narrow passage full of rocks, on which we were driving, with no anchorage, under heights manned by their troops, no guns to bear on the boats, and a crew newly impressed, most of whom had never been engaged, it must be confessed to have been a situation in which nothing but the greatest exertions on the part of Lieutenant Herbert Caiger (then commanding), and the rest of the officers, could relieve her. We at length brought our broadside to bear on them; one vessel was sunk, and the rest much shattered. They continued the attack for an hour and a half, and were re-manned, by small boats, during it: at length, a light air sprung up; we wore and stood to> wards the enemy, getting our bow guns forward, which bore on them, and compelled them to bear up, and row under the batteries of Bergen, where we found it would not be advisable to follow, from the general alarm that had been raised. We now obliged the natives on board to attempt a passage with the ship to the northward, in prosecuting which, we fell in with our launch and picked her up. We passed many difficult passages, through which we boomed the frgate off with spars, and towed her; and, at three, cleared the islands, and stood out for sea. We have preserved the body of our heroic captain, and shall, if possible, also that of Mr. H. Fitzhugh (midshipman), a fine promising youth, who fell at the time the captain did. They are the only killed; we have two men severely wounded, and several slightly. Most of our shot holes are between wind and water.”
On the 2d June 1809, Captain Bettesworth’s successor addressed an official letter to Rear-Admiral Sir R. G. Keates, of which the following is a copy:–
“Sir,– I have the honor to acquaint you, that on the 15th ult. I chased on shore, near Felixberg, on the coast of Courland, a Danish sloop privateer, of four guns, two of them 12-pounders, on slides, and two long 4-pounders; the crew, 24 in number, landing with their muskets, and being joined by some of the country people, posted themselves behind the sand-hills near the beach. The vessel appearing calculated to do much mischief to the trade, I sent the boats of this ship, under the command of Lieutenants Sykes and Parker, with orders either to bring her off or to destroy her, the former of which they effected with considerable address and activity, and without loss, very soon getting the vessel’s guns to bear upon the beach.
“Before the Danes abandoned her, they placed a lighted candle in a 12-pounder cartridge of gunpowder, in the magazine, where there was some hundred weight beside, which was happily discovered by one of our men, who immediately grasped it in his hand, and extinguished it, when it had burnt down within half an inch of the powder; another minute would, in all probability, have been the destruction of every man on board and alongside the vessel; – a dishonorable mode of warfare, necessary to be known, to be properly guarded against. I have the honor to be, &c.
(Signed)“Joseph Baker, Captain.”
