decks were completely cleared of the wreck; and in addition to the boats’ sails and jigger-mizen, we had a lower-studding-sail set on a temporary jury fore-mast; la Clorinde did not bend a new fore-sail until 12 P.M., at which time we were only a mile distant from her. By 8 o’clock next morning our jury-masts were all erected, viz., top-masts for lower-masts, and top-gallant-masts for top-masts; la Clorinde, however, had encreased her distance to about five miles.
“At 8-30 A.M., another frigate hove in sight, but did not answer the private signal, although it was kept flying for more than half an hour; this induced us to believe that she was also an enemy, and the officers having consulted together, it was thought best to discontinue the chase. We accordingly hove to until between 9 and 10 o’clock, when the stranger hoisted English colours and fired a gun at la Clorinde; upon which we bore up and made sail after them. During the preceding night we met an English merchant schooner, and directed her master to keep between us and the enemy in order to point out the position of la Clorinde; for the performance of which service he was handsomely rewarded by the Admiralty. When the Dryad hove in sight, the Eurotas was coming up with la Clorinde hand over hand.
“In this action we found Congreve’s experimental 24-pounders very light guns to work; but they were so lively that the allowance of powder was very soon obliged to be reduced one-third, and subsequently one-half: about an hour and a half from the commencement of the action, one of them made a jump and actually touched the beams of the forecastle-deck; in fact, it was so hot that we were obliged to discontinue using it.
“On our arrival at Plymouth, Captain Phillimore was obliged to go to the hospital, a canister-shot having passed through his left breast and arm, about three inches below the shoulder-joint: it was at first thought that the wound in the breast was the most dangerous, as the breath oozed out, but that was not the case; the arm-bone was completely disunited, and from the length of time Captain Phillimore kept the deck, together with his great exertions, the latter wound was so much irritated, that the surgeon could do nothing more than reduce the inflammation: had circumstances been more favorable at the time, it was his wish to have taken the arm out of the socket; but fortunately, Captain Phillimore’s life was saved by other means, and his limb is still useful to him.”
La Clorinde was one of the finest ships of her class in the French navy, and her crew had been long together. In Dec. 1809, she assisted at the capture of a British frigate, to the eastward of Antigua[1]; and it was principally from her fire that the Galatea received so much damage, in the action off
