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

THE NATIONAL REG ICT ER.

ing. attempting to get their fop-masts up, which, in the
course of Nix hours, from day light in the morning, I do
mit think they had quite effected ; at the time that they
made sail on the approach of the British fleet, RIO ran a-ground
in the middle of the channel leadiog in tAt Chnrante, I think it
was ahout half an floor after the British fleet anchored.—Q. It
being stated in the :og-hook of the Imperieuse, that at four
P. M. of the 14th of April, the inshore squadron worked out,
the ehh-tide having made, and it beteg noted in the log-hook of
the Impei tge, tour Lordship answered a signal of " recal,"
from the Cale lonia, and made telegraph signal to her, 4ind it
not appeariog by the s iota of the Caledonia that any such sig-
nal of weal was made, %ant. Lordship is desired to state, w he-
ther ion are certai i that such signal of recal was actually:made,
owl w ktnt time, art whether the in-shore squadron came out
its eoso•equence thert•of, and what the r.urport of the telegraph
tivial- made by yoar Lordship to the Commander in Chief:
A. On t morning; of the 13th of April, the ships of the line,
at aneti,ir, one of theta bearing' the dog of Admiral Stopfordl
st eighed, and worked out of the inner anchorage by ori!er. to.
the he.? of my belief, from Admiral Stopford. whose ship thew.
* .•dd oirie lights which I understood was a signal for that purpose,
.
for the line of battle ships, most of these having been grounded,
having continued in low water, in situations in which it was
kno-un by the rhart.that there was not water enough. The sip:
elf recalled wa. reported to me to have been made by (sometime'
I thifik. allow 4 o'clock) the Ohledonia, and I answered'hy the
Sigtial, that the enemy could he destroyed: and I was the fur;
Cher confirmed in this opinion, by a demi-official letter which
I hold in my hand, directed on service to me by his Lordship,
ordering out the Imperieuse, together witltlhe bomb, dated on
the 13th, w litten, to the best of my belief, in his..LuxAship's
own hand, hich 1 beg may he read to the:Court.
[Produced and reval by the Judge Advocate.)
Caledonia, 13th April.
MYDCAR LORD—You have done sour part so admirably,
that I will not pet mit you to tarsi-b it by attempting impossi-
bilities, which I think, as Welt as those Captains who have come
from you, any further etPirt • nr destroy the enemy's ships would
be—you must therefore join me as soon as you can with the
Lamb, &c. a; I wish to have some information, to which you
allude, before I close my digitate es. . ,
VOUCS, v dear Lord, t9ost sincerely,
(-Zi."Cied) GAMBINR.
P. S. I have ordered tliree brio and two rocket vessels to
join you, with XV !girt), and the bomb, you may make an attempt
upon the ship that is aground; but t do not think aim will suc-
ceed, I wish to send you t 9 England, therefore come soouas the
tide tarns.
To which I replied by the following letter, also dated the
13thi, nod with which is sent a ComaiLsioned Ofliter !
Ilasqoe Roads, 13th.
MY Loan--I have just had the honour to receive your Lord-
sliVs letter ; we can destroy the ship which are on shore,
which I hope your Losdshlp will approve of.
have the honour to be, &c.
Coen RA
Upon the morning follow* I Also answered the signal of
Ter:a, which 1 sal myself made on board the Caledonia, by
the interrogatory signal, to know if we should unmoor, by
wt.ich, without
.any repetition of the former signal, I did con-
clude that his Lordship would have understood what was
intended, the signal of read was repeated, which was answer-
ed by the Imperieuse, we numoored, hove short, and as the
tide was down, were permitted by his Lordship to remain until
the ebb tide began to set, and I received the letter which I hold
io my hand from his Lordship, directing me to proceed to the
outer anchorage, and stating that Captain Wolfe was to relieve
me, (letter prod•.ced) this letter wag directed to me on the lath,
and came to me on the 14th, 4) %Melt day I believe it to have
keen written.

Caledonia, 13th April, 1809.
yi Y P.llll LORD—It is necessary I should have some COW.-
rnunicatiffil with you, before I close my dispatches to the Ad-
"mve therefore ordered that Captain Woolre, to re-
lieve you toe service you are engaged its, that you may take
Sir H. Neale to England, or you may return to carry on the
service where yoa.are. 1 am, &c.
Upell the 14th, I did not make the signal that the enemy
could he destroyed; having already the day before conveyed to
his Lordship my firm opinion upon that subject, both by signal
amity letteN 1 awash' a repetitious though I cautioned in

485

the mune way of thinking, would have appeared to his LerdsTirp
disrespectful. I tberefore made the inlet rogatory signal, eon.
ceiving his Lordship would understand it, " shall we unmoor?"
and we were answered, as I have already stated, in the affirma-
tives or I think, by direction to weigh.
Q. It appears by the lug of the luiperiens-, at three P. M.
that the Etna, with brigs in company, were bombarding the
ships in the Charaate, when they were withdraws+ from that
service, and by.whoae order? A. I sent them in to bionlsard
the enemy ; I believe they came out after the Imperiethe bad
weighed on, and the A igle had taken her anchorage. On the
day before I told thew to come out on the ebb-tide, but they did
so a little after high water, I believe the mortar was split.—
Q. Your Lordship having in your letter to Mr. Secretary Pole,
in answer to his letter to you, requesting you to point out for
the information of the Lords of the Admiralty, 'any instances is
which you thought the Commander in Chief had not done his
duty (both which letters have been rend to this Court) re-
ferred their Lordships generally to the log and signal books.
therein mentioned—your Lordship is requested to inform the
Court whether yes:meant to draw their Lordships' attention
to any other prat of these documents than those on which you
have already been interrogated, and have •thereon given your-
reentimeals ? A. Their lordships haviagdirrcted.me to exploit!
my reasons, I referr,ed their Lossiships to the log and signal
logs of the squadron, considering, that, under every circum-
stance, the best source from which their Lordships could pos-
sibly derive information. It was not my desire, unless I had
been pressed to' have drawn their Lordships' attention to Ally
patt of these or any other documents. I considered the affair
in 13041te Roads in every respect as passed, and whatever my
opinion might have been, incapable of WI remedy ; had it been
a matter in which the future interests of my country %ere in-
volved, I should not have hesitased one moment in calling their
attention to every part of these documents, and of every tither
particulars oil which lam possested. I have now also to call
the attention of the Court, that had the frigates on the more.
ing of the 'nth, instead of leaving the inner anchorage with
the ships of the line in company, remained there, full opportao
pity olfemd that day to destroy several sail of the enemy,
which were nut out of reach of vessels, properly placed, at
proper times of the tide, or of smaller vessels, during every
- -,f 0-- - 'ter my opinion.
to thc cirt ate-
-41, in passing the
leer auchorage;
Aers to act other•
sot at all likely,
our seeing it ; the
anchor, and the
out of shot or
;he dead of ebb,
iorage, as I Ituve
. I a ish also to
iiirrieuse was re-
. receipt of letter
vetting of that day,
seCila Sieniii of
the Pallas, at-
oer above alluded
awls the Captains
a heav y:respot es
,which, in mill-
think there 111 Illno.
•rs given to Capt.
oorage, w ills, full
ion of the evenly,
but aittually de-
on. the 14th by
ass then proceelled
duce from a Frenrh
Gambier had a
pilets on hoard,
ity. Witness re-
)t, which he had
been completely
mounted, where ha
stated 1114 perfect
lots, that the place
tier 4.O.ZUIRS Illuilot.
and in what mita-
•ought to bear two
uitb ulwlviag•

_
prtrt of the tide; and I have seen no cause to all
I hat e also to call the attent‘on of the C;.urt 1
stance. that Capt. Seymour, t... the Pallas, bailed
Imperieuse, to know if he sh Id remain ego the iir
and was directed by me to d so, if he had un orold
wise; for I did imaginsof possible, though Ho
that the signal of refit ;ad been Made without oU
bomb and brigs a ~, jog the looperieuse at a
Pallas bring up ,ehor likewise; here we lay
such in five an a quarter fathoms water at th
these being spring tides, and there was *who
tir
already sta •ss for at least six sail Of the lire.
call the a :icon of die Cana, afoat, 014 Imp
fitted, on eteniag of the 13th, aqd after the I
marked - . to ay reason for not, du An the eveni
or on th morning following (previous to the s
read hei • made), having with Mat ship and
tacked the 'enemy ; that I felt, later the truer
to, expressi the opinion of Lord (umbier as
who had co c from me in the inner anchorage, a
ihili 1Y 4 dbe upon me in case ofurty disaster,
tart' uper us, are sometimes unavoidable. Ith
thing 1i ediately recollect, except the order
Wolfe, w --.• rseded me in the inner aneho
powers, by any m us, to elreCt the destrneilot
dated by mistake believe on the ISth April, I
livered on the 14th the order was shewn to me
Cnpt. Wolfe. when e superseded me. Witness
to state that he derive, his knowledge of the pin(
chart, which he fouti correct ; ktut that Lord 1
similar one. Lord G bier had also French il
upou.whom he relied a ye all other alithorit
ported to hint the rainou state of the Isle d'Ai)
ascertaiued by his own serrations to have
blown up on both sides, w h only II guns inoti
had formerly observed Ms sut Lord Gambier si
couviction, on the authority ,f the Vreneh pika,
wasexceedidigly strong, and dat least three tii
ed. Wjjaess then proceeded t describe how at
tier the British ships might have ..leeu safely twin
the twiny anti destroy theta; au ds- couctilded
\is
\..