Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v2p2.djvu/232

 him in a letter to Admiral Sir Charles Cotton, who had been appointed to the chief command in the Mediterranean on the demise of Lord Collingwood:

“H.M.S. Pomone, off Sagone, May, 2d, 1811.

Sir,– My letter of the 23d ult. would acquaint you with the intelligence I had received of the enemy’s force in Sagone, and that it was my intention, under particular circumstances, to attack them.

“I have now the honor to inform you that, on the evening of the 30th, I arrived off the bay, the Unité and Scout in company ; the Scout joined in the morning, and Captain Sharpe having very handsomely volunteered his services to take charge of the landing party in the projected attack, I consented to take him under my orders. At sun-set the Unité made the signal for an enemy’s frigate at anchor. By day-break on the 1st, the Pomone was close off Liamone, and I had the satisfaction to observe tire enemy’s three ships at anchor in Sagone bay. It was nearly calm; and the variable winds which prevail at this season having thrown the Unité a long way astern, I abandoned my design of attempting to take the tower and battery by surprise; and it was fortunate I did so; for, as the day opened, we could clearly observe the enemy in full possession of the heights, and ready to receive us. He appeared to have about 200 regular troops, with their field-pieces, &c., and a number of the armed inhabitants. The battery, mounting 4 guns and 1 mortar, presented a more formidable appearance than I expected; and a gun was mounted on the martello tower, above the battery: the three ships were moored within a stone’s throw of the battery, and had each two cables on shore, their broadsides presented to us. The smallest (la Giraffe) hoisted a broad pendant. She appeared to be a sister-ship to le Var, and shewed 13 guns on each side of the main-deck. The other ship (la Nourrice) was much larger, and shewed 14 guns: her lower-deck ports were open, but she had no guns in them. The armed merchant ship was partly hid by la Nourrice, so that we could not make out her force.

“The bay is so small that it was impossible to approach without being exposed to the raking fire of the whole. Notwithstanding their strong position, the crews of our ships came forward in the most noble manner, and volunteered their services to land; or, as it was quite calm, even to attack the enemy with the boats. Captains Chamberlayne and Sharpe both agreed with me that we could do nothing by landing, and it would have been madness to send the boats. However, I signified by telegraph, that it was my intention to attack as soon as a breeze sprung up. As the calm continued, at 5$h$ 30' P.M. I gave up all hopes of the sea breeze;