The Sun.
London, England, 1809-07-29 00:00:00

we were upon the Palais shore; when: the imperieuse
was at auclicir lii five fathom waier. It W3S high
water when we anchored, about. is o. We were
standing towards the Isltind of Aix. The sounding
given by the man in the chains, to the nest of my
recollection, was six to seven tathorn, the depth
might be more toward.; the island ; as we did not
stand in very c:ose, ( could not ascertain. When
we anchored, which was out of the'reach of shot or
shell, we lay in 5i tat horns, at low water. There was
then about the distance from three to four cables,
nearer towards the Palais sheal.than the Imperieuse
had anchored, a good field for three or four sail of
the line to anchor in five. and,a quarter and six fa-
thoms dead low-water. The marks for such anchor-
age I took myself,' which are the stern of the wreck
which was on the Palais, direttly on with the square
tower of Curds Port Island, and the windmill on the
flag-staff' of the isle of Aix. The means by which
I obtained this knowledge, was by my Opt) obser-
vations, I did not know it before, only by the ap-
pearance of the chart ; but I did not choose to trust
it, but wished to prove it.
Q. What time of tide was it when you weighed
_in the inner road of Aix About last quarter
flood, near high water ; the wind was not fair ; we
worked out, and kept the lead going the whole of
the time on both sides. We found between the tail
of the Palais shoal, and the Boyart, six and a halt or
seven. fathoms.

Q. Had you an opportunity of ascertainina cor-
reCtly .what i _the rise and tall of the tide; in, the
neighbourhood of the Isie of Aix in spring tides
A. I ❑ever had.

Q. When. you were in six fathom, in running
out from the anchorage you left, how near were you
to the batteries of Isle D'Aix Something less
than half the level range of shot.
Q. 'How many tacks did you majke in 'going out ?
A. Some four or five.•

0. Then you were four or five times, as you sup-
pose, within-a half point blank shot of the-batteries
of Aix.—A. The last two tacks we might be rather
further, as the ship was working out.
Q.. How -long were .you at anchor within the
Isle D' Aix From two o'clock' of the 12th, till
three or four o'clock of the 14th.

. .
Q. Then you had time to observe the:strength
of the batteries, how many 'were4,there; aid 'iu
what state were theY not, exactly.:_ob-
serve—tlie number or_ the; st, te,. as my, dutLip,at7:
tending to get. the rigging repaßi . titter tie ac-
tion prevented my making— 'any observation.—
I- observed on the morning • of' the I.:nit,. tlefore
We began .to engage the enemy, -.atter the Itn,pc-
rieuse was proceeding to annoy the enemy then
on shore. I, was desired by Lord Cochrane to Lty a
buoy on the Boyart shoal, which I did in sts and
a half fathom water, sufficiently distant as' -to allow
any ship to tack round' it. Alter which I observed
on the Isle D'Aix about 20 or 24 pieces of cannon
ready mounted; but I ‘keil knew the execution that
th6se guns could do, would 'be very • little to any
ship 'passii ig Who chose. to oppose; they
.011g:only
placed-in an open platform, \as it, appear‘d to me
Bout the glass in the boat.
Did on oberve any considerable or material
part of the work, on Isle D'iltx to be blown up or
destroyed ?—A. I did. On the part that- flanks it
as.we run 0)04 the shoal of the Boyart in going into
the harbour.

Examined by Lord GAmBiER..
Q. Did the Luperieose ground ot, tde night.of the
2th of April ?—A. Yes on the tail of the Palats
Shore, winch was the anchorage at which we had
been firing at the ,French ships; but not until the
last quarter ebb.
Q. At what time did she first strike ?—A. About
seven to halt past eight in the evening : but not to
hurt till about eight, when she made a great deal of
water, and shook considerably.
Q. Did any person communicate to you, before
you surveyed the anchorage you before mentioned,
for three or four sail of the line, that there was such
anchorage ; or was it a new discovery 1 dis-
covered it myself, being at-dere,: to sound round the
ship at some distance.

a. Was it known on board the lniperieuse‘be.
fore you went in that there was such an anchorage ?
—A. Only by the view of ths. French chart.. We
had no French pilots on board, nor never took any.
Captain VY o4PE, of the ..4-Ogle, examined.

Q. Did it appear to yOU, at tit; time of the attack
of the .enemy's ships on shore,-that, there was safe
and sufficient anchorage for the line of
.battle ships,
without the range of shot and shell, so as to have
enabled them to attack and destroy the enemy's two
ships at anchor,•and the other vessels ; and if so,
point "out the situation; and from the depth Of
water, how many line of battle ships could have
been anchored there!—A. I knew nothing of .the
inner anchorage but from the pilot's intbritiatiort, on
the day the attack was made on the enemy's ships
in Aix Road ; but, after we had got: up' at the tit'pe
of the attack, I think if the ships had remained
there, .without temoving to the second anchorage,
they must all have been destroyed by the shot and
shells from th,e batteries of
.the ,eneMy. At 1110
second anchorage, where ttie- mitiadrOn lay on 11'0
13th, which was about east of the spot where the
enemy was first attacked, from my own observa-
tions, having been there fifteen days atter the ene-
my's ships were,burnt, I think four or five sail of
the line might have lain there clear of the enemy's
batteries ; but must have been, moored very short
and very close, with other smaller vessels to fill up
any vacant space, as lay there with 15 or 1G guu
brigs or cutters, with the Pallas.
Q. During the time. that you remained at the
second anchorage, had you an opportunity of as-;
certaining what was the rise of the tide on spring
tides ?—A. Upon the average of the time we were
there, from 15 to la feet.

Q. During thq time you continued at this an-
chorage, did you cause sounding's to be takeri,.be-
tween the Palais and Boyart Shoafs?—A. I received
orders from -Lord Gambier to assist Mr. Stokes, the
Second Master of the Caledonia, with boats, and
whatever Mr. Stoke 4 might require in surveying the
anchorage, which was done, with the as,tistatice of
our Master and others. Ido not .recollea any par-
ticular mark of Mr. Stokes, the Master, excepting
his having said he had found deeper water and a
little more room further to the Southward. I do
not know exactly the depth of water between the
Palais and the. Boyarte with the exception .of the
CasSac having grounded much about Ult., otot point-
ed out it ctt4-.tati 411 val yvatc.r.

a. Did it appear to you that the Commander in
Chief for a considerable or any time, tlegleeted, or
delayed taking etittiye steps tor• the ciestrociion of
the enemy's ships atter they were on shore on the
121 h, and •after the signal- wade by the Imperjeuse
that they could be destroyed ?—A, None. •

Q. Did it appear to you that an blame whatever
could have attached to the c. 3 of the Corn-
mander in Chief during his .c' ..:ce in Basque
Roads, from the lgth • • the 29th of
April ?—A. No'; I aftion of any
thing of the kind:
Q. From' 'he first a e enemy's ships,_
to the. final cessation . ties. against them,
, i was,every thing. done tl Id be done to effed
their deStrudion I thin • there was, with the
class of vessels that were present.
Q. Do you know of any vessels that were with-
held that might have been employed in that service ?
—A. None whatever. When I speak of the class
of vessels that were preient, I mean that there
were no vessels under his Lordship's command,
with the draft of water , they had, that could have
further effected the destrudinn of the enemy. Every
application that I made to his Lordship to effect their
destruction was always complied with.
Captain RODD, of the Indefatigable examined.
- - -

Q. Did you, before you went into the inner road
of the Isle of Aix to attack the enemy, know of
any anchorage where six or any other number. of
line of battle ships could have safely anchored out of
the range of shot and Shell ?-7-A. I never did before,
nor have I ever known that line of battle ships could
lie there, until I saw the frigates after the a&ion
lie there ; and I did pot know they could' lie there
until that time. ~

.•
• Q. Did it appear to you that the Commander in
Chief had for a considerable o- any time neglected
or delayed taking effealual steps for the destraCtiou
of the enetny's.ships after they were on shore on
the 12th of April, and after the signal made by the
Imperieuse that they could be destroyed ?—A. I
know of no delay. '
Q. Did it appear that any blame was imputable
to the coquet of Lord Gambier; as the Commander
of the, squadron in Basque Roads, between the 17th
of MarCh and the egth of April?--A. None AA hat-
ever. • .‘ •

R. Flom the first attempt of the enemy's ships
till the final cessation of hostilities against then],
was every t hing dune t hat. could be done ?-7-4.
believe every thing, Consistent With safety -to his
Majesty's ships. • - •• • ,
Q. When you say with safetylo big )403esty's
sliii.s, do you mean without their being etpOsed to
any danger, or without their being to .more danger •
than circumstances would justify ?—A. I mean ny
their being exposed to more danger than circum-
stances would justify ; I think it they had gone far.-
titer up they must every one nave been lost ; there
were-4 thousand chances to one against them ; as it
was, they 'were ag ound for. upwards of an hour in
the iodetatigaOk, and were striking for some time
,before that, And if we had nut warped the ship off
with two ha Nsers, she would have been dry. On
the Palais Shoal, and in the direction the anchor
was lying; 1 could not find more titan five and a
half, or quarter less six fathom of water. The tide
was. about one-fourth less ebb. It was after the
action was over. 7 '

Q. Did you, on the morning of the 12tb of April,
see the linperieuse inform the Commander in Chief
by signal or telegraph, that one halt: the 4cleet would
be sufficient to destroy the enemy did not ;
part of the signal made byThe Imperteuse about that
time was reported to me, which was, that seven
sail of the enemy's line of battle ships were op shore..
I do not remember what tne other signal was,
Q. At what time did you go into Aix Road
A. The signal was made Irian the Commander in
Chid tor the fleet to weigh ; ,about two o'clock
P. M. I wa, all ready for weighing, and did so im-
mediately. Shortly atter a signal was made for the
indotatig,ible to proceed to the assistance of a ship
bearing southward, that wanted immediate assist-
ance. The wind was light, and 1 went in under
all sail, and at,citored atiout half past three, sudi-
cently close to hold conversation with the linpe,
rieuse. We then corutm:nced a tire oh the Cal-
cutta,. and so.ne ut the bow guns were pointed to
the Varsovie.
lit going into the situation next the linpe-.
rieuse, were you exposed to the tire of the batteries
of the Isle d'Aix 5 or did you pass s ithout range of
their shot ?—A. The shot ,went over us, passed a-
head and astern of us,' and the shells from Alvasorie
crossed us.
When you were at anchor near the Lupe,
rieuse, were you slid within range of the batteries
of the Isle Shot passed through the
main-top-inasi of the Indefatigable tioni Isle

Q. Was the situation in which you were at anchor
as good a one as.could be chosen for destroying the
ebony's ships ?—A. For that' I was nearest the Cal-
cutta and Varsovie. It I had gone further in, 1 must
have run around.
Q: Was it a situation in which ships of the line
could have been placed tOr the destruction of • the
enemy's ships ?—A. Not with sa'ety ; -but at the
Most imminent risk of their loss. In case: of a strong
wind corning in they could not veer cable. •
Q. Was there any other situation in the road of
the Isle of Aix in which ships of the line could be
so placed as to destroy the enemy without r►sk of
being lust ?—A I think not ; I r -where the enemy
were ,Aias surrounded wall shoals.

Q. When yOu were within the Isle of Aix, did
you"observe the state of the batteries ?-4. I did.,
I tlYiuglit the enemy shifted their guns from one
part to the other. Ido not kroiw the ,number of
gnus un the batteriei at Basque; there appeared to
De tour flanking guns at different times•pointing to-
wards, tike ships. The works in some places were
tinder repair. I don't know of, their being blown
up or delstroyed.
Q. When, the Indefatigable was coming out of
.the harbour, did the, Imperteuse hail her, and pro-
pose that thelidviatigable should go one side of the
orear, and the Imperteuse on the other'?--A. Lord
' (.3(hrane hailed me from the Imperieuse, but what
he said I could nut distinctly make out. He asked
the if I had been aground ? I replied yes. He said,
I should like to take your birth. Had, he sent a, twat
to me and proposed that to me, I cow(' not have
thought it my duty to do so. Ido not initik, with
the Water there was, I could have got near the
Ocean with.ihc Indefatigable..
Q. When you were called out by signal from the