The National Register.
London, England, 1809-07-30 00:00:00

US

mater, there was then about the distaece from three to four
cables nearer towards the Palais, than the Impel-it-use bad an-
chased,; a good birth for three or four sail of the line to anchor
n five and a half and five fathoms dead low water ; the marks
for such anchorage I took myself, which are, the stern of the
the wreck that's on the Patois, directly in itl; the square toner
of Coeas. and the Wiatintill or Telegraph on the flag -lull on
the island. The means by which I attained the kno o ledee- was
thaw then obstryatiou. I did not know it before, only hy the
appearance of the (:hart, but I did not wish to trust to it, but
to-prove it. Q. What time of the tide was it %v lien con weigh-
ed froth the inner road of Aix coining out / A. A boat the last
quarter fl tad, near high o ;lieu.. Q. Was the -wind fair, or did
you work out ? We %%or:tea on t, nod kept the lee going the
whole time.. Q. What water did you find in workiug out, be-
tween the tail of the Polak and Buoyant shoal, A. six,six a;:d
a half, and seven fathom it being then near high water. Q.
had you ever an ..,portunity of aseertaioing correctly', what
the run of the tole in the neighbourhood of Aix ?—A. I never
tried. Q. When yon were in i x fathoms, Inrnaatg out from your
anchorage, how near were sea to the batteries of the He of
Aix.—A. Something less than half range of point blank shut.'
Q. How many tacks did you make in -getting outs—A. Can't
eau to a single tack, hut think four or five. Q. Then y*ai were
four or five times, as you suppos, . within half point blank range
of the lniteries of Isle d' A i ?—A. The last Iwo tacks we
might he furtherers we got to a greater distance. Q. How lone
were you at anchor within the Isle of Aix 1-1. From two
o'clock of the 12th, 144 o'cloclg on the 14th. Q Then you had
time to observe the number nod state of the batteries on A i
many sr.d in what state ?—A. I could not observe the number
or the stale, as my duly in attending to get the riggingof the ship
repaired after theaction prevented my makiagany observations.
Q. Did you make no observation before you began to engage
the enemy ? A. Yes; on 'the morning of the 12th, prior to
the Imperieose proceeding to annoy the enemy, then on shore,
I was desired by Captain Lord Cochrane to lay a buoy on the
Buoyant, which L did in six and a half fathoms Water, at a
sufficient distance as to allow any ship to have raked round the
buoy. After which I observed, on the Isle of Aix, about 20
or 24 pieces of cannon ready mounted, but well kilo% ing that
those guns would .lo very little execution to any ship passing,
that chose to mak•.• any opposition against them, they being
placed in an open platform, as appeared to me by my glass inn
open boat.— Q. Did you oh-erne any considerable parts of the
works to be Mon ii tip and desires tat ? A. I did.—Q. In w hat
part of the Isle d'Aix i On the port that dank; you, as you
gut in alimg the Buoyant shoal.—Q. (By Lord Gambier). Did
'be Imperieuse grotonl on the night of the 12th April ? A.
es, on the tail of the Palais Shoal. At an anchorage where
had been tiring at the French ships, hut not moil the last
aster ebb.— Q. Did any- pet con ‘s luatever communicate to you
osorveyed the anchorage, or wa' it a new di-covery ? A.
ipravered it myself being ordered to sound rotund the ship at
h a distauce.-1, on board the Imperieu,e,
?ore you went in, that theme was 'welt an *aochorage ? A.
my by- view of the Fietich chart, as we had no French pilot
iu hoard, nor never took-any.