Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp1.djvu/83

 After standing off a short time, the Naiad tacked and made all sail towards them; but at about sun-set it became calm, when the enemy anchored under the batteries eastward of Boulogne, and Captain Carteret brought up nearly in his former position. In this affair not a British subject was hurt, and the damages sustained by the frigate were of little or no consequence. The result of the next day’s proceedings will be seen by Captain Carteret’s official letter to his Commander-in-chief, Rear-Admiral (now Sir Thomas) Foley:

“H.M.S. Naiad, off Boulogne, Sept. 21, 1811.

“Sir,– This morning, at 7 o’clock, that part of the enemy’s flotilla which was anchored to the eastward of Boulogne, consisting of seven praams and fifteen smaller vessels, weighed and stood out on the larboard tack, the wind being S.W. apparently to renew the same kind of distant cannonade which took place yesterday. Different, however, from yesterday, there was now a weather-tide. The Naiad, therefore, weighed, and getting well to windward, joined H.M. brigs Rinaldo, Redpole, and Castilian (commanded by Captains James Anderson, Colin Mac Donald, and David Braimer), with the Viper cutter (Lieutenant Edward Augustus D’Arcy) who had all zealously turned to windward in the course of the night, to support the Naiad in the expected conflict. We all lay to on the larboard tack, gradually drawing offshore in the hope of imperceptibly inducing the enemy also to withdraw further from the protection of his formidable batteries.

“To make known the senior officer’s intentions, no other signals were deemed necessary, but ‘to prepare to attack the enemies van,’ then standing out, led by Rear-Admiral Baste, and not to fire until quite close to the enemy.’ Accordingly, the moment the French Admiral tacked in shore,having reached his utmost distance, and was giving us his broadsides, the King’s small squadron bore up together with the utmost rapidity, and stood towards the enemy under all the sail each could conveniently carry, receiving a shower of shot and shells from the flotilla and land batteries, without returning any until within pistol-shot, when the firing on both sides of H.M. cruisers threw the enemy into inextricable confusion. The French Admiral’s praam was the principal object of attack by this ship; but, as that officer in leading had of course tacked first, and thereby acquired fresh way, and was now under much sail, pushing with great celerity for the batteries, it became impossible to reach him without too greatly hazarding H.M. ship. Having, however, succeeded in separating a praam from him, which had handsomely attempted to succour her chief, and which I had intended