company till after dusk, when he made sail for Ferrol; off which place he joined Sir Robert Calder on the evening of the 16th, carrying with him an account of his own track, the course steered by the enemy, and the position he judged them to be in at that time. Upon the receipt of this intelligence, the Vice-Admiral stood to the northward with one second rate, five 2-deckers, the Loire, and one other frigate; but at noon the next day^ot seeing the French squadron, and con sidering his orders to relate more particularly to the enemy’s ships in Ferrol, he despatched Captain Maitland to the fleet off Brest, and returned himself to his station. The following day, the Loire boarded a brig which had seen the enemy on the 17th, not more than fourteen or fifteen leagues from the spot where Sir Robert had given up the chase. By this unfortunate step the French ships were enabled to reach Rochefort without molestation.
The following official letters from Captain Maitland, afford another proof of his indefatigable exertions for the good of the public service; and, at the same time, evince his anxiety to do justice to the merits of his officers and crew:
“Sir,– I have to inform you, that, after delivering the despatches Lord Gardner charged me with to Sir Robert Calder, in stretching to the westward to regain my station, a small vessel was discovered standing into the bay of Caniarinas, to the eastward of Cape Finisterre. Being quite calm after dark, I sent the launch and two cutters, under Mr. Yeo, first Lieutenant, assisted by Lieutenant Mallock of the Marines, and Messrs. Clinch, Herbert, and Mildridge, Midshipmen, to endeavour to bring her out. From the intricacy of the passage, the boats did not get up till break of day, when they found two small privateers moored under a battery of 10 guns; undaunted, however, by a circumstance so little expected, Mr. Yeo ordered the launch, commanded by Mr. Clinch, to board the smallest, while he, with the two cutters, most gallantly attacked and carried the largest, a felucca armed with three 18-pounders, four 4-pr. brass swivels, and 50 men.
“The launch had the same success in her attack; the fort immediately opened a fire; so ill-directed, however, as to do little damage. Being still perfectly calm, close under the guns of the battery, and no possibility of receiving assistance from the ship, Mr. Yeo was under the painful necessity of abandoning the smallest vessel, a lugger of two 6-pounders and 32 men, to secure the felucca; which, I am happy to add, was effected with only 3 men slightly wounded.
“The loss on board the lugger cannot be ascertained. When the crew