Star.
London, England, 1808-12-21 00:00:00

PROM LAST NIGHT'S 43Alitr1t.

• DOWNING-STREET, DEcEMEER ity,te
His MAJESTY was pleased, by a Commiisiott bears
ing date the I Ith cf February last, to apprint Lieu.
tenant-General Sir JOIIN STUART, fi, B. to tie Coma
mander of his Majesty's Forces in the MediLerraneatt
(the Garrison of Gibralt tr excepted).

ADMIRALTY-OFFICE. DECEMBER It.
Copy of a Letter from Rear-Adralral Sir Edward Peliew, Bdrt.
Commander in Chief of his Majesty's She s and Vessels in
the East Indies, to the Henottrable William W. noshes, Pole,
dated on board his Majesty's Ship Culloden, in tembay Hare
bear, the 7th of April, 1808.
bir—l request you will submit to the Right HonotiraTile the
Lords Commissioners oft' e Admiralty, the inclosed letter front
Lieutenant William Diwson, acting in the command of his Mas
jesty's ship St. fiorenzo, stating the Particulars of the cailture of
la Piedmontaise French frigate, mounting lifty guns, on the Bth
ultimo, in the Gulph of Manaar.
In making this communication to their Lordshlpi I am dale
rous of expressing those mingled Eentimeets of admiration and
concern which I experience in the loss of Ceozin George Nis
cholas Hardinga, who fell in the moment of victory, ufter having
exerted, &Avg three successive days, the most remarkable zeal,
gallantry, and judement in the conduct of this very brilliant Sc'
fion. His Majeste's service has been thus deprived of a most ex-
cellent and clivinguished officer; of whom the leghest exptem.
thins have bet n justly formed, front a knoWiedge of his many
great and excellent qualities
The merit of Lieutenant William Dawson, upon Whom the
command devolved after the death of Captain Hardinge, is al.
ready well known to the Board by Ids pliant behaviour on a fora
mer occasion, when he was severely wounded at the capture of
the Psyche frigate by the St. Fiorenzo, in which nearly the whole
of her present officers and crew had the honour to share.
The matinee in which he continued the action, which bad been
so nearly concluded by hls lamented Captain, and finally con-
ducted it to a successful issue, will, doubtless, secure to him the
high a; probation and recant:pence of their Lordships.
The undaunted bravery, the animated and persevering exer-
tions of every rfficer, seaman, and marine on board the St. Fio-
renzo, have been truly worthy of the beloved country in whose
cause they have been so nobly engaged ; the public gratitude will
be commensurate with their eminent services.
I learn that the St. Fiorenzo had arrived with her prize In
safety at Colombo, tram whence she may shortly be expected at
this port. I have the honour to be, 6:c. (signed)
TOWARD eset.aws
His Majesty's Ship St. Fiorenzo, at Sea, March g.
•
Sir—lt is with great regret I have to inform you
of the death of Captain Hardinge, late of his Majes-
ty's ship St. Fiorenzo, who fell gloriously in the early
part of an anion on the Bth instant, between his
Majesty's ship St. Fiorenzo an.l the French National
frigate la Piedmontaise.
The St: Fiorenzo sailed from Point de Galte on
Friday the 4th instant, at half past eleven A. M. On
the Gth, at seven A. M. passed three Indiamen, and,
shortly after, saw a frigate bearing N. E. We im..
mediately hauled our wind in chace, and made all
sail, being at that time in latitude 7. 32. longitude
77. 58. We made the private signal, which was not
answered ; and at five shewed our colours, which the
'enemy, took no notice of. At forty minutes past
eleven P. M. we ranged alongside of him on the lar-
board tack and received his broadside. After en-
gaging till fifty minutes past eleven P. M. within a
cable's length, the enemy made sail a-head, out of
the range of our shot ; we ceased firing, and made
all sail after him ; continuing to cone up with him
till daylight, when finding he could not avoid an ac•
dun, he wore, as did we also. At twenty-five mi•
antes past sir recommenced the action, at the dis•
tance of half a mile, gradually closing with him to a
quarter of a mile. the Ore was constant and well..

directed on both sides, though that of the enemy
slackened towards the latter part of the action. At
a quarter past eight P. M. the enemy made all sail
away ; our main-topsail yard being shot through, the
main royal mast, and both main-topmast stays, the
mainspring stay, and most of the standing and run.
ning rigging, And all our sails shot to pieces, and
most of our cartridges fired away, (as our guns were
directed at his hull, he was not much disabled about
his rigging) we ceased firing, and employed all hands
in repairing the damages sustained, and fitting the
ship again for action. From the great injury our
masts, yards, and sails had received, I am sorry to
observe that it was not in our power to chace to re-
new the action immediately ; we, however, succeed-
ed
in keeping sight of him during the night ; and at
nine A. M. on the Sth, the ship being perfectly pre-
pared for action, we bore down upon the enemy under
all sail ; he did not endeavour to avoid us till we
hauled athwart his stern, for the purpose of gaining
the weather gage, and bringing him to close fight,
when he hauled up also, and made all sail ; but per-
ceiving that we came fast up with him, and that an
action was inevitable, he tacked, and at three we
passed each other nn opposite tacks, and recommen.
' ced action within a quarter of a cable's length. With
grief I have to observe, that our brave Captain was
killed by a grape shot the second broadside. When
the enemy was abaft our beam he wore, and, after an
hour and twenty minutes close action, struck their
colours, and waved then-hats for a boat so be sent
them. She proved to be la Piedmontaise, comman-
ded by Mons. Epron, Capitaine du Vaisseaux ;—.she
mounts fifty gnus, long eighteen pounders on her
main deck, and thirty-six pounder carronades on her
quarter deck. She had 366 Frenchmen on board;
and nearly 200 Lascars, who worked their sails.—
She sailed from the Isle of France on the 30th De.
cember. In the action she had 48 killed and 112
wounded. The St. Fiorenzo has 13 killed and 25
woundod ; most of the latter are in a most promising
way. A list of them I have the honour to inclose
for your information. The enemy was'clit to pieces
in his masts, bowsprit, and rigging ; and they all
went by the board • during the night. It is now a
pleasing part of my duty to recommend to your par-
ticular notice the cool, steady, and gallant conduct of
Lieutenants Edward Davies and Henry George
Moysey ; the latter, I am sorry to add, was severely
' wounded about ten minutes before the enemy struck.
I also experienced very great assistance, from Mr.
Donovan, the Master, by the judicious and seaman.
like manner in which he laid us close alongside the
enemy. To Lieutenant Samuel Ashmore, of the
Royal •Marines, I am much indebted, for the cool
and determined courage evinced by him through the
whose action, Indeed every officer, petty officer, sea.
man, _ and marine in the ship, behaved in the most
brave and gallant manner, and nobly maintained the
pre..eminence of the British flag. In the firm boat
from the prize came Mr. \V. F. Black, Assietdilt:Sur-
geon of his Majesty's 86th regiment, captured by the
Piedmontaise on his passage to Madras, who render.
ed the Surgeon &reat assistance. lam also much
indebted to the officers of the army, and the Captains
'and officers of the country ships, who were prisoners
on board the enemy, far the great assistance they al.
[Trrra ran

forded us with their Lascars in erecting jury masts,
and working the ship into port, as, from our weak
state, and the great number of prisoners on board us,
we could spare but few hands from our own ship t,?..
end on bdard the prize. I have the honour to be, &c.
(Signcd) WILLIAM I)AWSON•
List of Officers, Smiler, and Marines, Killed and Wounded on
board his Majesty's Ship St. Fiorenzo, in action with Is Pled-
rnontabse, French National Frigate on the 6th, 7th, and Bth of
March, I SOS.

Wounded on the 6th—William Pitt, seaman, slightly ; John
Trracy, supernumerary seaman, ditto ; Miller, seaman,
ditto. _ _

Killed on the 9th—Thomas Martin, seaman ; Charles Small-
wood, ditto ; Robert Currell, ditto ; John Middleton, ditto;
William hatsad, supernumerary seaman ; William Mann, ma-
nilla; John Liar, ditto ; Joseph Litchfield, ditto.
Wounderhon the 7th—John Meadows, seaman, dangerously,
si.•el: dead ; William lialdwid, seaman, lost a kg, since dead ;—•
tlearge Bvng, seaman, severely ; John Finch, seaman, ditto ;
Hands Inkman, seaman, ditto; Walter Boze, seaman, ditto;
IX Winn long, seaman, ditto; John Acton, seaman, lost two
; Philip itlrick, seaman, severely; William Wakefield,
sr an:an, lust an arm ; Richard Lock, seaman, slightly ; William
`.n Brown, Quarter-master, ditto ; John Flier, seaman, ditto;
beejatnin Poole, marine, ditto.
Killed on the Bth—George Nicholas Hardinge, Esq. Captain ;
J... 11,1 Beer, seaman • John Burn, ditto ; Evart Jones, marine.
Wounded on the Bth—Henry George Moysey, I.ieutenant,
; Thomas Gadshy, Carpenter's Mate, ditto ; Thomas
Clerk, sea nan, Oanzerously ; John M'Ewen, corporal of marines,
ditto ;. Charles Richards, marine, lost an arm ; William Pope,
marine, dangerously, since dead; Henry Thorn, boatswain's mate,
slightly ; William Davis, seaman, slightly ; George Anger sea-
nun, ditto.