Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp3.djvu/294

 Boulogne, where she assisted at the capture of la Ville de Lyons praam, of 12 long 24-pounders and 112 men, Sept. 21, 1811.

Captain Macdonald’s next appointment was, Aug. 13, 1812, to the Scylla brig, of 18 guns and 120 men.

On the 18th Oct. 1813, being in lat. 47° 30' N. and long, 9° 10' W. he fell in with a French frigate under mizen-masts, apparently making the best of her way for Brest. On the 19th, at day-light, having passed the night in burning blue lights, firing guns, and throwing up rockets, to indicate that he was in chase of an enemy, he found his brig alone, the thick weather obscuring the frigate from his view. Steering, during that day and night, a course deemed the most likely to meet the enemy, he, on the morning of the 20th, had the good fortune to fall in with the Royalist 18-gun brig. Captain James John Gordon Bremer, who, in the handsomest manner, volunteered to join him in attacking the frigate. At 9-30, she was discovered and instantly pursued. At 3-30 says Captain Macdonald, “we bore up in close order, the Scylla on her quarter, and the Royalist on her bow, and commenced the action nearly at the same time, which continued for an hour and a half, when our sails and rigging being very much cut, our main-mast severely wounded, and the Royalist nearly in the same predicament, we hauled off to repair damages, the weather being very squally, so as to endanger our masts.”

Since 1-30, a sail had been observed to leeward, and Captain Bremer was now ordered to reconnoitre her: the Royalist accordingly bore up, while the Scylla continued in pursuit of the enemy. On the 21st, at 3, the Royalist spoke the Rippon 74, Captain Sir Christopher Cole, and again made all sail on a wind to close the Scylla. At 9-30, Captain Macdonald recommenced firing at the Frenchman, who, after exchanging two broadsides, bore up and struck his colours, the 74 having arrived nearly within gunshot, and the Royalist being already placed in such a position as to render escape impossible. In this gallant action the Errata: