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 Aug. 1st 1804. In Jan. following, Captain Brenton was appointed to the Amaranthe, a fine new brig, mounting 18 guns, with a complement of 120 men. From that period until his promotion to post rank, he appears to have been very actively and successfully employed on the North Sea and Leeward Islands stations.

The destruction of three French national vessels by the Amaranthe and her consorts, on the 13th Dec. 1808, is thus described by the officer under whose immediate orders Captain Brenton was then serving:–

“H.M.S. Circe, off St. Pierre’s, Martinique, Dec. 14, 1808.

“On Monday, at 11 A.M. his Majesty’s brig Morne Fortunée informed me by signal, that an enemy’s brig and two schooners were at anchor off the Pearl. I immediately recalled the look-out vessels, named as per margin, and made sail towards the enemy. On our nearing St. Pierre’s, I perceived a large French schooner towing along shore, under cover of a number of troops. The schooner finding it impossible to get between St. Pierre’s and the Circe, the Stork closing fast, they ran her on shore under a battery of four guns, flanked by two smaller ones, and the beach lined with troops. The signal was then made to close with the enemy, and engage in succession, the Circe leading, followed by the Stork and Morne Fortunée: being within pistol-shot the small batteries were soon silenced, and the troops driven from the beach. Seeing the brig and schooner unloading, I directed the Morne Fortunée to watch the schooner in shore,