Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp1.djvu/328

  his intrepidity occurred a very few days after he passed his examination. We subsequently find him commanding the Courier hired cutter, mounting 12 four-pounders, with a complement of 40 men.

On the 12 May, 1799, Lieutenant Searle discovered a large brig in the act of capturing an English merchant sloop, near Winterton, on the coast of Norfolk. Regardless of the enemy’s superior force, which was very manifest, he immediately made sail, brought him to action, and continued at close quarters for an hour and forty minutes, during which the brig received considerable damage; but being a better sailer than the Courier, and having the advantage of the wind, she was at length enabled to escape. On this occasion the British cutter had only 5 men wounded. In the course of the following day she captured, without any resistance, the Ribotteur schooner, of 6 guns and 26 men, a consort of her late opponent, which turned out to be a French privateer, mounting 16 long nines and sixes.

On the 10th July following, Lieutenant Searle assisted at the capture of three valuable merchant vessels, and the destruction of a galliot laden with ordnance stores, near the island of Ameland. The very gallant manner in which he subsequently attacked a brig mountings eighteen, 2 twenty-four, and 2 thirty-two-pounder carronades, with a complement of 60 men, lying moored between Schiermonikoog and the main land of Groningen, has been described at p. 234 of our second volume. On the 23d Nov. in the same year, he captured le Guerrier, French cutter privateer, of 14 four-pounders and 44 men, after a close action of 50 minutes, during which the Courier had her Master slain, and 2 seamen wounded; the enemy 4 killed and 6 wounded.

Three days after this last exploit, Lieutenant Searle was deservedly advanced to the rank of Commander, as a reward for his meritorious services in the Courier; but he does not