The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-04-17 00:00:00

CAPTURE OF A SPANISH SLAVER.

The following is an extract of a letter from an officer onboard
His Majesty's brigantine Buzzard, giving the particulars of an
action between that vessel and a Spanish slaver, off the coast of
Africa:—

"H. M. brigantine Buzzard, off Fernando Po, Jan. 1
"In my last letter I mentioned to you our hope of falling in
with the Formidable, and fortunately we did so on the 17th ult.,
while cruising off the entrance to the old Calabar river. On
looking with our glasses we made her out to be a rakish-looking
brig, distant about nine miles. The little barky was seen
clothed with canvass from the truck to the gunwale, and sweeps
out to help her. We had rather more wind than her, and from
the use of our sweeps, came up with her hand-over-hand, but
the captain taking us for a schooner which had sailed in com-
pany with him from the river, did not alter his course or make
sail, until we had neared a couple of miles: then finding his
mistake, up went studding sails, with every stitch he could set
in regular man-of-war-style. This settled the matter in our
minds, and we no longer doubted her being the redoubtable
Formidable.

"Our chase kept steadily on, endeavouring to cross our bows,
but finding that impossible, and that she must come to blows
with us, when within half gunshot he took in all the studding
sails at once, and lowered his stern boat, showing us two fine
teeth, in addition to.three out of his starboard side. As we bad
our studding sails still set, and gaining fast from the situation of
both vessels, and the very bad position upon him, we in sweeps
and piped to quarters. Unfortunately, from the Position in
which our long gun is placed, we could not get it to -13 ear upon
him without yawing, and that would have been losing time. At
this moment all was the most intense anxiety; of course you
know where I was obliged to go, which, if possible, increased
mine.

Shortly after, being then at about a pistol shot distance, he
let fly his starboard stern chaser with a round, two cannister shot,
a star shot, many of which went through our fore-top sail, his
object being to carry away our masts; a boy stationed iu the
top received a wound in the shoulder from one of the cannister
shot, which also carried away a portion of his lower jaw. We
then gave him the contents of our long, gun and two carronades,
with a volley of musketry, which seemed to astonish him, and
well it might, for every shot told, and they were pretty well up
to the muzzle. A brisk fire was now kept up on both sides until
10 minutes before 5, when, being sufficiently uear, we ran him
on board on the starboard quarter, the fluke of our starboard
anchor breaking it in, and hooking on the lanyard; of his main
rigging. Our fellows soon found a passage, and in less than a
minute every Spaniard of the crew but about six ran down
below, for had they attempted cutlass work our fellows would
have soon finished them.

"The captain of the Formidable proved himself a brave
fellow ; as he walked the poop, encouraging his men, he was a
mark for ours, one of whom (a marine) brought him down at
last, after he had received no less than three musket balls in
his body, and one through his cap. He is an officer in the
Spanish navy, and certainly did not disgrace it. lie suffered
much from two of his wounds, but is now out of danger. We
found they had on board upwards of 700 slaves and a crew of 66
men, 8 guns, 30 muskets, 10 pair of, pistols, besides entlasses,
We found four killer, and It wounded, the severely, tlieremain-
der, with three of the slaves, slightly. On our side we had in
all six wounded, two severely, and four slightly. The Formi-
dable was much cut up and we were a good deal riddled. Our
prize is a most beautiful vessel, worthy of the peril, upwards of
34) tons, and pierced for 20 guns. I suppose she will go for a
mere sous at Sierra Leone, and in a few months be employed
in the same trade again."