culate their loss on board la Clorinde at 120 men. It is therefore unnecessary for me to particularize the exertions of every individual on board this ship, or the promptness with which every order was put into execution by so young a ship’s company: but I must beg leave to mention the able assistance which I received from Lieutenants Smith, Graves, Randolph, and Beckham[1]; Mr. Beadnell, the Master; and Lieutenants Foord and Connell, R.M.; the very great skill and attention shewn by Mr. Thomas Cooke Jones, surgeon, in the discharge of his important duties; and the active services of Mr. John Bryan, purser, and the whole of the warrant officers, mates, and midshipmen; whom I beg leave most strongly to recommend to your lordship’s notice.”
We have been favored with the following additional particulars, by an officer who belonged to the Eurotas at that period:–
“At 5 P.M., we were immediately in the wake of la Clorinde, and not more than 100 yards distant from her. She had suffered us to approach thus close without firing a gun; both ships going about two points free. We now shortened sail to top-sails, top-gallant-sails, jib, and driver; the enemy following our example. The action commenced by Eurotas bearing up and pouring a broadside into Clorinde’s stern, which proved more destructive to her crew than to her masts or rigging; the French officers calculated that it killed and wounded 40 men. We then luffed up under the enemy’s lee, and received her broadside, by which about 30 of our people were also slain and wounded: la Clorinde’s fore-top-mast fell very soon after our mizen-mast. At 6-20, Eurotas having lost her main-mast, the enemy’s frigate began to shoot a-head; but when a little on our weather-bow she either fell off for want of after-sail, or put her helm up in order to cross our hawse. Observing this, the jib was immediately run up[2], and the boarders assembled on the forecastle, where 120 men were collected at the moment that la Clorinde’s broadside bore upon our stem; but to the astonishment of every body, she did not fire a gun: this was afterwards accounted for by her officers, who said that they made sure the Eurotas would succeed in laying them on board, and that they therefore had all their ship’s company ready to repel the expected assault. Unfortunately, la Clorinde shot clear of the Eurotas, the latter not having way enough through the water, and our boarders were consequently sent down to mann the larboard guns; another broadside was then thrown into the enemy’s stern, and her main-mast immediately fell: the head of her fore-mast had previously been shot away, but the fore-yard was left hanging, which enabled her to get out of range, although the sail was nearly cut to pieces. By 9 o’clock, our
↑Robert Smith, Richard Wilcox Graves, Charles Grenville Randolph, and Zebedee Beckham.
