to the Trent, another frigate, and ordered to the West Indies. While there, he was removed, first into the Sans Pareil, and afterwards into the Goliath, both ships of the line.
At the commencement of the late war, our officer captured la Mignonne, a fine corvette, of 16 long 18-pounders, and 80 men, off St. Domingo. On the preceding evening, one of his boats took a French schooner, laden with sugar, and having on board 3,476 dollars.
Some time afterwards, the Goliath returned to England as convoy to the homeward bound trade. On her passage, she was overtaken by a violent hurricane, which threatened the whole fleet with destruction. The Calypso sloop of war, and one of the merchantmen, sunk, and the Goliath was in imminent danger of sharing the same fate. In addition to these misfortunes, twenty-one vessels were dismasted, and the total loss of many of them was apprehended; but by the most assiduous attention on the part of Captain Brisbane, he had the satisfaction of bringing them all safe into port. The Goliath was subsequently employed in the blockade of Rochefort.
In the spring of 1805, our officer was appointed to the Arethusa, a fine frigate[1]; and at the latter end of the year, escorted a fleet of merchantmen to the West Indies.
On their passage thither, the convoy fell in with and was chased by a French squadron, of five sail of the line and three frigates. By the judicious arrangements of the commodore, however, his charge was rescued from the impending danger, and conducted in safety to Barbadoes, from whence the Arethusa proceeded to Jamaica, and was afterwards employed in cruising off the Havannah, where she captured several trading vessels.
On this station an accident happened to the Arethusa, which, had it not been for the greatest exertions on the part of her commander, officers, and crew, would in all probability have proved fatal. Early in the year 1806, she by some
- ↑ On the 31st July, 1804, the officers of the Goliath gave Captain Brisbane a grand dinner at the Pope’s Head hotel, Plymouth. About the same period, he had the misfortune to fracture two of his ribs, and dislocate his arm. This accident was occasioned by the breaking of the man-, rope, just as he was stepping over the ship’s side.
