Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp3.djvu/82

 On the evening of Dec. 10, 1810, Captain Harvey, then commanding the Rosario a 10-gun brig, on the Dungeness station, fell in with two French lugger privateers, one of which came up close to leeward, hailed him in very opprobrious language, and threatened to sink him if he did not surrender. Suspecting that it was their intention to board, and knowing their superiority of sailing, he immediately put his helm up, ran right alongside the nearest, and soon obtained possession of her; but in doing so, carried away his jib-boom, which prevented him from capturing the other. The prize proved to be le Mamelouck, of 16 guns and 45 men; 7 of whom were wounded: 2 of the Rosario’s crew were severely, and 3 others slightly wounded.

A very spirited attack, made by Captain Harvey, on a division of the Boulogne flotilla, which ended in the capture of three brigs and driving two ashore, is thus described by him, in an official letter to Rear-Admiral Thomas Foley, dated Mar. 27, 1812:–

“At 8-30 A.M., Dieppe bearing S.W. 4 or 5 miles, we observed an enemy’s flotilla, consisting of twelve brigs and one lugger, standing along shore, and immediately made sail to cut off the leewardmost. The enemy, by signal from their commodore, formed into a line, and severally engaged us as we passed; but upon luffing up to cut off the sternmost, the whole bore up to support her, and endeavoured to close with us. Finding them thus determined to support each other, and the small force of the Rosario not admitting my running the risk of being laid on hoard by several at once, I bore up to a brig we observed in the offing, which proved to be the Griffon, and made the signal for an enemy. The moment she had answered, we hauled to the wind; and at 40 minutes P.M. began to harass the enemy’s rear, who were then endeavouring to get into Dieppe under all sail: tucked and wore occasionally to close, receiving and returning the fire of the whole line each time. At 1-30, being far enough to windward, ran into the midst of the enemy, and by cutting away the running rigging of the two nearest, drove them on board each other: backed the muin-top-sail, and engaged them within musket-shot till they were clear, then stood on and engaged another, whose main-mast and fore-top-mast soon went by the board, when she immediately anchored; passed her and drove the next in the line on shore: two more of their line yet remained to leeward; bore up and ran the nearest one on board (then not more than three-quarters of a mile from the shore).

“So far the Rosario had acted alone, as the Griffon had not yet arrived within gun-shot: bore away with prize beyond range of the batteries, and