to their proper owners, from whom they had been forcibly taken.
On the 20th, a party under Lieutenant Elms Steele, destroyed the guns at Baignio, and captured a vessel laden with merino wool; whilst Lieutenant Fennel of the royal marines, accompanied by Mr. Elliott, the Purser, and a boat’s crew, ascended the mountain and destroyed the signal-posts. The same evening, Lieutenant Pearson took possession of the batteries of the town of Paisance without opposition, and destroyed the guns; the small parties of the enemy stationed at these places, retiring as the British advanced.
On the 6th April, 1809, the Arethusa joined the Amethyst, just as the latter had silenced the fire of a large French frigate, which soon after surrendered: an account of this capture will be found in our memoir of Sir Michael Seymour, Bart., who commanded the Amethyst on that occasion. Whilst proceeding to attack the enemy’s ship, a block struck Captain Mends on the back of his head, knocked him down, and for a short time deprived him of his senses. The effects of this blow he felt and complained of during the remainder of his life[1].
Captain Mends was afterwards entrusted with the command of a squadron stationed on the north coast of Spain. On the 24th June, 1810, after a consultation with the Junta of Asturias, he consented to embark the Spanish Brigadier-General Porlier, and 500 of his soldiers, with the intention of beating up the enemy’s quarters along the coasts of Cantabria and Biscay. The result of this expedition was the destruction of all the batteries (with the exception of Castro) from St. Sebastian to St. Andero, on which were found altogether about 100 pieces of heavy cannon; a loss to the enemy of more than 200 men; and an addition of nearly 300 volunteers to Porlier’s little army. Communications were also opened with the patriots in the interior, and that part of the sea-coast now laid entirely bare of defence; the zealous attachment of the inhabitants to the independence of their country, was ascertained; and two good anchorages for the squadron in westerly gales were secured, until the French could re-mount heavy cannon on the various eminences near
- ↑ See Hants Telegraph, Jan. 19, 1824.
