Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v3p1.djvu/148

 26th, the enemy opened a desultory fire, which was not returned. At 1, being high water, the whole combined force weighed and swept rapidly over to the Trocadero side, where the Spaniards commenced the action by engaging Fort Luis and the adjacent lines, while the British, under the immediate command of Sir Richard Keats, attacked the northern batteries and the vessels they protected. In the mean time, Fort Puntales opened upon the works near Matagorda, and the bombs, &c. kept Fort Santa-Catalina in play. A furious cannonade was kept up throughout all the French lines, and the tremendous roar of cannon and mortars, continued till half-past three o’clock, when seventeen heavy gun-vessels having been totally destroyed, the allied flotilla hauled off, and the firing every where terminated.

The last day of the year 1810 was rendered remarkable by the enemy throwing some eight and ten-inch shells into the city of Cadiz, by means of immense howitzers, purposely cast at Seville; one of which is now mounted in St. James’s Park. These shells were nearly filled with lead, leaving space for about one pound of powder; the greatest range was 6200 yards.

On the 2d of Jan. 1811, the Spaniards opened a new “Aguada” near the Porto Douro, and thereby enabled the British squadron to obtain fresh water without the risk of sending to Canteras; a service which had been attended with the loss of many boats in the channel between the two harbours.

On the morning of the 13th, a large gun-vessel was discovered lasking alongshore, between Rota and Fort Santa-Catalina: chase was instantly given by the “fire-eaters,” and she was soon driven on the rocks and destroyed, even in the teeth of the French batteries. On the same day, another gun-vessel was disposed of in the same way, close to the mole-head at Rota, and under a very heavy fire.

Much harassing work now devolved on the British flotilla, as Marshal Victor, whose hopes of organizing a regular naval force were at an end, had resolved to encourage the fitting out of a number of small fast rowing vessels as privateers, the crews of which could easily escape to the shore in 