, the latter occasionally striking the ground, and himself constantly backing and filling to keep abreast of her, from 2 o’clock to 6-10 P.M.; the whole of which time, except the first quarter of an hour, he was within half a cable’s length of the praam, and continually exposed to a very heavy fire of grape from the enemy’s flying artillery on the beach, likewise to an incessant discharge of shot and shells from their numerous land batteries.

At 5-10 P.M., la Ville-d’Aix being hard and fast a-shore, the Rattler hauled off to repair her rigging: it was at this period that l’Aimable first became engaged with that praam; and we believe it was much later in the day before she received a shot from la Ville d’Anvers. Captain Mason again made sail towards the flotilla at 5-30; renewed the action at 6-45; succeeded in driving several schooners on shore, and did not cease firing until 8 o’clock. We should here observe that several schooners were also forced on shore by the Cruiser and Rattler long before l’Aimable could get into action with that part of the enemy’s line. Several of the schooners and schuyts immediately under the fire of the ships were driven on shore in like manner, and recovered by the army. At 8, the tide falling, and leaving us in little more water than we drew, we were reluctantly obliged to haul off into deeper water to keep afloat; and the enemy’s vessels that were not on shore, or too nmch shattered, were thus able to reach Ostend.

“I have to regret, that, from the depth of water in which these vessels move, gun-brigs alone can act against them with effect. Four have joined me, and I have sent them in to see what they can do with the praam that is on shore. I have great satisfaction in bearing testimony to your Lordship of the gallant and steady conduct of the captains, commanders, officers, seamen, and marines, under my orders. Captains Hancock and Mason bore the brunt of the attack,