Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v1p1.djvu/247

Rh preparing to rake her, when she fired a gun to leeward, and surrendered. She proved to be the French national frigate, la Virginie, of 44 guns, 18 pounders on the main deck, and nines on the quarter deck and forecastle, manned with 340 men, and commanded by M. Bergeret, Capitaine de Vaisseau, from Brest, bound on a cruize off the Lizard. When taken possession of, her hull was a complete sieve, and four feet water in her hold.

It is remarkable, that in this action the Indefatigable had not a man hurt. La Virginie, on the contrary, had 15 killed and 27 wounded, 10 of them badly.

The year 1797 afforded fresh proofs of the vigour and enterprise of Sir Edward Pellew. On the 13th January, while cruizing to the S.W. of Ushant, in company with the Amazon frigate, commanded by Captain Reynolds, he perceived a large ship in the N.W. quarter, steering under an easy sail towards the coast of France. At this time the wind blew hard at west, with thick hazy weather. Chace was instantly given. At four P.M. the Indefatigable had gained sufficiently upon the strange ship for Sir Edward to distinguish very clearly, that she had two tier of guns with her lower deck ports shut, and that she had no poop.

At a quarter before six he brought the enemy to close action, which continued to be well supported on both sides near an hour, when the Indefatigable unavoidably shot a-head; at this moment the Amazon appeared astern, and gallantly supplied her place; but the eagerness of Captain Reynolds to second his friend, had brought him up under a press of sail, and after a well supported and close fire for a little time, he also unavoidably ran a-head. The enemy made an ineffectual attempt to board the Indefatigable, and kept up a constant and heavy fire of musketry till the end of the action, frequently engaging both sides of the ship at the same time. As soon as Sir Edward Pellew had replaced some of the disabled rigging, and brought his ship under a proper sail, and the Amazon reduced hers, they commenced a second attack, placing themselves, after some raking broadsides, upon each quarter, often within pistol shot. This attack lasted without intermission for five hours; when the Indefatigable was obliged to sheer off to secure her masts.

