COMMENTS OF SEAMEN.

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not the way British seamen have gained their character for bravery. He's making the Frenchmen fancy that there is a British officer in this fleet who fears them. Oh, boys, for my part I would sooner be the cook than the Captain of that ship. But don't let's look at him; it makes my heart turn sick. Look instead at our brave old Admiral. He is a fine fellow. See, see-he has tacked. He does 'nt care a rap for the Frenchman's fire. The Queen Charlotte must be getting it pretty warmly though. There, he's standing right down, and he's going to break the French line. There's a broadside the old lady has poured into the quarter of one of those rear French ships. Now he luffs up right under her stern, and has repeated the dose. The Frenchman will not forget it in a hurry. There go the Billy Ruffian' and the 'Leviathan.' They'll cut off a couple of Frenchmen if they manage well. Hurra! That's the way to go about the work. It cannot be long before our fine old chief makes the Frenchmen fight, whether they will or not."

In the French ships, the "Tyrannicide" and "Indomitable," although almost cut off and taken, were, owing to the crippled condition of the "Bellerophon" Leviathan," rescued in a spirited and seamanway by Admiral Villaret.

and

like

Several other ships, besides those observed by Paul Pringle and True Blue, were hotly engaged during the course of that twenty-ninth of May, and lost a considerable number of officers and men.

CHAPTER XIX.

The Battle of the 1st of June.

DAY broke over the ocean on the 1st of June, 1794, in latitude, 47° 16' north; longitude, 18° 30' west, where the British fleet was steering to the westward with a moderate breeze, south-by-west, and a tolerably smooth sea. All night, Lord Howe had carried a press of sail to keep up with the French fleet, which he rightly conjectured would be doing the same; and as he eagerly looked forth at early dawn, great was his satisfaction to descry them about six miles off on the starboard or lee bow of his fleet, still steering in a line-of-battle on the larboard tack. His great fear had been, that the French Admiral would weather on him and escape; now he felt sure that he had him.

At about 5 A.M., the ships of the British fleet bore up, steering first to the north-west, then to the north; and, then again, having closed with the Frenchmen, they hauled their wind once more, and the Admiral, knowing that their crews had heavy work before them, ordered them to heave to, and to pipe to breakfast.

The frigates, the "Ruby" among them, and the smaller vessels brought up the rear. Exactly at twelve minutes past 8 A.M., Lord Howe made the looked-for signal, for the fleet to fill and bear down on the enemy; then came one for each ship to steer for, and independ

THE GENERAL ACTION.

295

ently engage, the ship opposed to her in the enemy's.

line.

The British line was to windward, and Lord Howe wished that each ship should cut through the enemy's line, astern of her proper opponent, and engage her to leeward.

Soon after 9 A.M., the French ships opened their fire on the advancing British line, which was warmly returned. The gallant old English Admiral set an example of bravery, by steering for the stern of the largest French ship, the "Montague," and passed between her and the "Jacobin," almost running aboard the latter.

So energetically did the men labour at their guns, and so tremendous was the fire that they poured into both their opponents, that in less than an hour the

Montague" had her stern-frame and starboard quarter shattered to pieces, and a hundred killed and two hundred wounded. In this condition, she was still able to make sail, which she did, as did also the "Jacobin," the "Queen Charlotte" being too much disabled in her masts and rigging to follow.

Most of the other British ships were in the meantime hotly engaging those of the enemy; the "Queen" especially received a tremendous fire from several ships, and became so crippled that the "Montague," after she had got clear of the "Queen Charlotte," followed by several other ships, bore down to surround her.

Lord Howe, however, having once more made sail on his ship, wore round followed by several other ships to her rescue. The "Montague," though she had suffered so much in her hull, and had lost so many men, had her masts and rigging entire; and this enabled her to

make sail ahead, followed by other ships which had in the same way escaped with their rigging uninjured. Twelve French ships, however, were by half-past eleven almost totally dismasted, while eleven of the British were in little better condition; but then the Frenchmen had suffered in addition, far more severely in the hulls.

The proceedings of the line-of-battle ships had been viewed at a distance by the eager crew of the " Ruby." As one ship after the other was dismasted, their enthusiasm knew no bounds.

"Oh, Paul, I wish I was there," cried True Blue vehemently. there!- another Frenchman

66

There!

is getting it! Down comes her fore-mast !—see !—her main-mast and mizen-mast follow!-oh what a crash there must be. That's the eighth Frenchman without a lower mast standing. Hurra! we shall have them all!”

"Not quite so sure of that, boy," observed Peter Ogle, who had come upon the forecastle. "Two of our own ships, you see, are no better off; and several have lost their top-masts and topgallant-masts. Still they are right bravely doing their duty. I've never seen warmer work in my day. Have you, Peter?"

"No. With Lord Rodney we have had hot work enough, but the Frenchmen didn't fight as well as they do to-day; I must say that for them," observed Peter. “See now that Admiral of theirs; he's bearing down once more to help some of his disabled ships. See, his division seems to have four or five of them' under their lee; but there are a good many more left to our share."

"Hurra!" cried True Blue, who had been watching an action briskly carried on in another direction. "There's one more Frenchman will be ours before

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297

long. That's a tremendous drubbing the "Brunswick" has given her.

No ship's company displayed more determined gallantry during that eventful day than did the "Brunswick," commanded by the brave Captain Harvey. Second astern to Lord Howe in going into action, from the slanting direction she took along the enemy's line even before she had fired a gun she had lost many of her crew, killed and wounded. Being prevented from passing between the "Achille" and "Vengeur," in consequence of the latter shooting a-head and filling up the intervening space, she ran foul of the "Vengeur," her own starboard anchors hooking on the Frenchman's larboard fore-shrouds and fore-channels.

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Shall we cut away the anchor, sir?" inquired the master, Mr. Stewart, of the Captain.

66

No, no-we have got her and we will keep her," replied Captain Harvey.

The two ships on this swung close to each other, and paying off before the wind with their heads to the northward, with their yards squared, and with a considerable way on them, they speedily ran out of the line, commencing a furious engagement. The British crew, unable to open the eight lower-deck starboard ports from the third abaft, blew them off. The "Vengeur's" musketry, meantime, and her poop-carronades, soon played havoc on the "Brunswick's" quarter-deck, killing several officers and men and wounding others, among whom were Captain Harvey, three of his fingers being torn away by a musket-shot, though he refused to leave the deck.

For an hour and a half, the gallant "Brunswick " carried on the desperate strife, the courage of her